Happy Arbor Day! I am a huge tree hugger. Started way back when I was a tiny tot, being taken on hikes through the Washington redwood forests with my grandparents… there’s magic in those dark mysterious forests where the trees reach the sky. I had a tree I used to literally hug in my back yard when I was a teen. A pine tree. Wonder if it is still there.
I have probably more trees than my suburban lot should hold, but I just can’t help myself… and I can’t help but LOVE my mulberry tree right about now, either. Currently, we are on week 5 of prolific berries. It has been me against the birds for over a month. I love birds, too. That hasn’t stopped me from chasing them out of my yard. I hope they will forgive me the rest of the year. I’m counting on them having bird brains and forgetting what a berry-loving tyrant I have been for all of April and a bit of March.
Because: YUMMY MULBERRIES!
I’ve made them into jam, jelly, cobbler, cheesecake, biscuits, juice, and have eaten them by the handfuls every time I open the fridge or go outside in the yard. I’m planning to make something else tonight… not sure what yet. Something that won’t require whipped cream, because my waistline is taking a hit. Of course – all of my recipes are gluten and cane sugar free. That doesn’t mean there isn’t honey, maple syrup or monk fruit, though… so desserts really are supposed to be treats – not every-day eats. Moderation is the key.
Even so… I figure, if God gives me mulberries, I’m going to eat them… so moderation is difficult when you are producing a big crop and they don’t keep! After a couple of days in the fridge, they don’t taste half as sweet or tart, and they begin to shrivel if you don’t keep them submerged in water (don’t pour the water out after you use the berries- they flavor it nicely, just drink it).
Would you like a mulberry tree? My birds are spreading the seedlings around the yard and I find a new baby every now and again. I have two large tree saplings ready for my sister and aunt, and there are a few babies left if you want one and you are local to North Austin. As for the berries, forgive me if I’m a bit stingy. I don’t get sweet treats much on my anti-cancer diet. Berries are pretty much the only fruit besides lemons and limes that are OK for me, and mulberries are a super-food… with more protein than all other berries.
I’m doing my part for Arbor Day by re-homing my baby trees… and if no one takes them, I plan to take them to a local pond and plant them there so the birds will have food in the wild. The world needs more mulberry trees for sure.
Now if only there was enough space for a few peach trees in my yard… maybe someday.
P.S. I heard you on Facebook and Instagram… the recipes are coming. They are currently in transition from chicken scratch notes scattered in a pile of paperwork on my desk, into typed draft posts for the blog… as time permits! I hope to have all of them up before berry season is over.