The Mulberry Tree

Going into my driveway and seeing that the mulberry tree was blooming and there were birds chirping were some of the best days of my life. The sun was shining and the glorious tree had so many berries on it. Running into the house to get something to hold them with, I grab my grandmother and run outside. My grandparents lived in Merrimac Massachusetts, and I lived with them for most of my early childhood. These memories of living there were some of the best.

Unripened mulberries. Credit: K. Dave

The berries were sour and sweet on this huge tree but I loved them nonetheless. We would pick them and step on the ones that were falling into the ground, and sometimes I would sneak and eat some without washing them first. But in my mind, that was the best way to eat them. Every day that the tree had berries on it I would steal them and eat them away. Sometimes I would use them to play with my toys and fake “cook” with them with sticks and rocks. The birds seemed to love this tree just as much as I did. They would sit in the tree picking away at the fruit and leave the ones that fell on the ground for people to step on without knowing.

Later on, the tree was cut down because it was not fully on our property. The lot next to us planned to build apartments and he wanted to sell the land. That was one very sad day. My tree was leaving me, and I would never eat those berries the same way again. It felt like my childhood was over, I was growing up and so was the tree. This made me learn from an early age to not take things for granted and to always appreciate the things around us before they’re gone. 

Ready to pick! Credit: Florida Fruit Geek

Mulberries look a lot like blackberries, but they do not taste the same at all! I would say mulberries can be sweeter and maybe even a little harder than the average blackberry. People tend to use mulberries in the same way as every other berry, on top of yogurt, in pies, on ice cream, etc. They just are not seen, or appreciated, as much as your regular berry.

Mulberry Jam! Credit: SustainMyCraftHabit

Written by Gwenyth Faino