This post is about berries, summer bounty, and being grateful 🙂 And yes, I said Mulberry Tree, not Mulberry Bush… Who knew?? When we moved to our current property a few years ago, this tree was one of many great surprises.
For those of you who have never had one before, mulberries look like a small blackberry, but are sweeter and incredibly delicious! Our tree is completely laden with berries, to the point where I don’t even know what to do with them all. For the past few days, my kids and I have been outside for hours picking them.
I thought I would share a bit about what I’ve been doing with this summer produce. There are endless recipes on Pinterest, so instead of getting overwhelmed by the amount of berries, I’m going to try some new things!
First of all, I like to have a little container of fresh berries in the fridge to snack on (bottom left), but I keep the amount small because they tend to get mushy really quickly.
I love these ceramic bowls and lids for the fridge! https://amzn.to/3JFa3ap
Then I freeze tons to have for the rest of the year (above right). I freeze them on cookie sheets first so they don’t stick together, and then I transfer them to freezer bags. We love them in smoothies, muffins and even pancakes.
With this batch of berries, I also made Mulberry, Strawberry, Rhubarb Tarts, which we then delivered to some special people. I will definitely be making more of these. They are summery and fresh, especially with a little whipped cream and a basil or mint leaf on top! The leftover juice from the tart mixture is also delicious on ice cream.
- I simmered 4 heaping cups of fruit (my ratio happened to be mostly mulberries and rhubarb with a few strawberries) with one and a quarter cups of sugar, and one and a half tablespoons of cornstarch, for 5-10 minutes (long enough to soften the rhubarb). After it cooled, I spooned the mixture into premade, already baked tart shells (18).
I just finished a batch of mulberry liqueur to mix with club soda, but it won’t be ready for a month or two. I used this recipe, but substituted the berries. https://pin.it/29zWvr6
I also made a batch of mulberry cordial for a non-alcoholic summer drink, which will be ready tomorrow. https://pin.it/4vRSh90 How refreshing does that sound??
I have to say that over the past few years I have become a little obsessed with foraging for different plants, fruits, vegetables, berries… You name it, I want to pick it. The more recipes I try, the more confident and adventurous I become. I feel so grateful to be able to walk outside and pick as many mulberries as I want, and to live in a place that has so much abundance. My kids run underneath the tree and eat them throughout the day, and I can walk out the door at any time to grab a handful for a little snack. They are so yummy!
I do have to tell you though, mulberries stain!! So if you’re ever looking for a natural dye, try mulberries. We used frozen ones from last year to dye Easter eggs this year, and they turned a beautiful blue colour. But they will also do this, hahaha……….
This is what we look like for most of the summer: dirty, but happy and content to be outside exploring and harvesting anything we can get our hands on.
“Sometimes lying under trees and walking barefoot on the Earth is the most spiritual thing you could ever do in your life.”
I couldn’t agree more!
I’m excited to try some new recipes this year, and maybe repeat a few I’ve tried already. Last year I used a raspberry freezer jam recipe to make mulberry freezer jam, yum!
Our tree has so many berries! If anyone wants some, please let me know. It’ll be about $5 a pint, which is about 8 oz (bottom left). And to show you how much fits into one of those standard dollar store containers, it’s about one and a half pounds (bottom right). Tell me how much you want and bring a container that I can transfer the berries into, or if you want to pick some yourself you’re more than welcome. They can be a huge mess to pick… Your hands will turn blue, and the berries fall off the branches really easily. So if you want me to pick them for you, I’m happy to do it since I’ll already be out there picking them for my family. Or come on over for a mulberry treat or drink 🙂
