Mulberry, or Morus species, can be found in a variety of settings, though they prefer wooded areas or borders between woods and fields, including more urban landscapes, preferring areas where they have access to plenty of water. The berries can vary from red, pink, white, to purplish black, depending on the species, though all are edible. Furthermore, the young leaves and inner bark, or cambium, is also edible. The berries can be eaten raw, dried, or made into jellies, wines, and cordials, or used to make pies, tarts, and teas. The young leaves can be a nutritious and tasty addition to salads and the inner bark can be boiled into a porridge and eaten year long. The white mulberry is invasive in the United States and is originally from East Asia, featuring a refreshing, tart taste with hints of vanilla.
Nutritionally, mulberries are high in vitamins K and C, contain some minerals, and some carbohydrates. It is best not to eat the berries until they are ripe, mainly for taste. They are ripe when they can be removed from the tree with simply a slight tug. Depending on the weather, mulberries are usually ready for picking just after blackberries ripen and the easiest way to harvest them is to just lay a tarp under the tree and shake the branches, as the ripe mulberries will fall off onto the tarp. As with colorful fruits, the pigments present in mulberries are powerful antioxidants that are wonderful for the body. A one-hundred gram serving of raw mulberries provide 43 calories, 44% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C, and 14% of the daily recommended amount of iron.
Medicinally, mulberries have been used for a variety of purposes. For instance, mature white mulberry trees contain significant amounts of resveratrol, a substance currently being studied for possible application in fighting a number of health problems, including cancer and decreased longevity. White mulberry leaves are purported to treat colds, fevers, and the flu. Furthermore, young twigs of the white mulberry can be used to make a tea that is said to improve vision and circulation, decrease blood pressure, relieve headaches, and stimulate insulin production. The red mulberry is more common here, however, and the bark has been used traditionally to treat tapeworms or as a laxative. The milk sap from the plant was used by Native Americans to cure ringworm of the scalp. They also drank a tea made from the roots which was said to reduce weakness, to aid in urination, to cure dysentery, and to lower fevers.
Surprisingly enough, some cities ban the planting of mulberries because of the large amount of pollen they produce. This is a misnomer, however, because only male mulberry trees produce the problematic pollen, which is very small, being easily inhaled deep into the lungs. Female mulberry trees, however, only produce female flowers, which actually draw pollen and dust from the air, having an allergy scale rating of only one.
So remember, try and eat one wild food every day! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas on wild food plant articles or recipes please e-mail [email protected].