Do you know this fruit and what it’s called? In our grandparents’ day, it was considered a dessert, but today it’s hard to find.
The fruit in the image is the mulberry, specifically the black mulberry (Morus nigra). While they look strikingly similar to blackberries, they grow on large, deciduous trees rather than thorny brambles.
Once a staple of backyard gardens and local foraging, mulberries have become rare in modern grocery stores for a very practical reason: their shelf life. Because the fruit is incredibly delicate and lacks a firm outer skin, it often begins to ferment or bruise within hours of being picked, making commercial transport nearly impossible.
Why They Were a “Grandparent’s Dessert”
In previous generations, mulberry trees were frequently planted to provide shade and a free source of summer sweetness. The fruit is notably sweeter and more complex than a blackberry, often possessing a honey-like richness with a sharp, acidic finish.
- Natural Candy: They were often eaten straight from the tree or served in a bowl with a splash of cold cream and a dusting of sugar.
- Traditional Preserves: Because they perish so quickly, grandparents would typically turn large harvests into “Mulberry Jam” or “Mulberry Wine” to preserve the flavor through the winter.
- Staining Power: Anyone who grew up with a tree remembers the deep purple stains they leave on hands and sidewalks—a byproduct of their high anthocyanin content.
Nutritional Profile
Mulberries are considered a “superfood” by modern standards due to their dense concentration of antioxidants and vitamins.
| Nutrient | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Vitamin C | Supports immune function and collagen production. |
| Iron | Unusually high for a berry; essential for oxygen transport in the blood. |
| Resveratrol | The same potent antioxidant found in red wine, linked to heart health. |
| Fiber | High pectin content aids in digestion and blood sugar regulation. |
Finding Them Today
Since you won’t find them at the supermarket, the best way to experience mulberries today is through foraging or visiting farmers’ markets during their brief fruiting window (typically late spring to mid-summer).
If you find a tree, the traditional harvesting method is to spread a large clean sheet on the ground beneath the branches and gently shake the tree; the ripe berries will fall easily, leaving the sour, underripe ones behind.
