Sunday, June 27, 2010

Morning Mulberries

In keeping with my "foraging" resolution (made last summer), I have been greedily stuffing my face with "feral" mulberries, which are plentiful in this area. Like the mighty silkworm, I have a gluttonous addiction for these things, dating back to my childhood, when my siblings and I would spend a good deal of time climbing a mulberry tree in our backyard, occasionally snacking on the incredible berries to be had:





The berries stain surfaces they contact pretty badly- better my sausage fingers than some poor sap's car:





Everything seems to be ripening early this year- the mulberries started ripening a couple of weeks ago (they never ripen all at once, so I'll have delicious berries for another week or two), and I actually saw some really early (but unripe) wild grapes this morning, and some pinkish staghorn sumac "berries". The wild raspberries look like they need another week or so to ripen.
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8 comments:

  1. Smut ClydeJune 27, 2010 at 8:20 AM

    Wikipedia sez that "Unripe fruit and green parts of the plant have a white sap that is intoxicating and mildly hallucinogenic." Did you know that? I did not know that.

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  2. ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©June 27, 2010 at 9:40 AM

    It almost sounds like S.C. is suggesting the preparation of a beverage.
    ~

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  3. Substance McGravitasJune 27, 2010 at 12:15 PM

    The berries stain surfaces they contact pretty badly- better my sausage fingers than some poor sap's car

    So you climbed on the poor sap's car with your hob-nailed boots. Well done.

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  4. Smut ClydeJune 27, 2010 at 11:13 PM

    So you climbed on the poor sap's car with your hob-nailed boots.
    Also, was he intoxicating and / or hallucinogenic?

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  5. VonnieJune 28, 2010 at 12:00 PM

    I wish I could forage here. Alas, no foraging to be had in Chicago.
    boo
    Must hit up the farmers market.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Big Bad Bald BastardJune 28, 2010 at 1:28 PM

    I wish I could forage here. Alas, no foraging to be had in Chicago.

    You never know until you look- I found a mulberry tree on 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, right by the BQE.

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  7. Big Bad Bald BastardJune 28, 2010 at 1:31 PM

    Did you know that? I did not know that.

    I know that now! Smut, you are what is commonly termed an "enabler". Thanks!

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  8. GlennisJune 30, 2010 at 12:42 AM

    Haven't seen mulberries since I lived in the East. But I have recently been thinking about our wild elderberries here in Southern CA, which grow wild in my neighborhood.

    When I lived in Seattle, I was a forager of blackberries (a fuckin' weed in those parts) and some neighborhood prune-plums that had gone feral.

    They made good wine.

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