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.

8 comments:

Smut Clyde said...

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.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

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

Substance McGravitas said...

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.

Smut Clyde said...

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

Vonnie said...

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

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

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.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Did you know that? I did not know that.

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

Glennis said...

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.