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Urban Berry Picking: Mulberries

Every spring in a secret undisclosed location in downtown Kansas City…

…when the pavement turns purple…

…and the concrete is covered with fallen fruit…

…it’s time to pick mulberries.

Ripe berries are dark, and will stain your clothes and fingers…

…but it’s worth it.

Leave the unripened fruit on the tree, it will be ready in a few days.

I just eat them, stem and all.

Mulberries have a long history in this area and even though the Silkville, KS project eventually failed, tasty berries still appear every spring in the most unlikely of places.

Find yours and enjoy!

http://twitter.com/tacitkc Tacitus

Where I grew up there was a single “albino” mulberry tree, growing at random in a fence line (not planted). The fruit didn’t stain whatsoever, and was a off-white Perl color. I’d never seen one in person before or since. The fruit was pretty much the same flavor, but so much less mess.
- http://kcmeesha.com kcmeesha
  
  I’ve seen white mulberry in Ukraine no that you reminded me of it.
http://simplyjews.blogspot.com/ SnoopyTheGoon

Not in fashion here. So all I have is memories of picking them elsewhere.
- http://kcmeesha.com kcmeesha
  
  Not very popular here either, only one person at work agreed to try a few.
http://dannypizdetz.com/ Danny Pizdetz

I’ve got one in the yard. I always enjoy snacks as I walk by. When I finally learn to canI think I’ll lay out a tarp and try to catch them as they drop.
http://profiles.google.com/mosie1944 Donna Wood

I have always loved mulberries. I got in trouble once when I was four or five years old because I put a couple of handfuls in the pocket of my dress to take home. Mulberries are too soft to be transported in a pocket, and I’m not sure Mother got the stain out. When I used to ride Blue down in the river bottoms I would stop him under a mulberry tree; he would reach up and eat leaves; I ate berries while sitting on his back.
http://profiles.google.com/mosie1944 Donna Wood

Oh, the negative side of mulberries is that if you have a tree near your yard and like to hang clothes on a clothesline, the birds eat berries and then spot your clothes with purple poop.
- http://kcmeesha.com kcmeesha
  
  no such problems here , but just in case, I don’t know of any mulberry trees around my house.
- http://dannypizdetz.com/ Danny Pizdetz
  
  They don’t seem to target my clothesline but they will pepper the hell out of my car if I park under the tree. That’s okay, it’s usually still cool this time of year so I park elsewhere until all the berries have dropped. Of course, with it being dry for the last 20 days the berries haven’t really been dropping that much from my tree.
http://twitter.com/NobleRot NobleRot

I don’t a have anything against eating mulberries. I think they’re delicious. But I worry about eating pollutants or pesticide sprays that might be on “urban” mulberries.
- http://kcmeesha.com kcmeesha
  
  No one sprays anything here, it’s KCMO….
David Remley

Mulberries, when squished on face, look a lot like blood… do that and run inside up to your Mother… fright will ensue and then retribution. These trees are all along Gladstone Boulevard from Elmwood to White.
bobkennedy

I’ve had occasion to observe the life cycle of mulberries and most seem to die within 25 years or so, for whatever reason. So let’s all get out and find this one, using the hints Meesha has graciously supplied. It may not have that much longer to survive. Well, maybe next year, as the berries are probably all gone by now.

Glad to know these interesting trees inhabit Ukraine as well as midwest flyover territory.
http://dannypizdetz.com/ Danny Pizdetz

The tree in my yard is still producing, I suspect due to the recent rain. I picked 5 cups and frozen them today. I’ve been toying with the idea of laying out a tarp to try to collect them as they fall from the tree but I’m not sure if that would work.
- http://kcmeesha.com kcmeesha
  
  This tree is by the View condos on Admiral. It had plenty of stuff as of last Friday.

Urban Berry Picking: Mulberries

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