About Red Mulberry

Title:
About Red Mulberry

Yield:
1 Text file

Categories:
Fruits




Ingredients:









 How to Recognize: The only mulberry native to Canada, it is a short-


 trunked deciduous tree under 30 feet in height. The bark is reddish brown,


 separating in long, flaky plates. The yellowish green leaf blades are


 large, up to 5" long, widest below the middle and have hairy undersides.


 They are simple with pointed tips and the stems are long with 3 prominent


 veins at the base of each leaf. Male and female flowers are borne in


 separate clusters appearing with or before the first leaves. The fruits are


 dark red to black compact aggregates which resemble blackberries.


 


 White mulberry is an Asian tree whose foliage is used for silkworm feed and


 has been introduced as an ornamental and is an escapee throughout eastern


 North America. It has lustrous smooth leaves and whitish or reddish fruit.


 


 Where to Find: Southernmost Ontario in moist, rich soils often mixed with


 other hardwoods.


 


 How to Use: Harvest easily by spreading sheets under the tree and shaking


 the branches gently. Juicy and sweet when ripe; delicious raw, in fruit


 beverages, or in baked desserts. Alone or in combination with acid fruits


 such as gooseberries or cherries. Can be frozen or dried like raisins. Use


 as in blackberry and raspberry recipes.


 


 WARNING: Be careful not to eat raw fruit before it is ripe. Unripe fruit


 and the milky sap in the leaves and stems are toxic and can cause gastric


 upsets. The leaves and stems may also cause dermatitis if touched by


 susceptible individuals. From: Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada,


     published by the National Museums of Canada,


     ISBN 0-660-00128-4


 


 Posted by: Jim Weller


 Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V3 #190


 


 Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 23:14:17 -0500


 


 From: pickell@cyberspc.mb.ca (S.Pickell)