Secret Mulberry Tree

We’ve lived in our home for many years and there is one tree in particular in our neighbor’s yard that I love looking at from the living room.  In fall it turns a spectacular yellow color, goes bare in the winter and fills out in the spring with beautiful light green foliage.  This tree means spring for me, undergoing one of the most significant transformations around my home.  I’ve always wondered what kind of tree it is.

Today I glanced out of the window and noticed hundreds of tiny, maroon berries hanging throughout.  I honestly cannot remember ever seeing these berries before.  (It makes me feel like a bit of a doofus.)  I narrowed my eyes to see these berries come into focus as mulberries.  Yes, mulberries!  Score!!!  My family has had the pleasure of a bag of mulberries for the past few springs from a friend’s mulberry tree in a neighboring town.  They are somewhat unique in taste, similar to a plum tasting berry with floral undertones.  Thanks to my new heightened sense of all things edible, we’ll not only continue to appreciate this tree’s beauty, but also the newly discovered fruit that it bears for years to come (with permission from my neighbor of course).

I quickly grabbed a bag and went outside.

This tree is about 20′ tall.

Here are the little darlings. When ripe, they just fall off into your hand with the slightest touch.

Aren’t they beautiful?  You can eat the stem, but I prefer to eat the berry alone by sliding the stem through my teeth.

I thoroughly intend on knocking on my neighbor’s door to ask about harvesting more.  The majority of the fruit are still immature, but by the looks of many ripe mulberries on the ground, this neighbor isn’t making mulberry pie.  And I hate to see good food go to waste.

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