Mulberry trees produce dark, juicy, sweet-tasting berries that are perfect for making jams, wines, desserts, and sauces. The berries don’t ripen all at the same time and, once ready for eating, start falling from the tree. Due to their soft and delicate nature, they require harvesting daily before they spoil. We’ll take a look at how to harvest mulberry tree fruit here, along with other useful tips.
What You'll Learn Today
How To Pick Mulberries
Ripe mulberries fall easily from the tree and quickly begin to decay if left on the ground. One way of harvesting mulberries is by simply laying a tarp around the tree to collect the falling fruits.
You’ll need to gather up any that have landed on the tarp daily, preferably in the evening.
If you have a specific recipe in mind and you need a good quantity of berries, you can freeze them in batches or increase the number of berries you gather in one go by hand-picking.
Note that whenever you touch mulberries, you need to be careful of their juice, it is very good at staining your hands and your clothing, so it’s best to wear gloves and protective coveralls.
To gather lots of berries at once, try this method. You will need the following:
- Large tarpaulin
- Grappling hook on a rope (you can fabricate one of these from anything suitable you have lying around) if the tree is small enough to reach easily by hand, you won’t need a grappling hook, just use your hands to shake the branches
- Suitable receptacle
- Gloves
- Coveralls
Here’s what to do:
- To begin, put on your protective clothing. If your grappling hook is heavy, it will also be very advisable to wear a hard hat.
- Spread the tarp out around your tree.
- Ensure other people and animals are safely out of the way, and then throw your grappling hook over a branch of your tree. Or, if the tree is low enough, simply grasp a branch in your hand.
- Give the branch a good shake by pulling on the rope or shaking it with your hands.
- Both ripe and unripe berries will fall onto the tarp. You’ll need to separate out the good from the bad.
- Gently place the good berries into a suitable receptacle, such as a clean bucket. Be careful not to overfill it, as the ripe berries on the bottom will easily get squashed by the weight above them.
- If you’re going to use them right away, slowly and gently fill the bucket with water, be careful not to let it gush in and destroy the berries.
- Remove any debris and berries that float to the top.
- Gently drain, and your berries are ready to use.
Continue harvesting like this every other day until all the berries are gone.
The mulberries can be dried on a paper towel and placed in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
A 10-year-old mulberry tree that produces well should yield around 10 bushels or 15 to 20 pounds of mulberries in a season.
If you do get mulberry juice on your fingers or clothing, you can use lemon juice or vinegar to help remove it. Try not to let it dry on fabric or porous surfaces, and don’t use very hot water on the stain, as this will just help set it.
Many people like to plant mulberry trees where their chickens can eat the fallen fruits. This makes it a lot less messy and gives you very happy chickens!
Be aware that mulberry leaves and branches contain a latex sap which some people are allergic to.
Can You Eat Mulberries Straight Off The Tree?
Yes, provided you don’t have any sensitivities to mulberries, they can be eaten once fully ripe, straight off the tree, although I do advise washing them first.
Fresh from your tree, the mulberries taste delicious, and it’s easy to notice the different flavors of the various varieties if you have more than one kind growing.
French mulberries are full of vitamins and minerals and an antioxidant called Resveratrol which is what gives them their dark red color. This antioxidant has been shown to be beneficial in maintaining a healthy immune system and helping ward off certain diseases.
Just 3.5 ounces of berries provide around 60% of your daily vitamin C requirement.
If you find you can’t eat as many fruits as your tree is producing, don’t worry, you can easily freeze, dry, or convert them into a tasty treat to enjoy at your leisure.
Who Should Not Eat Mulberries?
As I mentioned previously, mulberry trees do contain latex sap which is toxic, and some people may be allergic to it.
Mulberries have been shown to have a variety of benefits, including lowering blood sugar by delaying the digestion of carbohydrates. For some, this can be beneficial, while for others, especially people on diabetic medication, this can be problematic.
Some people have reported headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, sweating, and tremors.
Because carbohydrate absorption can be affected by mulberry, it also means some nutrients will also be malabsorbed. Note, however, that this effect is not a long-term event. It is only while the mulberry is being digested.
Another problem some people experience when consuming mulberries is digestive issues, exhibiting one or more of the following symptoms – nausea, indigestion, bloating, or diarrhea.
In this video, you can see the benefits of eating mulberries and also who should not eat them or the cons of eating too many:
The leaves of the mulberry tree lower uric acid levels, so people taking medication to decrease uric acid in the body should avoid ingestion.
They are also high in potassium, and excessive potassium levels in the body can cause a variety of issues, including dehydration, nausea, palpitations, fatigue, and numbness.
It is, therefore, wise for people with diabetes, gout, or kidney disease to avoid mulberry, particularly if they are already receiving medication for these conditions.
If you are in any doubt, it is always best to check with your physician before consuming the berries or making tea from the leaves.
How Do You Clean Mulberries After Picking Them?
Always ensure that mulberries are clean before you consume them, particularly if you are going to be eating them raw.
It’s best not to wash them too long before you’re going to consume them, as they keep better unwashed.
Also, don’t wash them under a jet of water from the tap, as this can damage the berries. Instead, fill a container with water and gently tip the mulberries into it, then swill them lightly around.
Drain the water off carefully, and they are ready to eat.
Sometimes the stalks stay attached to the fruits, and you’ll probably want to remove them before consuming.
How Do You Prepare Mulberries For Eating?
Although fresh mulberries are a real delight, there really are only so many you can eat before making yourself feel unwell.
It is better to eat a few fresh and then convert the rest into another tasty treat you can enjoy at a later time.
Mulberries are perfect for turning into jam, syrup, sorbet, ice cream, smoothies, pies, muffins, and much more.
If you want to use your mulberries for wine, then many winemakers suggest freezing the berries first.
One of my favorite summer treats is an ice-cold sorbet on a hot summer’s day. Here’s a recipe:
Mulberry Sorbet
Preparation time: One hour and 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Freezing time: 4 to 8 hours, depending on your freezer
Total time: 5 hours 20 to 9 hours 20.
Ingredients
- 5 cups of ripe mulberries
- 1 cup of white or golden caster sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of mulberry wine, port, or sherry (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the mulberries and remove any stems.
- Place the water and sugar in a pot and bring them slowly to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down until the water is just simmering very gently for around three or four minutes.
- Turn the heat off and allow it to cool slightly.
- While simmering the water and sugar, place the berries into a blender and blend them on pulse a few times.
- Once the syrup has cooled and is no longer hot, pour it onto the blended berries and blend again.
- Push your blended berries through a sieve with a fine mesh to remove all of the seeds and any stems you missed. You can use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to push them through.
- Add the alcohol to the strained puree and mix in well.
- Cover and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a few hours.
- Place into your ice cream maker and follow the directions for your model.
- If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container with an airtight lid and place it in the freezer. You will need to stir the mixture every half hour for the first few hours to prevent ice crystals from forming.
How Long Do Mulberries Last Once Picked?
Unfortunately, because mulberries are such a soft fruit, they only keep for a few days after picking, provided you keep them refrigerated.
Once picked, they deteriorate fast, which is why you seldom find them at grocery stores.
Two ways of preserving them for longer are to freeze or dry them.
How to Freeze Mulberries
A good way of keeping your mulberries for longer is to freeze them. This will allow you to keep them ready for use for up to one year.
- Step 1 – Before freezing your Mulberries, you’ll first need to wash them thoroughly to remove any dirt, bugs, and debris and also to help eliminate any bacteria that could potentially make you sick such as E. coli, Salmonella, or Norovirus. This can be done by placing your berries into a strainer and running them under a gentle stream of cool water for several minutes. Do this in small batches so that the water can circulate well around all the berries in the strainer.
- Step 2 – Allow them to drain for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cotton cloth or paper towel and spreading them out to dry thoroughly.
- Step 3 – Next, place some non-stick parchment paper onto a tray and spread the berries out in a single layer so they are not touching.
- Step 4 – Place in the freezer overnight or for several hours until they are flash-frozen. Then you can place them immediately into a freezer-proof bag or container and put them back into the freezer. This will prevent the berries from sticking together and allow you to use a few at a time whenever you want them.
How to Dehydrate Mulberries
If you have a dehydrator, you can also opt to dehydrate your mulberries. This is a very convenient way of storing them, and they should last for a long time if the dehydration process is done correctly.
Step 1
In the same way you would wash the berries before freezing them to remove dirt, bacteria, and other impurities, you must do the same before dehydrating. In small batches, place the berries into a strainer and wash for several minutes under a gentle stream of cool running water.
Step 2
Next, submerge the berries in lemon juice, ascorbic acid, citric acid, or sodium metabisulfite solution. This helps with the preservation process and helps to stop oxidization.
Step 3
Allow to drain for five minutes before placing the berries in a single layer onto a clean cotton cloth or paper towel. Once all the surface liquid has dried, place the berries in a single layer with a little space between each on the dehydrating trays.
Step 4
Place each tray carefully into the dehydrator and set it to between 115°F and 135°F. The exact temperature will depend on your dehydrator, and you should check the manufacturer’s instructions for drying berries.
Drying time will vary depending on the temperature selected and the humidity in your home. Remember that you want to dehydrate them and not cook them, so a lower temperature for longer is better than a higher temperature for a shorter time.
On average, it will take between 12 to 18 hours to dehydrate the berries fully.
Step 5
Once they have reached a good level of dryness you will need to condition the berries for ten days. This is very important, and a lot of people fail with dehydration because they miss this step.
As soon as you finish dehydrating the berries, allow them to cool for a few minutes before placing them loosely in a completely dry, sterile, airtight jar.
You can sterilize the jar by placing it into the oven for five minutes (remember to remove any rubber seals before doing this).
Don’t leave the berries out in the open air for very long, as they will pick up yeast and mold spores which can completely ruin your drying efforts.
Shake the jar daily for the 10-day period and then transfer them into another dry, sterile jar, but this time pack them tightly and keep them stored in a cool, dry place until you want to use them.
Dried berries should last for six to 12 months or more if kept cool. The higher the heat they are exposed to, the shorter their shelf life.
If stored at 60°F, they will last for around one year. If the temperature is closer to 80°F, then this is reduced to about six months.
Conclusion
These delicious, nutritious fruits are relatively easy to gather with the shake-and-catch method. The biggest problem is the juice which stains, so wearing protective clothing is a wise precaution.
Once you’ve picked your berries, you can turn them into all kinds of delicious things, including jams and jellies, or if you want to preserve them to use in recipes throughout the winter months, you might prefer to freeze or dehydrate them.
Read our other mulberry articles to discover more about the mulberry and how to grow your own trees.
