Mulberries grow in many climates and are often considered a nuisance. Put these tasty berries to use and treat your family to something they cannot get at the grocery store! These tasty mulberry recipes will help you get started.

What are Mulberries?

Mulberries are small, usually dark but sometimes white, berries that grow on a mulberry tree. Mulberry trees are fast growing trees that are often found in older neighborhoods and in areas that are not maintained.

All parts of the mulberry tree are edible and are used for food and herbal remedies. Fortunately, it’s very easy to grow mulberries and they make a nice edible tree in almost any landscape.

What To Do With Mulberries

One great thing about mulberries is that the harvest lasts for several weeks so you’ll have plenty of time to use mulberries in various recipes. One thing that I like to do is to just substitute mulberries for other berries in recipes such as fruit crisp or fresh strawberry muffins.

We’ll also toss some mulberries in our pancake mix to make mulberry pancakes. Mulberries are a great addition to smoothies or used to top yogurt or even ice cream.

Mulberries – Frequently Asked Questions

What do mulberries taste like?

Most mulberries are very sweet and have a mild flavor, however, sometime they will have a sweet/tart flavor. Mulberries are not as big or flavorful as blackberries and I will often add a small amount of lemon juice to whatever mulberry recipe I’m making to enhance the mulberry flavor.

When are mulberries in season?

Mulberries are usually some of the first fruits that ripen in the spring. Unlike other fruits, the mulberry harvest can last a month or longer on one tree. And several months if you have several trees on your property that set fruit a different times.

Are mulberries safe to eat?

All varieties of ripe mulberries of all are perfectly safe to eat. There are no toxic look alikes so mulberries are a good place to start for beginner foragers.

Are mulberries toxic to humans?

Ripe mulberries are not toxic to humans. Unripe mulberries and the white sap found in the leaves and other parts of the tree have are mildly toxic to humans, according to Ohio State University. That being said, we will often pick berries that are not quite ripe because they have a more tart flavor and we’ve never had gastrointestinal problems because of it. I believe you would need to eat quite a lot of unripe berries for them to affect you.

Do all mulberries have worms?

Like all fruit, mulberries can have worms on them. However, the idea that there are tiny worms in every mulberry is just not true. Some believe this rumor was started to keep children, who were supposed to be picking berries to bring to mom, from eating the berries before they made it into the kitchen.

Should you wash mulberries?

Yes, you *should* wash the mulberries before eating them to remove any pests or dirt on the berries. But sometimes the temptation to each a mulberry or two right off the tree is just too much to resist. Eating an unwashed berry or two is fine.

Where can I find mulberries?

The best place to find mulberries is on your own property by growing mulberries for yourself. If you can’t grow mulberries then look for them in areas that are not maintained such as near river beds or wooded parks. Many times birds will drop seeds that will then sprout and grow a mulberry tree.

Red mulberries are native to North America and can be found in the wild in in most of the eastern half of the US. White mulberries are from Southern Asia, but have been introduced into much North American, South America, Europe, and South Africa.

If you can’t find mulberries in the wild, check with your local farmer’s market and see if any of the farmers have mulberries for sale.

Why are mulberries not sold in stores?

Mulberries do not store or ship well so you’ll probably not be able to find mulberries in stores. Mulberries are best used or preserved within a day of picking them.

Do you have to destem mulberries?

The short answer is…no, you don’t need to destem mulberries before eating them. If you wan to destem them you can either pinch the stem off with your fingernails or use a clean pair of nail clippers. We usually leave it attached because it’s a lot of work to pick mulberries and then to destem them adds more work. The stems are completely edible so there’s no safety reason to remove the stems.

Are mulberry leaves edible?

Yes, mulberry leaves are edible but it’s recommended that they be cooked or dried first. The immature leaves are more tender than the mature leaves. The stems can have the white sap that is mildly toxic in them but you would have to eat handfuls of fresh leaves to get an upset stomach.

Do mulberries get you high?

Unripe mulberries and the white sap in the other parts of the mulberry tree are mildly toxic and mildly hallucinogenic according to this Ohio State University paper. I’ve done quite a bit of research looking for studies or other papers that might give more information on the hallucinogenic effects of mulberries. Most of what I’ve found is just the statement that unripe mulberries and the white sap are mildly hallucinogenic with no reference to actual studies. In my opinion, you would have to eat fairly large quantities in order to get high from eating unripe mulberries, which of course would also give you an upset stomach. I do not believe you can “accidentally” get high from eating mulberries.

Thanks for sharing with your friends!