One afternoon, I stumbled upon a big tree full of dark purple (almost black) fruit. I stepped off my bicycle to take a closer look. It was mulberry.
Overjoyed, I immediately set about picking the fruit with my bare fingers. Unlike blackberries, they were easy to pick. No thorns. No cobwebs. No need to stoop or stretch. I ate every single berry I picked until I quenched my thirst.
I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Greedy for more, I tore off several mulberry leaves to pad the inside of my bicycle bag. I lost track of time as I picked every mulberry within my reach.
The next day, I couldn’t wait to cycle to the park and pick more berries. This time, I brought a plastic container and a wet rag to wipe my fingers and hands when they get sticky and stained.
What can you do with mulberries?
Eat them, right off the tree, of course.
Eat them in oatmeal porridge or cereal for breakfast.
Freeze them and treat them like any other berry. Blend them in smoothies.
Put them in cocktails, the way bartenders throw them into martinis in Maine. The dark purple contrasts well against light green cucumber sticks and orange wedges in a glass of Pimm’s.
You’ve heard of blueberry muffins — why not mulberry muffins? Here’s a recipe for mulberry muffins that does not require butter or sugar, except in the optional streusel topping. Take out the yoghurt and butter first to get them to room temperature.
GENERIC RECIPE FOR BERRY MUFFINS
DRY INGREDIENTS (small bowl)
- 2 cups white flour (can be part almond flour or all almond flour)
- 2 heaping teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- extra flour to sprinkle over berries so they don’t sink to the bottom when you mix them
WET INGREDIENTS (big bowl)
- 2 eggs, beaten into a uniform yellow color
- 3/4 cup Greek yoghurt (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup oil (canola, sunflower, or vegetable NOT olive or sesame or other oil that has a distinct flavor)
- (Note: simply fill a cup with Greek yoghurt and then top it up with canola oil rather than measure them separately).
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups berries (mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, loganberries,
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional for sweetness)
STEPS:
Mix the dry ingredients.
Mix the wet ingredients except the last two items (berries and chocolate chips).
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to make a smooth, thick and runny batter in the big bowl.
Coat the berries in the extra flour and gently mix them into the batter. This does not require much mixing so as to avoid crushing the berries. The last item is optional. There are other ways to sweeten the muffin such as with the frosting of carrot cake (previous recipe) or a streusel topping (below).
To appreciate and taste the berries, avoid adding nuts and other items.
Preheat oven to 375 F
Use cupcake or muffin liners, paper baking cups for best results. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins until full. Do not fill above the cup, as batter will rise. Sprinkle the optional streusel topping.
Bake for 25 minutes until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
STREUSEL TOPPING
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour (again, you can fill a cup with brown sugar and the remainder with flour — no need to measure each separately)
- 1/2 cup fine oat meal or breadcrumbs (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter (or more as needed)
Mix the dry ingredients and then throw in the butter. This is the same kind of topping you put on top of rhubarb or fruit crumble before you bake it.
