All plants /Tree /Red Mulberry
Red Mulberry
Morus rubra, mulberry family. Common in East and Central Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Dark red-black berries
- How
- Raw by the handful, pie, jam
- When
- Spring into early summer
- Where
- Woods, yards, fence rows
- Value
- Sugars, vitamin C, iron
Caution: Eat only fully ripe (dark) berries; unripe white-and-green fruit and the milky sap can upset the stomach. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Harvesting
Spread a sheet and shake the branches: ripe mulberries rain down and stain everything a cheerful purple. Wash and use quickly, as they don't keep.
In the kitchen
Sweet and mild, a little flat on their own, so cooks brighten them with lemon in pies and jams.
Photo: Beko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.