Mulberry Tree

I laid Bird out on a cold marble slab of Chess death last night, taking advantage of him in a compromised state brought about by a touch of food poisoning. I tried to make gracious excuses for him, but he quoted former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to me and said, “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you want.”

And so you do.

I didn’t grow up with Mulberry trees, and I still don’t fully appreciate them as food. They drop their berries all over the porch, the car, everything- and I just watch them fall-detached like I am watching a television show about dropping mulberries.

Last week the boys were popping them in their mouths and remarking on the little red hairs growing from between their nodules of berry meat. It turned out those were the peeking legs of clover mites nestled deep within the folds of the Mulberries. This did nothing to improve my relationship with the Mulberry.

It seems ridiculous though, in this time of greater awareness of our food and where it comes from, to eschew the fruit that falls in your lap in favor of the bunched and bundled bounty of the grocery store- those Clementine oranges are just so appealing in their crates.

Standing underneath the Mulberry tree last night, I thought to myself, “Any day now I’m going to give one of those things a tug and pop it in my mouth.”

-because it’s a shame to watch fruit rot off the vine.

-Juancho

8 Responses to Mulberry Tree

  1. I’ve eaten them most of my life. Completely delicious. I’d rather have mulberries than blackberries any day. Just watch out for the bugs.

  2. Is that why we got worms every mulberry season as a child?
    Huh.
    Anyway, they are lovely berries. They make terrific pies and cobblers but you need to add lemon juice because they lack tartness. And cooking them would probably prevent any bug-related problems.
    Don’t waste those things!

  3. And don’t waste the local musicians and writers and every other kind of local beauty (including the special gifts of your closest friends and family) that are falling in your lap every day.

    Imported inspiration is second-hand, and bugless, which removes the protein that nature intended all along.

  4. Local writers and artists make an excellent cobbler, but don’t add any lemon as they are already quite tart enough!

  5. Juancho,
    The local NSA office has a new assignment for you.
    Please call HQ, and receive your new targeting data.

    roboboy
    443-87three9

    BTW, collecting the berries in a bucket, and submerging them is water, makes all the mites abandon ship.
    ( BTBTW: I’ve got a liter of homebrew mulberry beer from last year, with your name on it, sans protein)