Friday, October 18, 2019

Here we go 'round the mulberry tree …

Back in late May, I took a few photos of the mulberry tree at the side of my house. I'm assuming it's not the only mulberry tree in town, but it's certainly the only one I'm aware of. I discovered its identity one year only by trying to figure out where those supersized berries on the ground were coming from. Finally overcoming my own dimness, it dawned on me to look up, and the mysterious berries were hanging plentifully overhead.

The leaves on this tree are huge. I took a photo of one with my (crepey, but oh well) hand on it for comparison. Most of the leaves were definitely larger than my hand.

And while I apparently didn't go back and get a photo when the mulberries had fully ripened to purple, you can see here how they resemble elongated blackberries. (Or caterpillars. Take your pick.)

So why am I writing about out-of-season mulberries? Well, because tea friend Diane emailed me something about a new type of tea strainer that is made out of … mulberry leaves! Click here to see this new leaf-style tea filter. (And feel free to contact me if you'd like to become an angel investor in McRae's Mulberry Leaf Tea Strainer Company. Ha!)

4 comments:

  1. Your mulberries are interesting--I have never seen such long berries on them. We had numerous mulberry trees where I grew up in Kentucky, and we have both white mulberries and purple ones growing here in Washington, but none have those large berries like yours. And did you know that mulberry leaves are the only food that silkworms will eat?

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  2. I have never seen a mulberry tree. Not sure they grow here. I have seen similar strainers made by someone in the Pacific Northwest too. I have a strainer that looks similar, but not made from an actual leaf. They are very pretty.

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