Food Readme

– Mulberries and blackberries are two different fruits with different flavors.
– Mulberries have a more vegetal and grassy flavor while blackberries are sweet with a jammy and peppery flavor.
– Mulberries grow on trees while blackberries grow on bushes or brambles.
– Blackberries are considered an “aggregate fruit” with many smaller fruit pods connected to a central stem.
– Blackberry bushes can create a bramble or be grown on a trellis system.
– Blackberries ripen from June to August in North America.
– Blackberries start as green buds, turn red, and finally become deep purple/black when ripe.
– “Pick your own” blackberries are offered by many blackberry farmers during the season.
– Mulberry fruits are not actually berries but are multiple or collective fruits shaped like a blackberry.
– Mulberry trees can be found worldwide but are less common in North America.
– Mulberries come in dark purple, red, and white colors when underripe.
– They have a longer size compared to blackberries, reaching up to 2 inches or more in length.
– Mulberries have a short shelf life of 3-5 days, even when refrigerated.
– They can be used at all stages of growth, and white mulberries taste good in vinegary quick pickles for salads or grain bowls.
– Mulberries grow on deciduous trees, usually maturing in under 10 years.
– The leaves of white mulberry trees are the sole food source of the silkworm.
– Mulberry trees can be used to make paper, and the thinnest paper in the world is made in Japan from mulberry stems.
– Mulberry fruits require more sugar to become palatable compared to blackberries.
– Mulberries have a woodier central stem that doesn’t break down as well compared to blackberries.
– Mulberry fruits can be used in teas for their antioxidant properties and their pigments can be used as a food coloring or dye for clothing.
– Mulberries have health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, helping to avoid fatty liver disease, improving blood sugar control, and reducing oxidative stress to possibly prevent certain types of cancer.
– Blackberries and mulberries are small, dark purple fruits with antioxidants and health benefits.
– Neither mulberry fruits nor blackberry fruits are technically considered berries and are instead collective or aggregate fruits.
– Both mulberries and blackberries can grow wild or be cultivated domestically.