Ruth Nakamura · August 14, 2026
I got an email last spring from a reader with a couple of acres that made me pause. She had let a section of her property go wild — a proper meadow, thick with grasses and black-eyed Susans by midsummer — and she wanted to know if she could plant a mulberry tree right in … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · August 14, 2026
I get one of the odder questions pretty regularly, and honestly, I’ve come to look forward to it: What does “Brazilian mulberry,” sometimes called khatas, actually taste like? The thing is, I have to be upfront about something right away. I haven’t grown this plant myself. I know—disappointing, right? But here’s the thing: the name … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · August 6, 2026
Mulberry trees are forgiving in a lot of ways — they’ll tolerate neglect, shrug off imperfect soil, and still push out fruit when other trees would give up. But if you want to actually expand your collection, feed your trees well, and get the soil conditions right, you need more than a shovel and good … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · August 6, 2026
Every so often, I get a comment on one of my variety posts from someone deep in the backyard fruit-collector world, asking how Chiang Mai 60 stacks up against Austrian or Brazilian mulberry for taste. These are not names you will find at a garden center — they circulate through scion-trading forums and small specialty … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · August 6, 2026
I got two emails in one week that made me sit back and laugh — not at my readers, but at how a single variety of mulberry tree has managed to become something of a folk legend that doesn’t quite match reality. The first email came from a reader who’d found the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · July 24, 2026
I’m kneeling in the mulch near my patio’s edge, pushing back the accumulated debris with my fingers to check on something that’s been bothering me for weeks. There—just under the surface—is a root, thicker than I expected, and I can trace it snaking toward the concrete. It’s the moment when all that fruit and shade … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · July 20, 2026
Table of Contents Unlocking the Mulberry: A Journey from Sweet to Tart What is a Mulberry and Why Should You Try It? A Sneak Peek into the Mulberry Flavor Spectrum From Branch to Bowl: Best Practices for Harvesting and Using Mulberries How to Know When Mulberries Are Ripe for Picking Tips for Cleaning and Storing … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · July 19, 2026
Table of Contents The Unforgettable Flavor of Shahtoot: An Introduction to Pakistan Mulberries What Makes Pakistan Mulberries (Shahtoot) So Special? A Taste of Summer: Why You Should Be Cooking with Mulberries Sweet Shahtoot Sensations: Authentic Pakistani Mulberry Dessert Recipes The Ultimate Refresher: Classic Shahtoot ka Sharbat (Mulberry Drink) Ingredients: Instructions: A Creamy Dream: How to … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · July 10, 2026
Are you staring at a mulberry tree with those strange knobby stumps at the top, wondering if something went terribly wrong — or if this was actually intentional? Yes: someone did this on purpose, and it’s been done to mulberries for centuries. But before you assume you should do the same, there’s something crucial you … Read more
Ruth Nakamura · July 10, 2026
Fermentation temperature strongly affects mulberry wine flavor. Wine fermented at warm room temperature can develop harsh, burning, rubbing-alcohol notes, while the same recipe fermented in cooler conditions tends to produce deeper, jammier results with better balance. Temperature control during the three-week fermentation window is critical to final flavor quality. When mulberry wine hits your palate … Read more
