The Fox That Ate My Mulberries: Unexpected Wildlife and What It Taught Me

The Fox That Ate My Mulberries: Unexpected Wildlife and What It Taught Me

When you’re running a homestead with the goal of zero wasted harvest, a mulberry tree stops being ornamental and becomes one of your most productive assets — but only if you understand exactly how to time it, process it, and preserve it before the window closes. What nobody warns you about is that you’re not … Read more

Mulberry Trees for Butterflies and Pollinators: What I Discovered in My Garden

Mulberry Trees for Butterflies and Pollinators: What I Discovered in My Garden

My first full season with a mulberry tree in the backyard was a comedy of errors: I missed half the harvest, stained the deck permanently, and ended up with more fruit rotting on the ground than I’d ever collected. By year three I had a system. This guide is what I wish I’d had at … Read more

Squirrels and Mulberries: Making Peace With Your Furry Berry Competition

Squirrels and Mulberries: Making Peace With Your Furry Berry Competition

My goal every summer is to get at least twelve months of mulberry products into the pantry — jams, syrups, dried fruit, wine, and vinegar — from a single tree. It sounds ambitious until you realize how much one mature mulberry produces and how many different preservation methods each batch of fruit can support. The … Read more

Mulberry Trees as Wildlife Habitat: The Unexpected Guests Who Moved Into My Garden

Mulberry Trees as Wildlife Habitat: The Unexpected Guests Who Moved Into My Garden

Everything in my kitchen starts with the question: what’s the most shelf-stable, most nutritious form I can preserve this in? With mulberries, that question led me deep into fermentation — wines, vinegars, and lacto-fermented preserves that outlast any jam by months and develop flavor profiles I never expected from backyard fruit. But here’s what I … Read more

The Best Bird Species You’ll Attract With a Mulberry Tree in Your Yard

The Best Bird Species You'll Attract With a Mulberry Tree in Your Yard

I got obsessed with mulberries after eating a handful off my neighbor’s old tree on a walk and realizing I’d never tasted anything like it. Six months later I had a sapling in the ground and no real plan. Everything I’ve learned since then came from doing, failing, adjusting, and doing it again. One thing … Read more