Mullberries!!

How many Americans have ever eaten a mulberry?  Well, here in Albuquerque – as many of you with allergies know – there seem to be mulberry trees everywhere.  The ones that cause the allergies are the male trees, and people normally don’t plant the females because they make a big mess of black berries all over the sidewalk. Hmm…allergies or berries?  Mulberries are delicious with a flavor like blackberries, though not as tart and with a bit chewier texture.  They ripen over a period of only a few weeks, which happens to be now – and it’s highly likely your neighbors won’t mind you taking a bucket or two of these delicious treasures.

Luckily, I have one growing in a neglected corner of our back yard.  I love making fresh fruit sorbets and ice cream all summer in my old electric ice cream maker, so here’s what I’m doing with my bounty.

Mulberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

The buttermilk adds a rich creamy tang, and the result is a gorgeous, deep purple.

1 cup fresh or frozen mulberries

1 cup buttermillk

1/2 cup sugar

Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions, or puree in a blender and place in the freezer for several hours, stirring it every hour or so.

Dave DeWitt (of the fabulous annual Fiery Foods Show) has a great web page all about mulberries in ABQ.  I tried his Mulberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, although of course I modified it a bit:

1 cup mulberries

1 clove garlic (minced)

½ tsp of chipotle powder

½ tsp of onion powder

¼ cup cider vinegar

a little bit of honey

Simmer all together on the stove for about 15 minutes. It was prett good on chicken, but I wonder if it might be even better on lamb….

Blogger Amy White is totally obsessed with vegetables and  fruits. Amy can be found every Friday right here, and on her blog, www.veggieobsession.blogspot.com .