“Here we go round the mulberry bush / On a cold and frosty morning." It’s a simple line that hints at a much larger history.
In the 19th century, Britain tried to compete with China's fabled silk production. But the white mulberry tree — whose leaves are the sole food of the silkworm moth — couldn’t survive the frost of England’s northern country, and the enterprise collapsed.
However, outside of England’s chilly climate, the mulberry tree has thrived for centuries, prized for its many uses. Evidence of silk production in China goes back 8,500 years. The ancient Greeks and Romans cultivated the mulberry for silkworms as early as 220 AD.
Buddhist monks in Southeast Asia made paper from mulberry tree bark. And in the Balkans, mulberry wood has been used for barrels to age a traditional plum brandy.
Mulberries produce delicate fruit that look like elongated blackberries, ranging in color from white to deep red to almost black. They make delicious pies, syrups and jams — as long as you add plenty of sugar to balance their tart flavor.
Contrary to that childhood song, mulberries grow on fast-growing trees, not bushes. Botanists classify mulberries as Morus, a genus in the same plant family as figs. If you snap off a twig or leaf, you'll see white sap exuding from the cut.
The next time you step over those purple mulberry stains on the sidewalk, give a nod to the tree overhead to acknowledge its contributions to diverse cultures for thousands of years.
