As I sit here on the "Catio", overlooking "the pond", with the sun shining, with 70 degree weather and a light breeze, and the birds singing (the sounds always remind me of the forest scenes in The Hunger Games), and a certain very loud chipmunk chirping, and a hummingbird just having come up to the feeder four feet away from me, I'm reminded of how happy I am that we moved to Michigan. Yes, the age of the house sometimes frustrates me, especially when we have extreme temperatures and the furnace or the air conditioning unit can't keep up, but none of that affects how I feel about the location itself. We have already had so many opportunities to do fun things around Dexter, in Ann Arbor, and all the way out to Detroit that it makes me constantly wonder, "Am I missing something else? Is something else happening today that I don't want to miss?" What festival is going on, or what performance is being shown that I don't know about?
Last week, Glo decided to join me for a quick walk down our local Border-To-Border (B2B) trail in Dexter. Actually, I was doing the walking, and she was riding her bike. I noticed that one of the trees that overhangs the trail was dropping fruit. I only noticed it because the boardwalk was completely stained purple, and it's quite a mess to walk through for about ten feet. Glo is rather fearless in how she investigates nature, so when I told her to try one of the berries, she shoved one her mouth while asking me, "What if it's poisonous?" While I did worry that it could indeed be poisonous, I figured the notorious nature watch dogs who exist in this area would ensure that no poisonous berries would be found where children and families play....and I also reviewed in my mind the steps I would follow if Glo began foaming at the mouth.... For good measure, I also popped a berry in my mouth as well.
Well, I knew that if they were poisonous, we would go out happy because they turned out to be very delicious! I immediately googled "Michigan tree with black berries" and numerous pictures of mulberry trees popped up. Actually, I don't know if they're trees or bushes officially (because as we later discovered, the fruit isn't actually a berry...but an avocado is....), but they fall from what is definitely the height of a tree. I told Glo that we should come back with a ladder and pick them (instead of eating what had already fallen and rolled around in the dirt and sand).
As much as Glo liked what she had tasted (and we ended up eating more of them), she wasn't convinced that us dragging a ladder down the path in front of people walking, running, biking and roller-blading was such a socially-promising idea. However, I was determined, because I ask you, who doesn't like free berries?
So that night, about 30 minutes before dark, we headed down the trail. I figured there would be fewer people at that time which would be a good thing because I read daily the travails of walkers on the trail (who think that anyone who isn't walking is a bad idea, so I couldn't imagine what they would think about a ladder on the trail!). Glo was fighting us at every step, but we finally got there, bowls and colanders in hand, and climbed the ladder.
It was like heaven decided to rain mulberries on our head. In fact, I found out later that the best way to harvest mulberries is to just drop a tarp or sheet underneath the tree and shake the branches--they fall without resistance. It took us just ten minutes to fill our bowls, and it took me almost the same amount of time to make a batch of scones when we got home!
Mulberries are a revelation! I guess they are an invasive species of tree, and people hate them because they make such a mess when they are dropping the berries, but I love them. And so does my family!
So, the next day, we had last minute dinner guests, and I didn't have a dessert planned, but I still had a whole heck of a lot of mulberries! So, without any specific recipe except a general "fruit pie" recipe, I made mulberry pie. Little did I know it would be so popular--it was literally devoured in minutes with more compliments than I've ever gotten for a pie. It was creamy, and rich, and dare I say fragrant? Our guests asked how I had made it, and it definitely left everyone wanting more.
Okay. I can do that!
So while Glo and John had been perched on the ladder on the trail (and I'd been standing underneath, hoping to catch the strays), a woman had walked by and told us that there are several mulberry trees around the courthouse in Howell, and she was sure that the citizens there would be thrilled if we would go there and pick the berries in order to save the sidewalk ;-). Never one to back down from an adventure (!), Glo and I woke up yesterday morning and set off to find the Howell mulberries trees. 45 minutes later, we had our trusty Little Giant ladder set up, and we were picking again, although this time Glo had no qualms about any of it. The "fruits" of our labors (see what I did there?) were too great to resist!
Again, it didn't take more than a few minutes to gather yet another eight cups of berries. We sandwiched our picking of berries in between a stop at the outlet mall in Howell and lunch at Tomato Bros. where we got a serving of lasagna that could feed a small country.
I hurriedly drove Glo back to Dexter so she could start her seven hour shift at Busch's and rushed home to knock out two more batches of scones (one of which I forgot to put sugar in because I was talking to Mark on the phone, and if I know nothing else about myself, I know that I can't talk and cook at the same time (note to self: never apply to Master Chef)) as well as another pie. Turns out, John just doused my sugarless batch of scones with honey and called it a delicious day. And the pie isn't gone yet, but there are only three of us living at home now, so I won't take it personally.
I can't tell you how much I wish the mulberries would last all summer. There's something beautiful in the fact that nature is giving us to these for free and we haven't had to do a single thing but collect them all.
Last week, Glo decided to join me for a quick walk down our local Border-To-Border (B2B) trail in Dexter. Actually, I was doing the walking, and she was riding her bike. I noticed that one of the trees that overhangs the trail was dropping fruit. I only noticed it because the boardwalk was completely stained purple, and it's quite a mess to walk through for about ten feet. Glo is rather fearless in how she investigates nature, so when I told her to try one of the berries, she shoved one her mouth while asking me, "What if it's poisonous?" While I did worry that it could indeed be poisonous, I figured the notorious nature watch dogs who exist in this area would ensure that no poisonous berries would be found where children and families play....and I also reviewed in my mind the steps I would follow if Glo began foaming at the mouth.... For good measure, I also popped a berry in my mouth as well.
Well, I knew that if they were poisonous, we would go out happy because they turned out to be very delicious! I immediately googled "Michigan tree with black berries" and numerous pictures of mulberry trees popped up. Actually, I don't know if they're trees or bushes officially (because as we later discovered, the fruit isn't actually a berry...but an avocado is....), but they fall from what is definitely the height of a tree. I told Glo that we should come back with a ladder and pick them (instead of eating what had already fallen and rolled around in the dirt and sand).
As much as Glo liked what she had tasted (and we ended up eating more of them), she wasn't convinced that us dragging a ladder down the path in front of people walking, running, biking and roller-blading was such a socially-promising idea. However, I was determined, because I ask you, who doesn't like free berries?
So that night, about 30 minutes before dark, we headed down the trail. I figured there would be fewer people at that time which would be a good thing because I read daily the travails of walkers on the trail (who think that anyone who isn't walking is a bad idea, so I couldn't imagine what they would think about a ladder on the trail!). Glo was fighting us at every step, but we finally got there, bowls and colanders in hand, and climbed the ladder. It was like heaven decided to rain mulberries on our head. In fact, I found out later that the best way to harvest mulberries is to just drop a tarp or sheet underneath the tree and shake the branches--they fall without resistance. It took us just ten minutes to fill our bowls, and it took me almost the same amount of time to make a batch of scones when we got home!
Mulberries are a revelation! I guess they are an invasive species of tree, and people hate them because they make such a mess when they are dropping the berries, but I love them. And so does my family!
So, the next day, we had last minute dinner guests, and I didn't have a dessert planned, but I still had a whole heck of a lot of mulberries! So, without any specific recipe except a general "fruit pie" recipe, I made mulberry pie. Little did I know it would be so popular--it was literally devoured in minutes with more compliments than I've ever gotten for a pie. It was creamy, and rich, and dare I say fragrant? Our guests asked how I had made it, and it definitely left everyone wanting more.
Okay. I can do that!
So while Glo and John had been perched on the ladder on the trail (and I'd been standing underneath, hoping to catch the strays), a woman had walked by and told us that there are several mulberry trees around the courthouse in Howell, and she was sure that the citizens there would be thrilled if we would go there and pick the berries in order to save the sidewalk ;-). Never one to back down from an adventure (!), Glo and I woke up yesterday morning and set off to find the Howell mulberries trees. 45 minutes later, we had our trusty Little Giant ladder set up, and we were picking again, although this time Glo had no qualms about any of it. The "fruits" of our labors (see what I did there?) were too great to resist!
Again, it didn't take more than a few minutes to gather yet another eight cups of berries. We sandwiched our picking of berries in between a stop at the outlet mall in Howell and lunch at Tomato Bros. where we got a serving of lasagna that could feed a small country.
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| It's hard to not eat all of them before we get them home! Notice the courthouse and Greenie in the background? ;-) |
I hurriedly drove Glo back to Dexter so she could start her seven hour shift at Busch's and rushed home to knock out two more batches of scones (one of which I forgot to put sugar in because I was talking to Mark on the phone, and if I know nothing else about myself, I know that I can't talk and cook at the same time (note to self: never apply to Master Chef)) as well as another pie. Turns out, John just doused my sugarless batch of scones with honey and called it a delicious day. And the pie isn't gone yet, but there are only three of us living at home now, so I won't take it personally.I can't tell you how much I wish the mulberries would last all summer. There's something beautiful in the fact that nature is giving us to these for free and we haven't had to do a single thing but collect them all.
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| There was a heart <3 on the pie, but I didn't get a picture before John dove in! |
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