It's mulberry season again

This evening I hit three mulberry trees on my run with Rusty and for a change she let me stop for a bit to pick and munch (a trade for letting her stop and sniff). My favourite tree from last season did not disappoint. 

Two years ago I'd seen another tree with an abundance but as it was greatly pruned last year I didn't get any of its fruit. I got it this evening and these must be the sweetest I've ever eaten. 

Further on I joined a young boy picking white mulberries. I've often found them to be disappointing in flavour but these were good. I brought a handful home for Celliers and the children to try.

Rusty doesn't eat mulberries.

Last year I made a few mulberry desserts. I plan to make at least one in the next week to properly celebrate the season's abundance.

Foraging continues - a litchi tree

I love litchis. They're one of my favourite fruits but I've never eaten them straight from a tree. Yesterday, I did just this.

We went to visit friends in Rustenburg. The trees in their suburb - an older and established part of the town - are magnificent. The coral trees and frangipane are so beautiful at the moment.

Pulling into the parking in their complex, I noticed the tall tree outside one of the units. I saw coloured somethings between the leaves - but they weren't flowers. They were also too high up for me to get a good look. There was also brown 'debris' under the tree. 

I did a quick hello and then left to investigate. Litchis!!!

We went out for lunch and driving back in I asked Celliers to park under the tree. I needed to climb onto his roof to get at the branches.

The fruit was almost past its sell-by date. The majority of the litchis had popped skins and bees were feasting on the dripping juice. But, there were some 'unopened' fruits, that I duly picked. If only we'd had an extra tall ladder at hand! It looked like there were lots more that were ripe for the picking higher up.

Juicy, full of flavour and perfectly ripe.

I left some with our friends and returned home with some. They are the best I've had for ages - made sweeter by having been foraged.

Mulberry foraging and treats

My annual mulberry foraging exploits are usually done on runs where I munch handfuls as I pass mulberry trees. I'm always on the lookout for the sweetest and juiciest mulberries in the area.

After my recent travels to Spain, with my mom, where I foraged a great deal, it was a treat to return home to the start of the mulberry season. I had a mission "To use them for something". I think the most I've ever done before was a bit of a sweet sauce.

Well, I outdid myself this weekend with TWO mulberry cobblers AND a dazzling mulberry compote.

The first mulberry cobbler was eaten for dinner (yes, dinner - I was out of other ideas) on Friday night (with icecream and custard - Ruben and Kyla and Celliers were in 7th heaven). Ruben, Kyla and my mom were part of the mulberry picking.

I baked the second, a bigger one, on Sunday morning to take to a lunch. I got out early in the morning on my bicycle to check out the trees in the area. The one, which I remember from last year as being very sweet, is not yet loaded with ripe berries. I scored more from the tree that we picked from on Friday. The third is near home and I was able to reach a good number.

I made the compote on Friday night. It is a sweet sauce, much like a runny jam. The idea is that this is a drizzle for icecream or anything else.

Feast your eyes.

Mulberry cobbler

Friday night dinner...

Bigger and better for Sunday lunch