Homesteaders

[Beekissed]

Don't believe I've ever tasted a mulberry....what do they taste like?

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Don't believe I've ever tasted a mulberry....what do they taste like? 

They are very sweet, little to no tartness. Here mulberry trees grow like weeds so everything eats them, including the children, and chickens. I am trying to think of a comparable berry...but most berries require sugar to eat, mulberries almost get too sweet for an adult tongue.

 

[Beekissed]

Wonder why more folks don't grow them? Imagine how healthy the juice, jams and such would be from a fruit you don't have to sweeten in order to consume it!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Wonder why more folks don't grow them?  Imagine how healthy the juice, jams and such would be from a fruit you don't have to sweeten in order to consume it! 

I do not know. Like I said they grow wild here. Every animal wild or domestic eats them. My girls eat themselves sick, so did my brother and I. And they fruit all summer long. I did try to make jam out of them once, it was too sweet for me, but I was thinking wine might be nice and I wonder how they would freeze....might need to get to experimenting.

 

[duluthralphie]

I think it is time to let the argument and judgment on the way others raise their chickens die.

I would hate to see the thread closed because of this silly argument.

To me risk is a part of life.

If I drive into town will I get into an accident..


If I go skiing will I break my neck..


If I eat this mushroom will I get sick..


If I tell my DW her dinner meal tastes horrible, will she bean me....


The list goes on and on....

We do the same thing with our chickens, I let mine free range, I prefer them for tick and bug control, I like them living "free" instead of in a cage. I accept the risks involved, I know they can be eaten by a critter. I do what I can to limit it. I keep my dogs outside (egg eating rotten mutts that they are)..


I have lots of JUNK sitting around for them to hide in and under. I know I will lose some birds. Last year was a bad year, I lost 15, I hope not to lose that many this year.

I can live with that. I cannot live with my chickens being locked in a pen. To me a free ranging chicken/turkey/guinea is what makes my small property a homestead.

I would like it if the government would allow me to eliminate the birds of prey that take my birds. I know that will never happen, I figure that into my risk.


I have a few chickens that I do not free range, simply because of their value to me (dollars and cents) I wish I could, but I am not willing to lose them so they have a miserable life..



Anyway lets drop the argument, lets all do what we are comfortable with, if you cannot accept the risk to free range, just say so and leave it be.


We all look at the risk and access it differently, I might bet on a pair of queens you might fold.. That's life..


Have a great day.

 

[Serenashome]

Don't believe I've ever tasted a mulberry....what do they taste like?

They taste much like a blackberry mixed with a little concord grape and red wine. They are smaller than blackberries but grow on trees. We have an entire fence row of them on the back property. They are pretty seedy, so I make them into jelly rather than jam. A lot of people around here make them into wine as they have a ton of tannins (sp?) in them. The leaves can be dried and used for a light green tea. Again the leaves have tannins in them so people with allergies to red wine should avoid it.

 

[Serenashome]

I do not know. Like I said they grow wild here. Every animal wild or domestic eats them. My girls eat themselves sick, so did my brother and I. And they fruit all summer long. I did try to make jam out of them once, it was too sweet for me, but I was thinking wine might be nice and I wonder how they would freeze....might need to get to experimenting.

I shake the trees weekly to bi-weekly when they are in season. Collect the berries, clean them in water pop them into a freezer bag and store them until I can get to them. I thaw them out, crush them through a sieve with cheesecloth and make a nice seedless jelly. I have been using sugar in my recipe. This years mulberry jelly will be processed with honey. So we'll see how that works out.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I do not know. Like I said they grow wild here. Every animal wild or domestic eats them. My girls eat themselves sick, so did my brother and I. And they fruit all summer long. I did try to make jam out of them once, it was too sweet for me, but I was thinking wine might be nice and I wonder how they would freeze....might need to get to experimenting.

I shake the trees weekly to bi-weekly when they are in season. Collect the berries, clean them in water pop them into a freezer bag and store them until I can get to them. I thaw them out, crush them through a sieve with cheesecloth and make a nice seedless jelly.  I have been using sugar in my recipe. This years mulberry jelly will be processed with honey. So we'll see how that works out.

Let me know!
I was thinking more about freezing them and then letting the girls have them in the winter, on pancakes or something of that sort. I think to get the jelly to set you need sugar (unsure about honey). How much sugar do you use?

 

[Serenashome]

Let me know!
I was thinking more about freezing them and then letting the girls have them in the winter, on pancakes or something of that sort. I think to get the jelly to set you need sugar (unsure about honey). How much sugar do you use?

Oh the freezing part I've done already works like a dream.

I use the same recipe I use for grape and apple jelly.

3 1/2 cups Mulberry juice (literally ANY fruit juice)
5 cups sugar (3 3/4 cups of honey if you are substituting do not add both)
1 1 3/4 ounce powdered pectin (I use Ball classic pectin)

In order to substitute honey and have it set nice you reduce the amount of honey in a recipe by 1/4, or you use the same amount of honey as you do sugar and reduce the liquid. So honey equals 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar.

 

[rancher hicks]

Working on my rustic arbor. Right now it's just wired together and I will add more cross bars. Any advice on how to make it last longer? I do have it set up on bricks so it's not directly on the ground. There are some grapes to come but not many. Considering it's just year three since I transplanted it I'm happy.