I always look forward to my mid-June runs through our neighborhood because we have so many mulberry bushes growing wild along the trails.  I don’t assume, I KNOW my run will be interrupted with a mid-run snack!

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning.

Runner girl Deb’s tummy did hurt,
Tummy did hurt,
Tummy did hurt.
Runner girl Deb’s tummy did hurt
After eating all those berries.

First, let’s look at some of the nutritional facts about the American mulberry (Morus rubra).  The berry is sometimes sweet, sometimes tart, depending on when you pick it.  The fruit is dark purple when ripe, although a part of the berry is sometimes still red.  If ripe, they will fall off of the tree into your hand.  Like many other berries, they are low in calories and an excellent source of vitamin C.  Unlike other berries, mulberries are an excellent source of iron.  Another plus for runners is that they are an excellent source of potassium and other minerals.

I grew up with mulberry bushes (actually they are trees) on our farm, and my brother and I ate them by the handfuls.  The first time I ran past a mulberry bush in our neighborhood, I stopped and enjoyed a refreshing snack.  I often have other runners or walkers stop and question that I’m eating them because they assume they are poisonous.  It’s rare that someone will try one, even though I’m shoveling them in my face!  It kind of makes me sad that they can’t experience the delightfulness of eating something in the wild directly off the tree, but I can’t blame them.  On the up side, it leaves more berries for me!  🙂

MulberryBush

Just a week ago I took this picture of these green mulberries in anticipation of having them for a mid-run snack once they ripened!

MulberriesGreen

These berries were just a little farther along in the ripening process…

MulberriesPink

My running trail and a healthy snack in all in one shot!  How lucky can a runner girl get?

MulberryTrail

On today’s run I found some berries ripe enough to eat!

MulberriesRipe

Yum, yum, yummy, yum, yum, yum!

MulberriesHand

I’ll leave you with a video that has me smiling from ear-to-ear!  Who remembers singing this nursery rhyme as a child?

  • Questions:
  • Have you ever eaten a mulberry right off of a tree?
  • What’s your favorite berry?
  • What was your favorite nursery rhyme as a child?