Monday, June 02, 2008
Mulberry Jed
You may well know of Huckleberry Fin, but this is a story about Jed and a quest for something seasonal to eat and not making matters worse.
Today as I was in Adair park to fix a pump timer. I pulled the city truck in next to the pond where some days ago we installed a fountain to decorate the water, and as I started to the back of the truck I noticed the small boom and tool boxes had about three quarts of mulberries strewn all about them. I started looking at my path and spied the mother of all these berries, a huge red mulberry tree as big as red mulberry trees ever get, full, and I do mean full of the sweetest most ripe berries.
This spring has been plentiful with conditions for growing things like this around here and it has reminded me so much of springtimes I remember from my youth. The mulberry trees normally give up all of their fruit to the birds, but this year the bounty was so plentyful that the birds are full and left plenty for Jed and his kin. Mrs. Jed and I went back after I got off work and spread a small tarp and bumped the branches with a rake and gathered over two gallons in about five minutes, all perfectly ripe. The ground around the tree was stained a purple that matched my hands after cleaning a few quarts of fruit.
The area where this tree lives, which is now a park, was the sight of the city tree and flower nursery many years ago with a natural spring which feeds the aforementioned pond and many trees. All the trees at Adair Park seem to be there by intention and I am glad someone planted this one. The trees are very mature now many years after the city abandoned the idea of keeping its own plant nursery, but with transportation cost higher than the love of trees who knows what will happen.
After much work washing and cutting the bitter stems off the berries I had lots left to share with my newest neighbor even after Mrs. Jed made a fine cobbler.
I hope you enjoy the photos of Mulberry Jed's adventures.
Today as I was in Adair park to fix a pump timer. I pulled the city truck in next to the pond where some days ago we installed a fountain to decorate the water, and as I started to the back of the truck I noticed the small boom and tool boxes had about three quarts of mulberries strewn all about them. I started looking at my path and spied the mother of all these berries, a huge red mulberry tree as big as red mulberry trees ever get, full, and I do mean full of the sweetest most ripe berries.
This spring has been plentiful with conditions for growing things like this around here and it has reminded me so much of springtimes I remember from my youth. The mulberry trees normally give up all of their fruit to the birds, but this year the bounty was so plentyful that the birds are full and left plenty for Jed and his kin. Mrs. Jed and I went back after I got off work and spread a small tarp and bumped the branches with a rake and gathered over two gallons in about five minutes, all perfectly ripe. The ground around the tree was stained a purple that matched my hands after cleaning a few quarts of fruit.
The area where this tree lives, which is now a park, was the sight of the city tree and flower nursery many years ago with a natural spring which feeds the aforementioned pond and many trees. All the trees at Adair Park seem to be there by intention and I am glad someone planted this one. The trees are very mature now many years after the city abandoned the idea of keeping its own plant nursery, but with transportation cost higher than the love of trees who knows what will happen.
After much work washing and cutting the bitter stems off the berries I had lots left to share with my newest neighbor even after Mrs. Jed made a fine cobbler.
I hope you enjoy the photos of Mulberry Jed's adventures.
:: posted by Tennessee Jed, 9:23 PM
5 Comments:
Mrs. Jed's cobble looks yummy! Lucky Jed for finding the berries. Jed reminds me of my daughter as she drives around in the city truck.
Oh by damn, that looks good.
that thar cobbler makes me hongry!
darn it, its 11 pm, but mrs. jeds cobbler looks so good, i am gonna have to sneak off to steak and shake and get me some berry cobbler!
It was quite tasty if I do say so myself. Thanks Beloved for finding a goldmine of mulberries!
