the Walnut Diary

On the farm in Leeds County, Ontario we have a lot of red mulberry trees growing wild among the black walnuts. One large white mulberry grew below the house, but it was so large and intrusive that I cut the thing a couple of years ago and burned it for firewood. While I enjoy mulberries to eat off the tree, the whites were deceptive: I couldn’t tell from the colour if a berry was green, ripe, or rancid. So off with its head.

Today I came upon a mulberry growing at the side of the upper garden. After it survived a run-over by the lawn mower last year I decided to let it live and see. Its extremely sweet fruit doesn’t resemble either the red or the white mulberry, so I guess it must be a hybrid. My mother and I agree that the berries are superior to those of both parent species, so we’ll have to see how the small tree develops.