Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Mulberry Pie in the city




Yesterday, while on our running trail, my husband yells, "It's a mulberry tree" and screeches to a halt. Out of breath and sweaty, he starts picking the fruit off the tree and gobbling them down right there. A young, pretty black girl wearing headphones comes running by and my husband enthusiastically holds out his purple-stained hand and offers her a mulberry! Her face scrunches up and she shook her head NO, and she quickly picked up her pace! I said, 'Honey, that was weird'. His answer made me think. "Well, it shouldn't be weird. It's a beautiful tree, ripe with fruit and everyone is completely ignoring it. That should be weird." As I thought about it, he was right. How many times do we think only food in the grocery store can be harvested? On our running trail, there are at least 3 huge, mulberry trees ready for the picking and they are going to waste! How sad.
Today, he left to pick up some cow manure for our garden and came back with a huge, bag of mulberries from off the trail! I promptly went to work, soaking them in a solution of water with a 1/8 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/8 cup vinegar. After rinsing them thoroughly, I created this recipe.

Mulberry Crisp

2 1/2 cups mulberries
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 heaping TB brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Mix it all in the bowl, let it sit, while making the topping. Preheat oven to 375.

Crisp Topping

6 TB (real) butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon

use your fingers and work the butter with the rest of the ingredients so that you have a coarse, crumbly mixture.

Place the fruit mixture in a 9x9 square dish, pour crumbles over the top. Pop in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.


Some benefits of eating Mulberries:
improves wound healing, antioxidants prevent cellular damage, strengthens liver and kidney functioning! Information taken from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mulberries.html
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Dandelion Opening to You!


analysis of nutrients:

Mulberry (Morus nigra .L), Fresh, raw,
Nutrition Value per 100 g,
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
PrincipleNutrient ValuePercentage of RDA
Energy43 Kcal2%
Carbohydrates9.80 g7.5%
Protein1.44 g2.5%
Total Fat0.39 g2%
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Dietary Fiber1.7 g4.5%
Vitamins
Folates6 mcg1.5%
Niacin0.620 mg4%
Pyridoxine0.050 mg4%
Riboflavin0.101 mg8%
Vitamin A25 IU1%
Vitamin C36.4 mg61%
Vitamin E0.87 mg6%
Vitamin K7.8 mcg6.5%
Electrolytes
Sodium10 mg0.75%
Potassium194 mg4%
Minerals
Calcium39 mg4%
Copper60 mcg6.5%
Iron1.85 mg23%
Magnesium18 mg4.5%
Selenium0.6 mcg1%
Zinc0.12 mg1%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene--ß9 mcg--
Carotene, α12 mcg--
Lutein-zeaxanthin136 mcg--



4 comments:

Alea Milham said...

Your recipe looks delicious! This might be a stupid question, but why do you soak the mulberries in hydrogen peroxide and vinegar? Inoticed you did it with the dandelions too.

BTW, RobbieKay sent me.

Dandelion Heart said...

No, question is stupid...I have to say that, since I have so many!
I soak all my fruits and veggies in this mixture. It rids them of all the fingerprints, any wax, and dirt from the harvesting, shipping to shelf placement. When we stop to think about it that fruit has been touched numerous times! Even if it is organic, it needs to be cleaned. This solution cleans and disinfects all the fruit nicely. Once rinsed, it does not leave any residues on the food and it is non-toxic for added safety.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ypLb8H_2I
Here is a great video on what to do and why!
(I also use this solution to clean my kitchen after I cook.)
...It is worth mentioning that a little black, worm floated to the top of the water after soaking them for a few minutes! I am into 'natural' but not THAT natural! LOL
Thanks for the question!

Alea Milham said...

Thanks for the link. I will watch it and decide if I should use the solution for my organically homegrown fruits and veggies. I think my husband would probably like the idea of your rinse. His mother is a bacteriologist and I come from a long line of "a little dirt won't hurt". This has been the biggest issue in 20+ years of marriage. :D

Dandelion Heart said...

I understand better the " a little dirt won't hurt" background after looking at your One Determined Gardener blog. WOW!