Author Topic: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???  (Read 11471 times)

Oolie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1282
    • San Diego
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #75 on: April 28, 2022, 02:43:24 PM »
I'm still trying to positively ID the Frank's Yellow. It's a mulberry which if picked at full ripeness (yellow color) has some pina colada taste to it. It's a variety in common circulation that lost it's label, but from what I've read when reading about similar types, I've never seen others picked at yellow stage for a fair comparison.

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #76 on: April 28, 2022, 02:48:51 PM »
I'm still trying to positively ID the Frank's Yellow. It's a mulberry which if picked at full ripeness (yellow color) has some pina colada taste to it. It's a variety in common circulation that lost it's label, but from what I've read when reading about similar types, I've never seen others picked at yellow stage for a fair comparison.

Can I buy or trade a couple sticks of that one?
Brad Spaugh

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #77 on: April 28, 2022, 02:54:12 PM »
Kaz i think the RH we have is different from one or more other cuttings other people are growing.  Mine are not that big either but it seems to have the best flavor.  We all like it better than the other types.  I got the other red himalayan from Janet/Marta growing now but its still super small. 

I noticed the birds like mulberries and leave the peaches and cherries alone.  Its perfect, theres still more mulberry than we can use.

Brad, the tree I gave you, Himalayan DMOR9, is grafted on rootstock I got from Burnt Ridge nursery.  I grafted two for myself, one on the same nursery rootstock and one on a rooted Black Pakistan cutting.  The one on Black Pakistan is already 5 feet tall after just a year of growth, while the other one is still really small, so maybe graft onto a more vigorous tree.  I tried an underripe fallen fruit that had barely colored up and it was surprisingly really sweet. 

I’m trialing several other varieties I’m excited about, so still to be seen which is the best.  I’ve found that there are a lot of mislabeled varieties out there being sold by nurseries which also makes it challenging when you think you have a certain cultivar.

Janet

Thanks, Ill keep it in mind.  Its only been in the ground a month but it seems to be growing. 
Brad Spaugh

beicadad

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 328
    • San Diego
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #78 on: April 29, 2022, 04:05:09 PM »
Brad my RH is also very tasty. It’s supposed to be the same one that Martha has. Seems Fatter than Kaz’s RH

roblack

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3008
    • Miami, FL 11A
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #79 on: April 29, 2022, 04:07:53 PM »
What do the folks on the Temperate Fruit subforum folks have to say about mulberries? Think we might be missing some useful input.

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #80 on: April 29, 2022, 04:09:36 PM »
Brad my RH is also very tasty. It’s supposed to be the same one that Martha has. Seems Fatter than Kaz’s RH

Yeah, its a different version you have.  I have that one growing also but the tree is still tiny. 

My chickens are eating a lot of mulberry, the coop was full of purple chicken turds.  The wild birds are pooping purple everywhere too. 
Brad Spaugh

K-Rimes

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2006
    • Santa Barbara
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #81 on: April 29, 2022, 04:56:51 PM »
Brad my RH is also very tasty. It’s supposed to be the same one that Martha has. Seems Fatter than Kaz’s RH

Yeah, its a different version you have.  I have that one growing also but the tree is still tiny. 

My chickens are eating a lot of mulberry, the coop was full of purple chicken turds.  The wild birds are pooping purple everywhere too.

Yeah the birds are hammering my mulberries right now. I basically get none now, just for the birds. Bummer. The hazards of living in the middle of a national forest I guess!

snowjunky

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 256
    • USA, Arizona, Phoenix, 9a/9b
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #82 on: April 30, 2022, 03:32:38 AM »
Kaz, your thai dwarf is crazy productive!  My Cooke's pakistan is loaded this year too.
Halfway through the season and it still looks loaded.  The birds always eat all the ripe berries before me.



snowjunky

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 256
    • USA, Arizona, Phoenix, 9a/9b
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #83 on: April 30, 2022, 03:55:12 AM »
Here's what mulberries I've grown in Phoenix.

Cooke's Pakistan - my favorite, big sweet flavorful and productive.
Thai Dwarf - very productive and large berries, but very bland.
Australian Green - much smaller berries than pakistan and not as flavorful, just sweet.
Tice - flavorful good size berries, but too tart for me. makes me want to take a Tums.  Not very productive.
Tehama - all male flowers when tree is small, but starting to finally produce a few female catkin flowers after 5 years in ground.
Maui - nice sweet medium size berries. Got frost damaged from breaking dormancy too early, earlier than Thai Dwarf or Shangri La.  I'm borderline 9a/9b.
Jan's Best Everbearing - it really is everbearing, productive small/medium size sweet berries.

I grafted Sangue e Latte from Kaz on a mulberry I bought from a nursery. 
Was going to plant it until I pull it out of the pot and saw nematodes in the roots. 
Now I have to graft it again on a clean rootstock.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2022, 02:51:51 AM by snowjunky »

Fygee

  • Las Vegas Gardening Community Admin
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 299
    • Las Vegas, NV
    • View Profile
    • Las Vegas Gardening Community
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #84 on: May 03, 2022, 09:12:11 PM »
My World's Best has gone absolutely bananas with fruit, so much so that I had to stake it as it started leaning heavily. It's only two years old too.

The first round of ripe berries were really blah. Either a hint of acid, or just no flavor at all.

Second round were better, but still fairly blah.

Third round (currently where it's at now) is quite a bit better. Ripe berries are sweeter, and ones that are just under-ripe with a little red on them give you both tart and sweet.

I did an experiment by feeding with Bembe from Foxfarm, which is supposed to improve the flavor of fruiting plants. Not sure if it made a difference, but considering how consistently bland WBM is, I think it helped.
Continuing my journey to disprove those who say "You can't grow that in the desert" since 2013.

sc4001992

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3904
    • USA, CA, Fullerton
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #85 on: May 04, 2022, 12:13:13 AM »
Fygee, you will find that the Black Pakistan and Shangri La has much more flavor, sweet (Black Pakistan), and sweet & tart (Shangri La). But to me the Australian Green/White Pakistan is the sweetest mulberry so far.

JCorte

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 579
    • Laguna Beach and Fallbrook, CA, zone 10b/10a
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #86 on: May 13, 2022, 12:55:39 PM »
Our mulberries seem to be behind others in California.  Got to taste a few side by side this week of the fruit grown at our farm in Fallbrook.  Red Himalyan DMOR9 was probably the sweetest, flavor seemed similar to Black Pakistan but fruit was skinnier, less juicy.  Dwarf everbearing was very bland with small fruits, I'm going to remove the plant.  Thai dwarf was my husband's favorite, and we all thought it was good.  Earlier fruit was not as sweet, but this current crop is sweet and acid and tastes the most like a blackberry and the fruits are firm.  I love this plant.  Planted as a small 1 gallon rooted cutting last year and already about 8 feet tall and producing an abundant crop.  Looks like buds are forming already for another round.  Not sure why others in SoCal think it is bland, I'm going to start a lot more plants at the farm so there's plenty for the birds and us. The Thai Dwarf at my home garden in Laguna Beach also gets sweet even without the warm temps, our highs have only been in the 60's most of the spring.  Only got a couple Sahararanpur that were ripe, most are still green, it was very sweet with different flavor than the DMOR9.  I have read that Saharanpur, White Pakistan, and Australian green are the same, but the leaves on my White Pakistan are definitely different than the Sahararanpur.  It hasn't fruited yet to compare the fruits.  Still have several more varieties I'm trialing.  Noir de Spain has only started to leaf out a couple of weeks ago.  Buds on the Noir de Spain are noticeably different looking than all the other mulberries I grow.  Didn't take any pics.

Janet

K-Rimes

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2006
    • Santa Barbara
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #87 on: May 13, 2022, 02:29:52 PM »
Our mulberries seem to be behind others in California.  Got to taste a few side by side this week of the fruit grown at our farm in Fallbrook.  Red Himalyan DMOR9 was probably the sweetest, flavor seemed similar to Black Pakistan but fruit was skinnier, less juicy.  Dwarf everbearing was very bland with small fruits, I'm going to remove the plant.  Thai dwarf was my husband's favorite, and we all thought it was good.  Earlier fruit was not as sweet, but this current crop is sweet and acid and tastes the most like a blackberry and the fruits are firm.  I love this plant.  Planted as a small 1 gallon rooted cutting last year and already about 8 feet tall and producing an abundant crop.  Looks like buds are forming already for another round.  Not sure why others in SoCal think it is bland, I'm going to start a lot more plants at the farm so there's plenty for the birds and us. The Thai Dwarf at my home garden in Laguna Beach also gets sweet even without the warm temps, our highs have only been in the 60's most of the spring.  Only got a couple Sahararanpur that were ripe, most are still green, it was very sweet with different flavor than the DMOR9.  I have read that Saharanpur, White Pakistan, and Australian green are the same, but the leaves on my White Pakistan are definitely different than the Sahararanpur.  It hasn't fruited yet to compare the fruits.  Still have several more varieties I'm trialing.  Noir de Spain has only started to leaf out a couple of weeks ago.  Buds on the Noir de Spain are noticeably different looking than all the other mulberries I grow.  Didn't take any pics.

Janet

Mine are really far behind others. I was eating handfuls of perfect sweet pakistani off my gf's family tree which I planted last year. Mine are still totally green on pak/himalayan. I had a King White batch earlier in the season and the tree is loaded but has stayed green for weeks. We need the heat and luckily it has finally arrived today and into the next week! Now hopefully the birds and rats don't get them...
« Last Edit: May 13, 2022, 02:32:48 PM by K-Rimes »

NateTheGreat

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 502
    • SF Bay Area, 9B
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #88 on: May 23, 2022, 03:33:14 PM »
Thai dwarf are great this year. Extremely sweet, with a nice floral flavor. My mom tried one last night, and she was blown away by the flavor. I've picked many of them too early, and don't like them underripe. I've heard they have a nice tartness underripe, but they're just bland to me. But when the stems turn a bit brown they're excellent. That's after the fruit have been fully black for somewhere around 5-7 days. I'm surprised at all the negative reviews they get.

White shatoot is fruiting for the first time, after rooting a cutting in February 2019. The fruits are short and round, not elongated. They aren't good underripe, but if you let them turn from green to white to pinkish brown, a little shriveled, they're nice and sweet, with a melon flavor. The sweetness gives way to an aftertaste I'd liken to melon rind, which isn't great. The fruits will probably improve in the coming years, but thai dwarf is the clear winner so far.

sc4001992

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3904
    • USA, CA, Fullerton
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #89 on: May 23, 2022, 07:34:12 PM »
Nate, I think the Thai Dwarf mulberry will have different taste depending on your location. My Thai Dwarf trees get tons of fruits but they do not have much taste. The last batch of fruits for the season seems to have a little improved taste, some sweet/tart flavor. I did give a lot of fruits to neighbors and other people who walk by the house and they say it tastes good but when I compare the tastes to my other mulberry fruits, the Thai Dwarf is below average in taste.

Sounds to me your white shatoot may not be the correct variety. I have all the long white fruit varieties growing on the same tree (shatoot, australian green, white pakistan, saharanpur local) and none of them have short fruits. Even a one year old graft will have the long white fruits. Also, the white shatoot is really hard to root so it's interesting that you were able to get yours to root.

If you need the real white pakistan/white shatoot then send me a PM message and I will give you a good deal on the cuttings and throw in a few Shangri La if you don't have it.

One of my white shatoot grafts are from Mike's tree, and I grafted it in 2019. The grafted branches are now over 12 ft long and producing tons of long white delicious fruits.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2022, 04:16:09 PM by sc4001992 »

Fygee

  • Las Vegas Gardening Community Admin
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 299
    • Las Vegas, NV
    • View Profile
    • Las Vegas Gardening Community
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #90 on: May 24, 2022, 12:02:55 PM »
Last flush of WBM were pretty solid with decent sweetness and flavor. It petered out at the end with some of the berries ripening and others just wilting and falling off.

Got some funky ones that looked like two berries conjoined together, which was a nice surprise.

I presume WBM only fruits once a year in spring, right?
Continuing my journey to disprove those who say "You can't grow that in the desert" since 2013.

Jose Spain

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 375
    • Marbella, Spain. Zone 10b
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #91 on: May 25, 2022, 04:14:57 AM »
Hi guys,

I'd like to know your opinion on Sweet Lavender mulberry https://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/mulberry-trees/sweet-lavender-mulberry?fbclid=IwAR0_JVhnEFk1FMIq488vZTIGCSEUgOAeOY55A_pAvyycMaUZyzJ_JEPnp3o. I got some scions this winter and grafted them on my 30 years old Morus alba, they are already producing a bunch of mulberries (6 or so per graft) and they look a lot like SL, and are really sweet but with some complexity. May is being anomalously warm this year so I don't know if this is a stable trait of the cv or more related to our weather this season, anyway for a 3 months graft they are not bad at all.

 

« Last Edit: May 26, 2022, 12:17:35 PM by Jose Spain »

sc4001992

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3904
    • USA, CA, Fullerton
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #92 on: May 25, 2022, 03:14:03 PM »
Jose,

Nice fruit you have on such an early graft. I would let to many fruits hang or your graft may not grow as fast. I like to leave just a few fruits when my new grafts have fruits before 1 year, just to make sure it is the correct variety. I also got some Lavender mulberry scions a month ago and grafted many on my trees. The pictures I saw of the fruit was more lavender/purple color. I'm sure yours will have more color next year when your grafted branches are larger. I have a purple/white colored fruit from Italay called Sangue e Latte and it did the same thing as yours. The first fruits wasn't as nice looking and tasting as the second year fruits.

Here's a few photos of my Sangue e Latte fruits.















Jack, Nipomo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 567
  • San Luis Obispo County, CA zone 9b
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #93 on: May 25, 2022, 04:40:48 PM »
For those who have an extended collection of mulberries, how do they compare to M. nigra "Kaester" the black mulberry.  My tree is loaded with fruit, not ripe yet, but excellent in flavor with a bit of tartness.  I was under the impression that the black mulberry was considered best by many.  My tree was sourced from Nelson Westree in CA and is loaded with 1 1/2 inch unripened fruit.  No bird activity, yet.

Jose Spain

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 375
    • Marbella, Spain. Zone 10b
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #94 on: May 26, 2022, 04:15:13 AM »
Jose,

Nice fruit you have on such an early graft. I would let to many fruits hang or your graft may not grow as fast. I like to leave just a few fruits when my new grafts have fruits before 1 year, just to make sure it is the correct variety. I also got some Lavender mulberry scions a month ago and grafted many on my trees. The pictures I saw of the fruit was more lavender/purple color. I'm sure yours will have more color next year when your grafted branches are larger. I have a purple/white colored fruit from Italay called Sangue e Latte and it did the same thing as yours. The first fruits wasn't as nice looking and tasting as the second year fruits.


Thanks Kaz for your answer, so informative. That Sangue e Latte certainly looks similar to Sweet Lavende and mine, specially in the first and second pics. Mine so far has not shown those dark tones when fully ripened, although in the first year get conclusions about phenotype might be risky as you point. My grafts have no problems of vigor, on the contrary, I had to pinch the apical grow from them a few weeks ago to make them branch a little. The roostock is a >30 years old M. alba tree that gets water and nutrients from several other trees in my yard and from the yard of my neighbor so it grows like crazy. I have to keep in check every few days all the suckers from the original variety (worthless in the flavor aspect) and even nigra cvs are going well over 2 meters (7 feet) in their first season. The tree was 8-10 meter high when I decided to get some control of it and let some room and light for other fruit trees so it pushes really hard to get back to its original size.

I wanted to ask your opinion about Spice Park’s variety of Himalayan mulberry describe by Craig Hepworth here https://floridafruitgeek.com/2021/06/30/growing-the-fruit-and-spice-parks-variety-of-himalayan-mulberry-in-north-florida/. A member from Florida has already commented on the other variety that he recommends, Skinner, and confirms what Craig already explains on his blog, that Skinner is exceptional, but this other one that I link above is the GOAT for him and I would like to know if someone has tried it and shares his opinion about the exceptionality of this cv.

Cheers,

Jose
« Last Edit: May 26, 2022, 04:37:59 AM by Jose Spain »

NateTheGreat

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 502
    • SF Bay Area, 9B
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #95 on: May 26, 2022, 01:06:45 PM »
Thanks for the offer Kaz, but I need to stop collecting plants that get big. I got the cutting from achetadomestica, so I feel pretty confident it's White Shatoot. I didn't label well, so a mixup is possible, but I really don't think so. I didn't get mulberries from anyone else. He told me his tree was a rooted cutting, but that all his rooting attempts failed. I rooted it in a pot with a sandy soil mix. I read something about rooting M. nigra, that it's very difficult, but the Persians have a technique where they root it in sand or a sandy mix at a certain time of the year, in winter I think.

The tree has an upright growth habit, mostly lobed leaves (some with 5 or more), distinctive orange cambium, and is a slow grower. It fruited very lightly this year, first year fruiting. Lots of seeds in the fruit. It will be interesting to see what the fruits are like next year. When they started coming in not elongated I thought it was a mislabeled Tice or something, but they ripened white.

I've decided my Thai Dwarf tastes very similar to a VdB fig. When really ripe it has that figgy flavor. Have you tried letting yours continue to ripen?



sc4001992

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3904
    • USA, CA, Fullerton
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #96 on: May 26, 2022, 02:39:33 PM »
Nate, if your white Shatoot fruit is the photo you show here, and its from Mike (achetadomestica) then I can tell you for sure you got it mixed up with something else, probably a white mulberry variety. I have many of Mike's white shatoot scion wood grafted on my trees and they are now growing nice and strong. I have plenty of fruits and they are the long skinny white fruits. The graft from his tree is now growing as well as my Austrailian Green and it has good tasting fruits.

I will post a few photos so you can see the leaves and fruits from his tree.

fliptop

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1009
    • SWFL10a
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #97 on: May 26, 2022, 03:51:16 PM »
Probably not the right thread to ask this, as four pages in there hasn't been a mention about it, but is there any love for M. rubra?

I've been filling in gaps left by the freezes with native plants, including a Morus rubra.

Any input on what the fruit is like?

Thanks!

Fygee

  • Las Vegas Gardening Community Admin
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 299
    • Las Vegas, NV
    • View Profile
    • Las Vegas Gardening Community
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #98 on: May 26, 2022, 04:03:47 PM »
Looks like I'm going to have to try and track down some Skinner and Himalayan FSP cuttings...

There's a dedicated group of mulberry growers in town that would leap on these like rabid fiends. Since all other mulberries grow here like it's going out of style, they should succeed just fine here without nematode issues.

Doesn't look like Craig sells cuttings or ships grafted trees.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2022, 04:10:43 PM by Fygee »
Continuing my journey to disprove those who say "You can't grow that in the desert" since 2013.

Galatians522

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1825
    • Florida 9b
    • View Profile
Re: Search for the Best Tasting Mulberry ???
« Reply #99 on: May 26, 2022, 04:30:24 PM »
Probably not the right thread to ask this, as four pages in there hasn't been a mention about it, but is there any love for M. rubra?

I've been filling in gaps left by the freezes with native plants, including a Morus rubra.

Any input on what the fruit is like?

Thanks!

They are highly variable. I have eaten many up north that were so so. They are native to my part of Florida, but I think the ones in Florida must be a sub--species because the leaves on the trees look very different. You rarely see fruits on the wild Florida trees because most of them are under shade and fruit lightly because of it. Critters usually get the fruits that are produced before the get fully ripe. There is one local tree that has very good tasting berries in my opinion, though. It has a good acid level to balence out the sweetness. I tried to get cuttings off the tree, but they did not survive. I will have to go back and try grafting.