Tag Archives: mulberries

Hello Mulberry Pie

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mulberry pie || cityhippyfarmgirl

When a friend brings mulberries from their laden tree, only delicious things can come of it. Straight into the freezer they went, which is where all good juicy mulberry ideas go to fortify themselves.

Mulberry kombucha, mulberry jam, mulberry cake, mulberry pie… All finger staining contenders that need just a little prompt to be lured out.

So when your ten year old gets home from having had appendicitis, followed by his appendix removed, well that seems like a good enough reason as any.

Goodbye appendix, and hello mulberry pie.

mulberries-cityhippyfarmgirl easy-mulberry-pie-cityhippyfarmgirl

Mulberry Pie

150 cold cubed butter

50g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

grated rind of a lemon

300g plain flour

1 tbls cold water

2 dessert spoons extra raw sugar

Pulse butter, sugar, vanilla, egg yolk, and plain flour in a blender until it looks like bread crumbs. Turn pastry crumbs out to a clean lightly floured bench top, add cold water and knead mixture until it forms a smooth dough. (Don’t over work it.)

Roll pastry roughly between two sheets of baking paper, and let it rest in the fridge for about half an hour. Getting it out a little further, until about .5cm (or a little thicker if you like it like that).

Grease your pie dish with a little butter, carefully laying down pastry. Add fresh mulberries, and sprinkle a couple of dessert spoons of extra raw sugar over the top.

Add extra pastry pieces to decorate if you feel like it and bake at 180C for approximately 40-45mins or until light golden.

Eat with enthusiasm.

food foraging- mulberry breakfast trifle

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24

The last few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple of laden mulberry trees on my daily travels. The first thing to notice is lots of dark almost blue coloured stains squishing under your shoes, then I look up and… oh hello bountiful tree with your weighty branches filled with red tinged berries. What’s that? You want me to pick me you and store you in my handy empty container I just happen to have with me? Don’t mind if I do.

Most mulberry trees around these parts are usually on some one elses property and not within arms reach. Not my arms anyway. However lately I have had easy access to a couple of trees weighted down by all their fruit. Only once I have seen someone else picking the fruit, everyone else seems to walk on by not knowing what it is, or not in the slightest bit interested.

Picking mulberries is a bit of a labour of love. The juice stains your fingers and each berry has to be picked individually. Once home, you still have to pick off the little green stems before cooking with, (and I always seem to be in a white top when ever I happen to come across them). It can take a while to get a decent amount, but it’s definitely worth it.

I’m not particularly good at identifying wild food foraging options in my local area. Mulberries are easy. Loquats quite often pop up, and the tiniest mini mandarins are also near by. (Which were the tartiest fruit I have ever tasted- very funny while watching The Monkeys taste test them… evil mama, I know.)

Apart from that, my knowledge for urban foraging could use a little upgrade. In the mean time though, at least I have breakfast sorted.

Is anyone else enjoying some local free foraged food?

Mulberry Breakfast Trifle

whole oats

apple juice

natural yogurt

whole almonds

mulberries

***

Soak whole oats in some hot apple juice.

Blitz whole almonds (skins too) until you get a consistency you like (I like it chunky) or use almond meal. Mix in with the soaked oats.

Cook up mulberries in a little apple juice, then cool.

Then alternate with the layers of oats, mulberries and yogurt.

* If you like it sweeter, you can add flavoured yogurt, or a little jam to the mulberries (or sugar). No mulberries? Use any other kind of berry.