A few years back, I lived near a prolific mulberry tree along the Prospect Expressway, and ever since, I've been a bit obsessed with picking them, mostly because I love the idea of getting berries for free. (Take that, $8/quart Greenmarket strawberries!)

But free doesn't mean anything if the food doesn't taste any good, and lucky us, mulberries taste really, really good. And as long as you don't mind investing some time, turning your skin purple, and eating a little New York City dirt, they're lots and lots for the taking.

And the best part is, it's just about to be mulberry season. 

A little background:

Despite my excitement, there aren't all that many mulberry trees around New York today, which makes finding a good one all the more satisfying. According to the Parks Department, just 1,200 of New York City's 600,000 street trees are mulberries.

Those that are here are hardy, and young trees are noted for being able to grow 10 feet in a year. They're resistant to pollution, drought, and don't mind the crappy soil they're often planted in, which of course makes them perfect New York City trees. 

Eating mulberries:

The most annoying thing about mulberries is the stem. They've got long ones, and after you've spent an hour in the sun picking the fruit itself, the last thing you want to do is pick off a million little stems. Luckily, they're totally edible, so it's really just an aesthetic problem. And, though it goes without saying, you should wash them thoroughly before eating. 

Some people find mulberries to be a little watery, though I've always found the ripe ones to be really sweet and delicious. Fair warning if you end up not liking them! 

The absolute best thing is just eat them off the tree, but the next best thing is to mix them into some homemade ice cream. So let's do that. 

Am I going to be poisoned?

Of course, use your best judgement when it comes to eating foraged food in New York City; there's all kind of gross stuff out there. But as for the berry itself, you're fine! That said, if you're going around picking single berries, ie things that look more like blueberries rather than aggregate fruits like raspberries and mulberries, be really, really sure you know what you're looking at. 

Mulberry Frozen Yogurt

3 cups plain Greek yogurt (2%!)
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mulberries

Freeze in whatever ice cream machine you have hanging around, then, about five minutes before the batch is done, throw in 1 cup of mulberries.

Adding the berries at the end of the process keeps them from freezing rock hard and gives them just enough time to stain the ice cream purple. Since they're super sweet when they're ripe, you don't need to add much sugar to the mix. 

Where and when to get them:

If you're up for the adventure, walk around and look for the purple stains on the pavement, usually starting sometime in early June. In 2013, the berries are definitely later than usual, but some years you're picking by Memorial Day. 

The short answer is to take them from one of the trees on this map. I'll be updating it as I find new trees, but if you know if others, send them along to jen@brooklynbrainery.com and I'll add them to the list.

View Fruit Trees in Brooklyn in a larger map

As for which berries to pick, make sure they're dark purple and ready to fall off the tree. Try them; they should be soft and sweet, melty almost. When you pull the berry, it really shouldn't taken any effort to loosen it from the tree. Also make sure the berry has lost most of its shininess and is more of a matte color (thanks to Daryl from Indiana for the tip!).

One thing though: some mulberries aren't purple at all, but white, or a reddish color. I actually prefer the flavor of the white ones (pictured above), and just remember, no matter what color the berries are, only pick the ones that release from the tree really easily. 

The berries themselves, when super ripe, are very delicate, which is also probably the reason you've never seen them for sale commercially. 

And with that, go forth and eat mulberries!