By Oliver Samson
Ripe mulberries are not only sweet and juicy; they are also rich in vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and more. They are naturally perfect to be eaten raw when dark, ripe, and freshly picked from the tree. You may also want to make your salads more delicious and nutritious by enriching it with this succulent fruit.
Mulberry fruits contain resveratrol, a natural chemical compound believed to help suppress cancer cells and lower blood pressure. It's also known to possess neuroprotective, anti-inflammation, cardioprotective, and anti-aging properties. Mulberries also help in proper digestion because of its fiber content.
But mulberries are one of the most fragile and perishable fruits in the market. They have a shelf life of about two to three days only. And if you have over a dozen fruit-bearing mulberry trees, each giving you more than enough for your own consumption, especially during the harvest season, you may want to process the surplus into wine or jam.
Sweet and juicy ripe mulberries. Fresh from the trees. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz)
It all started from five cuttings from Malaysia
Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz, 28, does just that. She has more than 40 mulberry trees on her farm in Isabela, the Queen Province of the North.
Her mother, who worked as an OFW in Malaysia, brought home five mulberry cuttings, about a foot long each, in 2013.
When the mulberry cuttings arrived in Isabela, they were propagated in containers filled with clean water. Roots started to grow out of the cuttings about a week after. When the mulberry cuttings’ roots reached about three inches long and developed a branch, some leaves, and even fruit, they were finally planted directly in the soil.
Dela Cruz propagates her mulberries in the same way. She gets some cuttings from good trees and leaves them in containers filled with water until they grow roots, branches, leaves, and fruit.
"It's ideal to plant the rooted mulberry cuttings in the soil when they are still small," she said. "It's just fine if the rooted cuttings are planted in an area where other trees are growing."
Dark ripe mulberries ready for harvest. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )
Dela Cruz mentioned that their mulberries thrive together with cacao and mango trees.
Mulberry trees produce many branches and leaves that look like giant umbrellas. Some branches droop nearly touching the ground due to the weight they bear.
"It's better to plant the mulberries in areas exposed to sunlight," she said. "The mulberries are productive when they receive adequate sunlight."
The mulberries are watered until they grow to about two feet tall, especially when they are planted in the summer, Dela Cruz said. Mature mulberry trees don't need watering anymore; they get water from rain.
Dela Cruz currently has 10 mother mulberry trees. Last year, they planted about 35 more mulberries.
"At three months old, the mulberries may start producing fruits," she said. "The mulberries are fast growers. They produce fruits even when they are still cuttings in containers with water to grow their roots."
Fertilizer could also be given to the mulberry trees to help them produce more fruit, Dela Cruz noted.
"Fruits can be harvested continuously during the season because they don't get ripe altogether at the same time," she said. "There's also the possibility that the trees can produce fruits year-round if pruned."
The season starts in February and extends until April and early May, Dela Cruz said.
All of the mulberries she grows are the Illinois variety, more popularly known as "Illinois Everbearing." This variety is believed to be able to live up to 125 years. The fruits could grow up to two inches long.
The fruits of the Illinois mulberry variety can grow up to two inches long. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )
"The fresh ripe fruits can be used in making fruit shakes," she said. "They can also be processed into wine. The mulberry fruits can also be made into tea."
Dela Cruz mentioned the mulberry leaves could also be processed into tea, but it's not yet popular in the country.
They started making mulberry jam in 2019.
"The fruits are easily spoiled," she said. "They should be eaten on the same day they are picked from the tree, because the following day they would start getting watery. So, we decided to process them into jam to avoid spoilage."
Mulberry jam is getting popular
People from different parts of the country inquire about their mulberry jam. Just recently, they shipped some jam to a customer in Olongapo. They are also getting good feedback.
"Some of our customers are repeating orders," Dela Cruz said. "Our jam also gets attention by word of mouth."
The jam could be stored for up to one year.
"I can see the mulberry jam market is expanding since it's not that expensive," she said.
She markets their mulberry jam in 220mL containers on social media at P100 apiece. The containers bear their contact details, which is part of their marketing strategy.
Mulberry jam in 220mL container for shipping to a customer. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )
Mulberry trees could live and produce fruits for decades, Dela Cruz pointed out. Some plants that produce fruits that are processed into jam require replanting before they could bear fruits again–the reason why mulberry fruits and its jam are less expensive.
Mulberry trees can stand typhoons, she added. They might lose some branches, but the trees will continue to grow new ones and bear fruit.
"A single mother tree can give you a harvest of two kilos," Dela Cruz said. "Two days after you picked fruits, you can harvest again from the same tree."
But since the fruits don't ripen at the same time, the harvest could be daily during the harvest season.
Dela Cruz also sells mulberry cuttings at P50 apiece. If the buyer is getting in volume, the price is negotiable.
"The mother mulberry trees are sourced for cuttings," she said. "Since the cuttings are taken from mother trees, you are assured that the cuttings will bear fruits when they mature."
Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz at their mulberry farm in Isabela. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )
All the mulberry trees of Dela Cruz bear fruits since they originated from a single fruit-bearing mother tree.
Dela Cruz, 28, is an admin assistant in a state-owned hospital in Isabela. She is looking at planting more mulberries as the numbers of buyers, resellers, and inquiry are growing.
Photos courtesy of Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz
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(MANILA BULLETIN)