Every year about this time, June/July, everyone on my block who has access to their backyard complains about BERRIES. Many of the yards have 4 story high mulberry trees that have either white or red/black berries. They are messy, draw flies, stain what they land on and knock you upside they head while they are in season. I have 2 of the trees, I feel their pain. But quite frankly I think folks have the wrong attitude. The trees give us shade and a wonderful breeze. The mess they make is only for 2 months and by mid July the are gone and we have our yards back for the rest of the summer. Let's not forget about the CO2-O2 exchange we have going on. When life give you lemons you make lemon aid so when you have mulberries make cobbler, sorbet, wine (not whine!) . How many Manhattanites can claim they have something harvestable in their own back yard. I made a gallon of mulberry wine in 2008; tastes like sherry. Harvesting mulberries takes a while since they don't all ripen at the same time but I have started squirreling mine away is the freezer so I can make wine this year. Threw a few in a berry cobbler I made last week and it was tasty. There are not enough trees in NYC for us to start nit picking at everything they do. Humans tend to forget that our wants and needs are pretty much taken care of due to God's other living children.
