Around the Mulberry trees

In celebration of O's birthday we went out for cocktails in the elegant atrium of The Lobby Bar of 1 Aldwych hotel the other evening.  But although I left work on time, I managed to arrive late - waylayed by the sudden discovery that the London mulberry trees nearby had finally begun to ripen.  (I've finally figured out how to transfer photos from my BlackBerry, so the following are my own.)

The mulberry tree

Mulberry, Morus form beautiful gnarled trees that reach out their branches in a green canopy of leaves, hanging down low enough to touch.  The leaves, incidentally, are the only food of the silk worm.  The fruit is slightly larger than a raspberry and ripens half-hidden under the leaves.  It starts off green and turns red and finally purplish black.  While still green, the fruit is reputed to be toxic and a mild hallucinogen, but this fruit was so ripe that the juices ran down my wrist and stained my hands vermilion. 

The berries, just starting to ripen

The fruit tastes of blackcurrants, raspberries and blackberries mixed together; juicy and delicious. I gathered about a dozen and brought them with me to the bar, and we ate them as elegantly as we could in between martinis. 

Mulberries on the stalk

I rather like the idea of growing a mulberry tree, I found one at Jackson's Nursuries Online but don't have enough space just at present.

Berries half hidden under the leaves