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This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Poisons , Venoms & Poisonous Plants » Poisons, Poisonous Plants, and Venomous Animals »
  Discussion on Mulberry Tree berries
Author Message
Member:
Quatro

Posted on Friday, Jun 30, 2006 - 6:57 pm:

I have reviewed the list on the Illinios poison page, but did not see anything about Mulberry Trees. We have Mulberries bursting from the trees in the pasture. The horses were munching away on them. My husband said they eat them every year. I have never noticed. Just thought I would check.
suz
Member:
Scooter

Posted on Friday, Jun 30, 2006 - 10:06 pm:

Hi, Susan my horses luv em' too. I don't let them have many tho, as they have gotten the loose poops from them. I'm sure they are probably loaded with sugar which is a no-no for my horses, but I am pretty sure they are not poisonous.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2006 - 12:54 am:

Don't people make pies and jam from them? So, I don't think they'd hurt horses unless they ate too many of them.
Member:
Quatro

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2006 - 11:09 am:

Sara, we have customers who come with sheets and shake the trees to get the berries. They make Jam and who knows. I am not that domestic, so we just let the birds eat them and spread purple poop everywhere!
I don't think they eat that many but I had a hard time shooing them away from the tree! They are everywhere on our farm, I have found out. A very good year for fruit around here.
suz
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2006 - 11:35 pm:

Mulberries are utterly delicious. As a child I would climb the trees in South Africa and hide all afternoon eating as many as my stomach would stretch to. My mother always had a fit, as, needless to say, I descended with a purple face and motley re-dyed cloths! You are so lucky to have them. I can't find them anywhere either on the west coast or here in the southwest. I've been searching for them for the 25 years that I have lived in America.
The horses on the farm would eat them off the ground, it was their summer treat, they never, to my knowledge, suffered any ill effect.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 12:13 am:

Ilona, they grow in parts of Texas, but I don't know where else. I wonder if you couldn't order some and grow them? Some of the specialty nurseries might have them.
Member:
Shirl

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 1:50 am:

We had several mulberry trees on our family farm in Southeastern South Dakota, and when I was a kid we used to "shake the tree" also. Had them with sugar and cream (real cream from our cows) and they also made deeelicious pies!! Wonderful stuff.
Shirl
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 9:28 am:

Thanx Sara,
I wonder how they will do in a freeze, hang-on, South Dakota, yes, they will do fine in a freeze! I'm going to look right now for a source, next summer may the mulberries fall!
Shirl,
We too had them with cream direct from the farm cows. It was so naturally sweet and thick it had to peeled from the spoon with a knife! It's the only cream I knew for sure would kill me as per fat content (I even knew that as a child, I was a wierd kid, I'm probably still wierd) and was the only cream I was, and still am, recklessly happy to die for.
Member:
Quatro

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 10:07 am:

Ilona, I wish I could e-mail some of them to you! We seem to have a gazzillion of them, and they are bursting with fruit, the biggest nuisance is our now purple deck from the happy birds sharing.
We had city kids from Pittsburgh, PA here last week. We took them on a hay ride around the property. They discovered the trees, and it was so fun. Purple fingers, clothes tongues and smiles. Who knew a simple thing in nature could bring such joy.
Suz
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 2:35 pm:

Ilona, "weird" is my favorite kind of people! (btw - my husband calls me "weird" and "strange." )
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 3:41 pm:

Thanx you guys,
I'm so lucky to have found this site and therefore such great people with whom I have so much 4-legged, purple, wierdness in common! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to next October and sharing actual physical time with everyone.
Member:
Christel

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 10:55 am:

What is going on in October?
Chris
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 11:17 am:

Chris,
Go to The Lounge and find HA vacation/get together ideas (it is in two parts). It's a get together of HA members in October 2007 at a resort in Missouri. Check it out!
Kathleen
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