FRESH MULBERRIES

THE ACCIDENTAL MULBERRY FARMER. This is the story of a fruit tree that was planted by a young farmer who had no intention to grow a fruit tree that has no business growing in sweltering Tarlac province. Five years ago, thirty year old Elmer Reyes was walking home when he saw his neighbors goats feasting on a bush he did not recognize . Thinking he would give his own goats a treat, he helped himself to a few branches and took them home. His goats liked the leafy treat so much that he though he should grow his own bushes for this purpose. He took the larger branches and planted them in an area with red, loamy soil and lots of water. He could not have picked a better spot because these cuttings, which he soon learned were MULBERRY, required exactly that kind of soil and a lot of water. While his neighbor’s mulberry refused to do anything else but produce leaves for animals, Elmer got his to flower and then fruit. He learned by Googling that by pruning/grafting female to male mulberry, he could get all of them to produce these fruit that you now see. We met Elmer through a high school friend of Andie’s and we are so excited to have a unique offering from a specially talented and persevering farmer. We have 8 kilos available before the end of the week (TBA what day exactly). Elmer says he would be able to give us more next week but in ever smaller quantities as his trees. We are telling him to propagate more mulberries. “What you have is going to be a big earner for you,” we told him. He remains quite skeptical at what we are saying that there would be a sustained demand from us given that he has been unable to find buyers for his Mulberry fruit for several fruiting seasons now. I guess we shall have to show him, especially if our members like this.

These are the actual “Accidental Mulberries”, aren’t they amazing? Oh yes, these are 100% ORGANIC!

SNAP BUY: FRESH MULBERRIES. We are looking for 8 Rural Rising members to buy a kilo of Fresh Organic Mulberries from Victoria, Tarlac, and pay only P600.