Blackberry vs. Mulberry - What's The Difference?

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Blackberries are one of the most popular types of berries, along with blueberries and strawberries. The main reason for this is their taste, nutritional advantages, and the fact that you can get them conveniently in frozen form. But while almost all of us are familiar with the tangy but sweet taste of blackberries, many of us are not familiar with mulberries.

If it is your first time watching a mulberry, you’d be surprised at how familiar they look, and the differences in their appearance and that of Blackberry are quite minimal. Blackberries are rounder, shinier, and smooth, while Mulberries are oval, bumpy, and dull. But despite these differences, it would be really hard for someone to distinguish between a pile of blackberries and a pile of mulberries.

But other subtle differences set these two berries apart from each other, things like slight differences in taste, how they are grown, and their uses. This article will discuss all of that and a little more, so keep reading to find out all you need to know about Blackberry and Mulberry.

Table of Contents

Mulberry

The Mulberry fruit is not a single fruit itself, but instead, it is a bunch of small fruits bound together in the shape of a berry (or, more accurately, in the shape resembling blackberry). Mulberries are quite easy to grow and are usually grown in almost all parts of the world (where it is possible to grow fruits), but it may be uncommon in North America.

The most prominent thing about mulberry is its color which ranges from white to red and purple. This color is usually an indication of the ripeness of the berry. Even the unripe white mulberries are useable; they have a vinegary sour flavor and taste delicious in salads or pickles. Mulberries can reach about two inches, which is longer than that of blackberries.

Mulberries won’t last more than three to five days on the shelf if not preserved properly. But this shelf life can be increased by using proper preservation techniques like freezing, dehydrating, or using preservatives. The most common way is to freeze them in your freezer.

How Does Mulberry Grow?

It may be hard to accept, but Mulberries don’t grow on trees. Instead, they are grown on deciduous trees from Mora Family. Mulberry trees are one of the easiest to grow because they take around 10 years to become fully grown and bear fruit. But before you decide to plant Mulberry trees in your backyard, keep in mind that they produce high amounts of pollen and can cause trigger your pollen allergies if you happen to have any.

But other than that, there are several advantages of growing a mulberry tree. The leaves on a mulberry tree are the bread and butter of the silkworm, and this is why you’ll often see a lot of mulberry trees where people are farming Silkworms for silk. Additionally, the stem of the Mulberry tree can be used to make paper, and the thinnest paper in the world is made in Japan using the Mulberry tree stem.

Mulberry Health Benefits and Taste

Mulberries and Blackberries have identical appearances, but they differ substantially in taste. Mulberries have a grassier and vegetable-like flavor, they do have a sweet flavor too, but it is not as sweet as blackberries. This lack of sweet flavor means you have to use extra flavor if you plan to make jams or marmalade using mulberries.

We admit, mulberries might not be the tastiest berries out there, but they have great health benefits., We might not be 100% sure about these due to insufficient research, but there is enough evidence to consider them. Mulberries can lower your cholesterol, avoid the development of a fatty liver, and help regulate proper blood glucose levels.

Blackberries

Like Mulberry, Blackberry is not a single fruit itself; instead, it is a bunch of tiny fruit pods connected together on a small woody stem. If you have ever eaten a blackberry, this will make sense to you; otherwise, you won’t completely grasp this concept. But this structure of Blackberry gives it a unique texture that can be felt in your mouth as you eat each berry.

Blackberries are usually shorter than mulberries, with an average length of about an inch and a diameter ranging from half to one inch. They are rounder than they are long, and they have the same size as that of a soda cap. Blackberries have a deep purple color when they are fully ripe and a greenish color when they are unripe, and between these two, they have a reddish color.

As we’ve already mentioned, blackberries are aggregate fruits (lots of tiny fruits joint together); this makes blackberries quite fragile; They can be easily bruised and quite fragile. And they also have a short life span of about three to six days, like mulberries. Blackberries are also sold in frozen form like mulberries, and they are quite popular.

Blackberry Flavor

Blackberries have a sweet, tart, and appealing flavor. They are often used in making jams and marmalades in combination with other berries like strawberries and raspberries. Blackberry’s sweet flavor works pretty well with different types of citrus. You can also use blackberries alongside meat by making a savory sauce.

How does Blackberry Grow?

One of the primary differences between Blackberry and mulberry is that they grow on bushes, while mulberry grows on trees. Blackberry bushes give fruit year after year and are evergreen plants. But one thing about blackberries is that they are loved by both humans and animals, including squirrels and deer, which might eat your harvest before you get to eat them yourselves.