Your Kokuso fruit looks nothing like the fruit from my plant. Mine is a long (longer than IE) fat (almost twice the size of IE) dark (almost black) berry.
I’d love to hear your “recipe” for mulberry wine.
I missed out on World’s Best (again this year it seems). Though I’m not sure where I would plant another mulberry to be honest anyway.
Scott
Thanks for your assessment…It is possible that I have something else. Or it just may be because this is just the second year of getting any fruit, and last year they were even smaller. But mine never get very dark…staying quite lavender color.
MY MULBERRY WINE RECIPE
I use 6 pounds of mulberry to make a gallon of wine. I don’t do as most recipes state, where they just mash up the fruit and pour some boiling water over them and add a Campden tablet…because mulberries don’t “keep well” in this state and you risk having some off flavors. Instead, I blend up the mulberries (I thaw frozen mulberries) by adding one pound at a time to a blender and one cup of spring water, for about thirty seconds at the low speed “grind” setting (You don’t want to break open the seeds). I then heat the mixture somewhat while stirring. Then I dump two ladles at a time into a large Stainless Steel Mesh Strainer and use the ladle to squeeze out the liquid from the “must” (the strained pulp goes to my compost bin). I then bring the mulberry juice to a boil for a minute (to kill any microbes). Then I add 1 and 1/2 pounds of natural sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme, 1/2 teaspoon yeast energizer, and 3/4 teaspoon acid blend (I suppose you could add the juice from two limes or lemons instead…but having a slightly acid pH really helps the fermentation).
I dump the hot mixture into a fermentation bucket and add enough boiled spring water to get slightly above the gallon mark on my bucket (I want it to be slightly over a gallon so that when I “rack” it into a carboy there is very little headroom, since air causes oxidation).The next day (or at least 6 hours later) I add the yeast (I use Lalvin 71B), press on the cover, and stick on the air-lock. When the fermentation slow down to a crawl (5 to 7 days), I “rack” it into a gallon carboy, add a crushed Campden tablet, stick on an air-lock and allow it to do its thing for at least three months (at 75 degrees…longer if your temperature is cooler). “Rack” once more a day or two before bottling. At this point I taste it to determine whether I want to add any spice or sugar (I like dry wine, but most people seem to prefer a sweet mulberry wine). I use a little stevia if I want a little sweetness, but if you add sugar at this point, you will need to stabilize the wine before bottling (Most people stabilize with potassium sorbate…I don’t like using it, hence that is why I use stevia…which doesn’t ferment). The wine should have an alcohol content of about 12% if prepared following this recipe (and depending on the “Brix” of the mulberries you use).
Wow! I really got carried away…It happens when I’m on a topic I really like. Do you make wine? “Country wines” are a good use for excess fruit of any kind.
I make apple jack out of non pasteurized cider each fall, but half of it ends up as the best cider vinegar ive ever had (i havent dobe store bought in a few years)
Scott
When would be the best time to ask for cuttings please 
Thanks!
Summer cuttings root fairly easily (depending on the cultivar)…But cuttings from the US would never survive the long, hot journey.
made mine out of apple juice concentrate. 3 yrs ago we had a lot of -30f temps and i was able to get it up to 75 proof. tasted awesome but gave a hell of a hangover come morning.
Illinois Everbearing Mulberry is my favorite–produces for most of the summer, the berries are delicious and so much fun to just pick and eat. No special care needed.
Also, the tree provides great entertainment because we get to watch the chickens jumping up to try to get the ripe fruit off of the branches.
Thanks Mark! I would try anything for a bush style mulberry loaded with fruits. This one with a Madeira one I saw in this forum from a Portuguese member are my must haves
Will cuttings survive the trip to NH?
New Hampshire, yes…North Africa, no.
The most consistent producers i have experienced is mulberry, blackberry, satsuma orange, fig, and kaki persimmon. But i hope others in my newest orchard will prove good. Oh yeah and old concord grape is a care free producer too!
I dont have Illinois Everbearing mulberry yet…
My next ones on the list are White Pakistan/saharanpur, a hybrid Portuguese Cultivar with huge berries, red himalayan (very thin long berries, its NOT Pakistan), Kokuso, gerardi dwarf, silk hope, and the IE).
The “Portugal mulberry”
The white pakistan/saharanpur
The Madeira mulberry by all accounts seem to be a very heavy producer with multiple crops but its my first season with them in the soil (all my 4 little plants are now pushing new growth)
