July 2005
'Round the Mulberry Bush

Well readers, let’s gather ‘round the Mulberry bush. Yes, the fruit bearing bush that found its way from China to Paterson, New Jersey, for the silk industry.

But how did it get to the Silver Lake lots? Ah, a Huck Finn adventure in the making…

As young boys growing up in Stephen Crane Village in Newark, the lots were the great escape. There, you could chase rabbits, catch snakes, climb trees, make spears, fashion bows from sumac trees with kite string, and most of all – get dirty!

But let's not forget the Mulberry bush. They grew in the lots, along with a lot of other wild plants that grow in unbuilt lots, and when the time was right for pickin', we did! The trees offered both white and bluish-colored berries.

Just what did we do with those juicy morsels? Well, we ate them with cereal; we put them in a dish and lightly sprinkled them with sugar, then left them in the freezer for a few minutes to get frosty – then we ate them.

Another dessert that my brother, Carl, and I helped Mom make was Mulberry ice cream – a little unusual tasty treat! One time after making ice cream, Carl decided to dump the unused mulberries, which had lots of seeds, over the fence behind our apartment. Carl had somewhat of a green thumb which sure made Grandma proud.

As we grew older, chasing rabbits, catching snakes and fighting countless Cowboy and Indian wars in the lots, the seeds were taking root. I don't remember how long it took for the bush to grow, but we did harvest berries from it.

And the Silver Lake lots? They became the site of Clara Maass Hospital and the Huck Finn boys no longer had a place to chase rabbits and catch snakes. But we gained a place to catch balls – softballs. You see the lot closest to our apartment became a parking lot that never saw any cars, but did see plenty of softball games. Yes, we Huck Finn boys were always doing something!

by Lance L. Casper

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