Know Your Berries

A reader has asked: Are mulberries and blackberries the same thing? They look similar.

A: Mulberries grow on a small tree and only fruit once every spring. It’s true that they are a deep purple color like blackberries, but they are slightly smaller and sweeter, and they have no prominent seeds. Blackberries grow in thickets—tangled masses of thorny bushes—and they fruit over a fairly long season, depending on the variety.