I can't really add much to the "taste" discussion, but I'll do what I can. In Rochester, NY, where my daughters live, many yards have "volunteer" mulberries growing somewhere. One of my daughters is a homeowner, and we discovered several while cleaning up her yard for the first time since she bought the place. I'm guessing they were white mulberries. It is quite confusing because white mulberries can be white, red or black depending on cultivar. Red mulberries can be red or black, but black mulberries are only dark. These volunteers in my daughter's yard were bearing black fruit that I would describe as bland or insipid. Others have described white mulberries as "insipid," so I'm guessing that's what these were. I started some rubus nigra, or black mulberry a couple years ago from seed I purchased over the internet. If memory serves, I think they came from www.seedman.com. They germinated very easily compared with some other seeds I purchased at the same time. I kept one that I planted in my yard. I asked the seller if they would survive in my zone (5). He wouldn't guarantee it, but thought they would. So far so good, though the leaves are definitely frost tender. We had a couple late frosts this year, and twice young leaves wilted and died from the frost before it was finally able to send out leaves that didn't get nipped. It didn't seem to hurt it much though, as it has grown at least a couple feet taller this summer. Too soon for fruit, but I'm looking forward to tasting it as the black mulberry is said to be the best tasting by many.

Brittany: I'll add my two cents worth . . . When you distinguish the various tastes, you're into a science of the energetics of herbs. For instance, the acrid sour tastes of hibiscus and rosehips have a specific therapeutic affect on our tissues whereas the bitters have a different therapeutic affect (or nutritional value). It's quite a deep science, but can be qualified through two methods when you want to understand the herbs nature and potential usefulness: 1. Using our senses - smell, sight, taste and touch - physical and intuitive senses. This requires your first-hand experience approach and referred to as empirical. But it has been done for thousands of years and has led to the system known as vitalistic or energetic pharmacognosy. 2. The second approach is what our resident scientist, Eric, is usually talking about . . . Analyze an herb through various laboratory techniques. The methods are HPLC, TLC densitometry, UV absorption spectrophotometry, gas chromatography, preparative coum chromatography, acidic dye colorimetry, electrophoresis, etc. This is referred to as western analysis, which has limited application, but it does have its place. I'm rambling and getting off the subject. Back to your different tastes. In Chinese herbology, as with our Western herbology, tastes fall under Primary Effective Qualities. 1. Sweet tastes harmonize, calm, cool, slows down, thickens, moistens and restores. (i.e. asparagus root, jujube dates) 2. pungent tastes activates, energizes, warms, speeds up, drys and disperses (i.e. thyme) 3. Salt tastes moistens, softens, sinks, drains, dissolves and resolves (i.e. kelp) 4. Sour tastes coagulates, tightens, stimulates and decongests (i.e. schizandra, hibiscus, rosehips) 5. Bitter tastes stimulates, grounds, drains, cools, detoxifies and dries (i.e. gentian) 6. Bland tastes drain fluids and dries damp. (i.e. couchgrass) 7. Astringent tastes solidify, tightens, dries, decongests and slows down. 8. Oil tastes slow down, moistens, thickens, makes heavy and warms. (i.e. saw palmetto) Of course, herbs can have any combination of these qualities in one herb. And it doesn't cover whether or not an herb is of mild, medium or strong therapeutic category, which, I believe, you alluded to in your post. Therapeutic categories is quite another subject. Now, aren't you sorry you asked? lol Thanks for listening. Charlie The Herbalist

Hi Shelrose, I enjoyed the article. Glad to see there are other like-minded folks out there. I am in Sarasota, and also dumbfounded that our local grocery stores don't offer more locally-grown produce. As a matter of fact, at least once a week, I stop the produce manager at my Publix and ask him what they have that day that's locally grown. The first time I asked him, he had to think about it a while. Now, he is usually prepared, but there are usually only a few things. This week there were Plant City strawberries, some zucchini, some tomatoes, and some citrus (altho right now we are eating our own). I have written to Publix.com in request that locally grown produce be marked with a sticker or tag of some sort. Apparently these things can only be accomplished through the corporate offices. Still no answer nor results. I like the thought of supporting locally grown businesses and farms, not to speak of the environmental benefits for all of us and the economic benefits for our own communities. I wish I were able to travel to farmer's markets more. If there was something that was on my drive to somewhere, I would love to support that producer. Unfortunately, farms like those in the article are hard to come by. What can we do to change this? I don't know. I will continue to try to get to locally grown produce when it is not so far away that it defeats the purpose. I will continue to ask at Publix and write them. I did notice this last week, Sweetbay has a sign advertising their locally grown berries. I told Publix about it. If we all keep at it, maybe someday there will be more available and fewer trucks on the road. It is great how many of us enjoy growing at least a few fruits and veggies for ourselves. Every little bit helps. So frustrating when in the sea of oranges at Publix, most are from California, Chile and Spain, and here we can grow them so well, and should be supporting our own. In the meantime, the roads are full of semis hauling citrus to us. I know some of it is seasonal, but who says we have to have oranges all year? Why can't we enjoy our long season of citrus and then move on to something else? I am trying to be better that way, but there seems to be so little available, as you say, for such an agriculturally based state. We should all try to take baby steps each year to a more sustainable and environmentally sound existence. I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks for posting. Anna

Big red fibreless sweet juicy mango's are also in my favorites. This is one of my favorites, it is Yu-wen mango from Taiwan. I arrived late at the stand so the real red ones were sold out. They also can get bigger then this, mine was 1 kg. Sweet, no fibres and juicy. But the big size gave good chunks of flesh. Kook long krom is also in thailand i believe. I never ate it because it's not much sold. There are better ones around. I have high expectations of the new Taiwanese giant mango's. They weigh 1-2 kg a piece and should be great. I hope mine fruit next year so i know what i'm growing. Yu-wen is a keeper allready, i love it.