Pick-your-own mulberries

The mulberry tree on the outer island is heavy with ripe purple berries.  The red-winged blackbirds seem to like them. I’ve seen people (adults and children alike) in the tree branches enjoying a sweet juicy snack.  The berries that aren’t collected by birds and humans fall to the deck where they get smashed underfoot, staining soles purple.  To prevent a mess of mushed berries, I hose down the deck each morning and wash the surplus berries away. Seems a shame to see so many good berries go to waste, but they ripen and fall faster than they can be consumed.