Mulberry Jam

Keep an eye out for mulberry trees in your yard so you can make this sweet and simple mulberry jam! 

Caring for a new yard

As green foliage began to peak its way out this past spring, we were finally able to take a look at our land, for, what felt like, the first time.

We moved into our house last fall, just in time to buy rakes and try to keep up with the blankets of leaves.

Then winter came. We knew many of the trees needed to be trimmed, so late winter we started that process, cautiously. More than anything we tried to take note of what we had where.

As spring crept in, our yard burst forth with the results of previous years of little attention: Weeds. Galore.

If something appeared in the yard more than 5 times, we nearly automatically assumed it was a weed or some invasive species.

This included 6 trees that were growing way too close to other, more mature, trees. Those trees had to go.

We asked Tim’s dad what type of tree he thought they were, and the answer made us pause. “Well. They seem like they might be mulberry.”

Huh?

We decided to just wait and see.

 

How to harvest mulberries

And then, we came home from vacation to find the ground spotted with purple and trees with drooping, fruit-laden branches.

Three hours later, we had harvested 13 pounds of red and white mulberries from four trees. A second harvest a week later yielded another 8 pounds.

Here’s my plea – if anyone has any good uses or recipes for mulberries, send them our way!

Until then, we’ll be making jam!

What are mulberries?

If you’re unfamiliar with mulberries (like I was up to a few weeks ago), it’s for good reason. You probably won’t find these berries in stores. You may see them at your farmer’s market. But, more commonly, you’ll simply see the trees growing along the road. (Or in your yard!)

Both the American native Red Mulberry and the Chinese White Mulberry are edible. Not to be confused, Red Mulberries are actually a deep purple/black color, while White Mulberries can range from their namesake white to a deep red.

Two important things to note about mulberries:

First. If you go out to pick them, wear clothing you don’t care about; everything will be purple when you’re done.

Second. Don’t worry about the stems. They are a pain to take off of the berries, but they are incredibly edible. If you’re ok with the berry’s seeds, you’ll be fine eating the stem.

How to make mulberry jam

Mulberries are widespread in southern Europe, the Middle East, and India. And making jams out of mulberries is one of the most common uses for them around the world.

Both varieties that we have (red and white) are sweet, with only subtle flavor differences, the white version being slightly sweeter in our experiences. Their flavor is almost that of a mild fusion of blackberry and sweet blueberry, making them perfect for a summer berry jam.

This is a very simple jam that lets the flavors of the mulberries shine through. Just the berries, sugar, a little lemon juice for acid, and pectin. But the result is a delicious berry jam that is perfect if you have a lot of mulberries that you’re looking to use!

Lastly, the cute labels I used in these pictures were originally a free printable from Jones Design Company, to which I did a bit of Photoshop customizing.

Like them? Go ahead and download our mulberry jam labels! 

More jam recipes

Toast, biscuits, and scones call for jams, jellies, and curds. Here are some recipes to get you started!

• Apricot Jam
• Lemon Curd
• Pandan Coconut Jam