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!
Mulberry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 c Mulberries (red or white)
- 1 c sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon powdered pectin
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the jars you will be storing your jam in by washing them thoroughly with warm water and soap. Set to dry. (If you will be canning the jam in a water bath canner, prepare for the canner now. Keep the jars warm by placing them, upside down, in a 200F oven.)
- In a 2 quart saucepan, mix all ingredients together.
- Turn the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the sugar melts and the berries begin to soften.
- Using a potato masher, mash berries to desired consistency.
- Increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a hard boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir constantly so the jam does not stick to the pan and scorch.
- Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. After the minute has passed, remove pan from heat.
- Immediately fill your glass jars with the hot jam, leaving ¼ inch of head room.
- Process as you would any other berry jam, or let jam cool completely on the counter before refrigerating.
Notes
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
What a lovely, different jam! I don't think I've actually ever had mulberries, but I love the sound of them!
I've never had a mulberry tree, what a treat! It's great that it turned out to be something like mulberry as opposed to crab apples or something 🙂
We've got a crab apple too. But thankfully only one, and it's on the edge of our property. 🙂
That's awesome! You're a lucky gal. I love the labels!
Thanks!
What a lovely post, and a magical find! Thanks for sharing such a fun recipe... I've always loved the thought of Mulberry Jam, and so excited you are able to enjoy the (major) bounty! 🙂
THANK YOU!! THAT is what has been growing in our yard...MULBERRIES! We've only been in our house for a few years, but every summer our driveway and garage gets covered with these berries. Of course, I find it annoying that this tree attracts a lot of animal life that I would rather not have around.
Anyway, maybe now I will venture to take a taste! Your jam looks awesome!
It does attract a LOT of animals. We've got a lot of really cool birds, but a lot of crows too. The bad definitely comes with the good.
Do give them a taste though. The later in the season they get, the sweeter they are. Our first harvest at the end of June was mild, but now they are perfect.
Those labels are ADORABLE - I wish I could find mulberries around here, but I'm gonna try your version with raspberries 🙂
Thanks! I bet it would be quite tasty with raspberries!
Mmmm... Love this mulberry jam... it looks so good!
Love mulberries! Your jam has such a beautiful color. Yum
Thank you for sharing this! We have a mulberry tree, and I haven't been inspired enough to figure out how to use them! Also, I didn't know what to do with that little green stem!
I would really say don't worry about the stem. We really don't notice it, and we've just been eating them stem and all. But, I have read that if you freeze the berries, and then give them a good shaking in a colander, the stems pop right off. We haven't tried that yet though.
The deer always beat us to our mulberries! But next year I might be more diligent about harvesting them. Great looking jam. Are the seeds problematic?
Thankfully our trees are so high, we haven't had too much problem with deer getting at them yet. They seem to prefer the apple tree.
If you don't mind the seeds in blackberries or raspberries, I don't think you'd mind the seeds here. They really aren't noticeable for us. Just a little texture, but they are very soft.
I don't think I've ever had a mulberry. After seeing this, that must change!
I never had mulberries before. I have to find them, this looks out of this world!!
How lucky to have those trees in your yard. Well, aside from figuring out what to do with all the berries. I'm sure your family, friends, and neighbors will appreciate getting some fresh berries and this wonderful jam.
Very true 🙂
Free berries are the best! Somehow they just taste sweeter when you pick them yourselves. It looks like you have a most beautiful backyard and I am so glad you waited to see if they were mulberries. That jam has the most wondrous deep purple color!
When we are at my husband's grandparents' house in the Channel Islands, we pick brambles, which are a sort of blackberry and make bramble and apple pie. I'll bet mulberries would work in that too.
Thanks for your kind words! Free berries do taste so much better!
Thanks for the apple pie idea. I bet the mulberries would pair really well!
I don't know that I've ever seen a mulberry. The only time I've heard of them is in the nursery rhyme "All Around the Mulberry Bush" Now I'm going to have to check out the farmer's market and see if they have them there. Your jam is such a gorgeous purple color.
I don't know why this song hadn't popped into my head sooner! But, funny timing, we just found a woodchuck who has decided to make a home in our back flower bed. Now I'll be thinking about this song as we try to get rid of him! 🙂