Mulberry Jam: Finger Lickin’ Good!
It’s officially berry season! Here in New England, we are lucky enough to have a wide variety of tasty, edible wild berries and fruits. First to join the party is one of my personal favorites – mulberry. There are two primary kinds of mulberry – red and white, along with loads of wild hybridized variations. Red mulberries are larger and ripen first, usually around mid-June in MA and a week or two later in NH and Maine. Their flavor is completely unique, with notes of watermelon, raspberry and cherry.
White mulberries are slightly smaller and are ready for picking 7 to 10 days after their red counterparts. Raw, they taste like a green apple mixed with refreshing cucumber. In jam, they caramelize beautifully and take on a fig-like flavor.
You can find mulberry trees in many different environments – field edges, along streams, rivers, ponds, or in your own back yard, as they are very often used for ornamental plantings. I am lucky enough to have three smaller trees in my own yard. When the berries are ripe, they will carpet the ground or sidewalk beneath them with their red juice, which makes spotting them a bit easier.
Different than other fruits, not all mulberries ripen at the same time (as you can see from the picture above). So, you have two options for harvesting: bring a larger plastic bag and pick the berries by hand, which takes longer, yields less, but has far less cleanup; or, bring a tarp with you, place it under a few limbs, then gently shake the limbs and wait for the ripe berries to drop on your tarp. You will get many more in a shorter amount of time, but it may take you longer to process them.
Mulberry jam is probably my favorite fruit jam. It’s sticky, sweet and pairs well with so many things – use it on a fancy cheeseboard, or keep it simple with a classic PB&J.
The best part about this jam recipe is that we can continue using it for the entirety of berry season. From raspberries and blackberries to blueberries and bilberries, one simple recipe covers them all.
And, you only need 4 ingredients, hazzah!
Instructions
Ingredients
- 3 cups ripe mulberries
- 1/2 juice from lemon
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 packet Certo liquid pectin
After thoroughly washing the berries and removing the small green stems, put them in a medium sized saucepan. Heat it over a medium heat, pressing down on the berries to release the juices.
Bring to a boil then add the sugars and lemon juice. Reduce the heat and stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
Bring back to a boil again. Add 1 packet of liquid pectin and continue to stir often. Put on simmer and leave it to thicken up a bit.
In the meantime, sterilize your jars in a large pot on the stove. When jars are ready and your jam has been brought back up to a boil for a few minutes, bottle and seal the jam tightly for use over the next 3-4 months, or water can them for 10-12 minutes and enjoy delicious jam for the next two years.
Can’t find a mulberry tree? I am here to help! Comment below or shoot me a message and I will happily point you in the right direction!
