“This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. ‘What do you see, Amos?’ he asked. ‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I answered.” Amos 8:1-2
Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope you’re spending some time with the fam and remembering those who gave us our freedom.
My hub wanted to take the kids to the lake today to throw rocks in the water or fish, but my 5YO said he wanted to stay home because it was too hot (he’s related to me). I secretly think he just wanted to talk my leg off, but our staying home gave me time enough to finish my mulberry jelly, round 2. I thought since my mulberry expeditions have generated a lot of mulberry memories amongst my friends, that I would share my recipe here, in case you feel adventurous.
Oh, and I personally would stick with jelly since the seeds turn a weird shade of brown and the fruit/stem mixture really doesn’t look too appetizing.
Mulberry Jelly
Ingredients:
1 gallon sized zipper bag full of well-rinsed mulberries (approx. 3 lbs.)*
¾ cup lemon juice
4 ½ cup sugar
1 box pectin
Water
Jars (7 half-pint or equivalent), lids, rings for canning, plus any tools of the trade like jar grabber, magnet stick, and funnel
Directions:
Cook mulberries over high heat, just barely covered with water, until a full boil is reached. Lower heat and continue to simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Then use a potato masher to squash all the berries down into the pan. (This is an imprecise art, so if you get the berries pretty well mashed up, you’re good.)
Place a colander over a pot that is big enough to cover all the holes on the bottom of the colander. Line colander with two layers of cheesecloth or other cloth to use for straining that you don’t mind throwing away. An old t-shirt could be used, since this is hick cooking. Pour the berry soup through the cloth in the colander. Then gather up the cloth and close with a zip tie. Let the bag sit until it is cool enough for you to handle. Then, wearing latex gloves unless you really like the color purple, squeeze said bag until you’re happy with how much juice you’ve extracted. At this point, I suggest throwing the bag of mulberry goo away. My chickens would not eat it and it didn’t really smell all that good anyway.
You should have approximately three cups of juice or more at this point.
Place 3 cups of mulberry juice in a pot with the lemon juice and one box of pectin. Bring to full rolling boil. (While this is occurring, you should be getting your jars, rings and lids ready.) When the mixture comes to a complete boil, add all the sugar at once. Stir sugar until fully dissolved and wait for mixture to return to boiling. (Once it does this, I suggest taking your jars, lids, rings out of the hot water and get ready to fill them.) Boil for one full minute. Remove from heat, ladle or pour into hot jars. Cover with hot lids, and seal with hot rings. Then, process full jelly jars for at least 10 minutes in hot water bath to ensure they seal properly. Remove from hot water bath and place on countertop. Listen for that distinctive POP that tells you all is right with the world.
Do not move the jars until fully cool, usually 6 or 8 hours. By this time, your jelly should have properly set. Tighten down the rings, and label for future reference.
Now you have to decide who is worthy to share your creation, or if you will keep it all to yourself. This recipe makes approximately 7 ½ half-pint jars of jelly, so you really should share. Unless you really like jelly…
*Note: mulberries can be quickly and easily collected by placing a tarp on the ground and having your hub, or other coordinated person, climb the tree and give it a good shake over the tarp. You should also taste the mulberries prior to using them to ensure they have good flavor. We have three small trees that are really tasty, but our neighbors’ trees taste like grass.
Happy Mulberrying!
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” Collosians 1:10
FAQs
Mulberries tend to have a small length of green stem break off with the berry when picked. You will probably want to remove these stems, although eating them is not dangerous. Common uses of mulberries include jams, jellies, syrups, wine, pies, crumbles, and sorbets.
Do mulberries contain pectin? ›
Mulberries are a low pectin fruit, which means that they don't gel well on their own. But adding commercial pectin often requires adding huge amounts of sugar. The alternative is a super long cooking time.
What are the stems of mulberry jam? ›
If you want to use the mulberries for baking muffins, a pie, tarts, jam, or other such delicious treats, then you must take kitchen shears and snip off each and every little green stem. Otherwise, you will end up with what seems like chewy little sticks in your mouth as you bite into that tender muffin or flaky pie.
Will jam set without pectin? ›
Making jam without pectin is easy, you just have to cook it longer. This recipe produces a very thick, rich tasting jam, but if you like your jam a bit looser, cook it 5 minutes less than the suggested cooking time.
Is it OK to eat mulberries off the tree? ›
Eating mulberries:Luckily, they're totally edible, so it's really just an aesthetic problem. And, though it goes without saying, you should wash them thoroughly before eating. The absolute best thing is just eat them off the tree, but the next best thing is to mix them into some homemade ice cream.
Are mulberries safe to eat raw? ›
Some people place sheets or other materials around mulberry trees to catch the berries as they drop. This makes them quick to collect. While they're often eaten raw, mulberries can also be used to make jams, preserves, pies, and a variety of other delicious treats.
Why is my mulberry jam runny? ›
This is a very common mishap and can occur for a couple of reasons. It may be because there is not enough pectin and acid in the mixture. Or it may be because the temperature of 104C was not reached when cooking. While hot the jam will seem runny, but be patient, as it takes a while to cool and set.
Are mulberries anti inflammatory? ›
The different parts of mulberry are rich in flavonoids and exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities, including the root bark, fruits, and leaves [14,15].
What pairs well with mulberry? ›
Mulberry, however, possesses a refreshing green / cucumber-like aroma (1-hexanol) which also gives slight herbal notes. It mixes well with cranberry, blueberry, elderberry, açaí, apple sauce, prickly pear fruit, grapes, or cognac.
Why are my mulberries falling off before ripe? ›
Like all fruit trees, premature fruit drop of mulberries may occur. This is generally due to several factors: weather, inadequate pollination, pests or disease, and overbearing.
The leaves of all mulberries are edible when young and tender, but flavor ranges from tasty to nasty.
How do you clean mulberries before eating? ›
Kay Stevens, author of Wild Season: Gathering and Cooking Wild Plants of the Great Plains, recommends soaking the mulberries for three minutes in salt water — ¼ cup salt to a gallon of water — draining the salt water and then gently rinsing.
How did people make jelly before pectin? ›
Before the availability of commercial pectin products, traditional jams and jellies were made by cooking fruit or fruit juice with sugar until the mixture reached a jelly-like consistency.
Does lemon juice thicken jam? ›
Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam. It can be added at the start of the cooking process or towards the end, but what must be taken into account is that adding liquids to the jam mixture will inevitably require the jam to cook for longer.
What happens if you add sugar before pectin in jam? ›
Do not vary the sequence in which the ingredients are added. For example, powdered pectin does not dissolve in a sugared solution, so if you add the sugar and then the dry pectin, the jam will not be firm. Be sure you use a kettle large enough to accommodate the preserves when they are brought to a full rolling boil.
What parts of a mulberry tree are edible? ›
Mulberries fruit in June and July across most of their range. Berries are fully ripe when they readily fall from the branch without plucking. Leaves and shoots are best when still young and tender early in the season, or anytime the tree sends up vigorous new stems.
Should you prune mulberries? ›
Pruning should be done when the tree is dormant, usually late winter. Mulberry trees are prone to bleeding. Cuts over 2” in diameter should be avoided because they will most likely not heal. This will also leave your tree susceptible to fungi and disease.
How do you prepare mulberries to eat? ›
Gently place in a colander, dip into cold water several times and set aside to drain. Mulberries work well as a substitute to blackberries and raspberries in recipes. They make excellent ices, fools and summer puddings, as well as jellies and jams. Best of all, eat them raw with sugar and cream.
How do you plant mulberry stems? ›
Summer cuttings of new growth, when the stems are still mostly green, seem to "strike" best. Take 6" to 10" cuttings and strip all the leaves except the top leaf or two (cut leaves to manageable size if they are very large). Dip the end in rooting hormone (hormones help but are not essential...
