Mulberry jam
June 5, 2012 • Category: Dessert
Mulberry season is in for a short while here in Lebanon. Sweet as can be (especially the purple variety), these little berries can be preserved into jams or syrups. Full of fiber too, these are the ideal fruit for breakfast.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound of mulberries
- 3 cups of sugar
- 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter (optional)
METHOD:
- Rinse the mulberries briefly under running tap water. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Cover and set aside for several hours or overnight.
- Prepare the mason jars by placing them in a deep pot with their lids and rims, adding one inch of water, covering and boiling them for 10 minutes.
- The next day, transfer to a pot and bring to a simmer; add the lemon juice and butter and simmer for 25 minutes or so, removing any froth on the surface. Test to see if the mixture has jellied by removing a drop onto a plate to check its consistency; you can also use a sugar thermometer which needs to get up to 220F (105C).
- Transfer into jars and seal them. Place the jar in the deep pot resting on a trivet (so they dont touch the bottom of the pot), add hot water to about 2 inches high and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and let them cool for 24 hours.
- Store in a dark cupboard or serve right away and store in the fridge.
Click here for further directions using raspberries.
Comments
21 Comments • Comments Feed
Margaret says:
Haven’t made mulberry jelly in ages. Have juice in the freezer. Maybe it’s time!!
On June 5, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Rosa says:
I wish I could find mulberries here… I dream of tasting that fruit.
Wonderful jam.
Cheers,
Rosa
On June 5, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Belinda @zomppa says:
Wasn’t there a book about a mulberry tree…? Still never seen one, but sure want this jam!
On June 5, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Joumana says:
@Belinda: I am not aware of a book but here the mulberries are part of Lebanese history since the leaves were fed to the worms and it was a huge industry, making silk and selling it to France.
@Suzanne: The butter supposedly helps minimize the froth, but you don’t have to add it; I have made most of my jams in the past without it!
@Mark: You are EVER so right! Mulberry trees have a glorious past in Lebanon, being that they represented a way out of poverty and a cottage industry for a lot of impoverished peasants; just spent a weekend with a 84-year old lady who was telling me how she used to tend to the worms when she was a kid, to help the family make a bit of money with the silk.
On June 5, 2012 at 1:28 pm
sue says:
I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted mulberries, but they look a lot like the wild black raspberries that I picked last summer. The color of your jam is lovely.
On June 5, 2012 at 3:13 pm
deana says:
Aren’t they amazing? I had a small bucket of them and made syrup and ice cream and love it madly. I think I’ll get some more and try this gorgeous jam!
On June 5, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Priya says:
Fantastic and irresistible jam.
On June 6, 2012 at 1:23 am
MyLittleExpatKitchen says:
I don’t think I have ever tasted mulberries. They look like blackberries.
I love that color!
On June 6, 2012 at 4:15 am
Mark Wisecarver says:
There is indeed a huge history behind these.
The White type is used for Silk worms, and Henry Ford was a big fan, imported many of them to Michigan. When I owned Solomon Farms we grew the long red type.
Absolutely love these, as do the birds. 🙂
On June 6, 2012 at 6:33 am
PJ says:
I wish I could taste this fruit. Jam looks so divine…
On June 6, 2012 at 7:18 am
Suzanne says:
Hi Joumana, I’m curious as to why the butter is added
On June 6, 2012 at 10:16 am
Banana Wonder says:
I wish I could get my hands on some mulberries!
On June 6, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Susan says:
My parents had a huge mulberry tree in their yard. I wish I would would have had this recipe then!
On June 10, 2012 at 1:39 pm
weirdcombos says:
My favorite fruit growing up in Brazil. I would just climb the trees and feast on these delicious fruits. It’s been years since I last at a fresh mulberry (amora in Portuguese) I think last time I had it was back when I lived in NY. I went to visit a friend on Long Island and at the parking lot at the station they had an enormous trees bearing fruits that were ripe and sweet. I almost skipped the visit to my friend’s, I felt like a kid again eating those fresh and tasty amoras
On June 10, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Caffettiera says:
In Calabria they make a fantastic granita with mulberries. It is the best thing ever coming back from a day at the seaside…
On June 13, 2012 at 8:08 am
Joumana says:
@Caffettiera: You make me want to go to Calabrian at once! Sounds fantastic in a granita!
On June 13, 2012 at 8:36 am
domi says:
Je suis ” mûres ” pour goûter ta confiture….
On June 13, 2012 at 11:49 am
Hala says:
There is an excellent book called Wild Mulberries by Lebanese author Iman Humaydan Younes.
On June 1, 2013 at 1:51 pm
Joumana says:
@Hala: Thanks for the recomendation! I will try to get a hold of it; what is it about?
On June 1, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Hala says:
It is about a girl that grows up in the mountains during the 30s when the silkworm industry was waning.
On June 5, 2013 at 6:24 pm