Mulberry jam

June 5, 2012  •  Category:

 

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:
  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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). 
  4. 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.
  5. 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

  1. Margaret says:

    Haven’t made mulberry jelly in ages. Have juice in the freezer. Maybe it’s time!!

  2. Rosa says:

    I wish I could find mulberries here… I dream of tasting that fruit.

    Wonderful jam.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Belinda @zomppa says:

    Wasn’t there a book about a mulberry tree…? Still never seen one, but sure want this jam!

    • 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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!

  6. Priya says:

    Fantastic and irresistible jam.

  7. MyLittleExpatKitchen says:

    I don’t think I have ever tasted mulberries. They look like blackberries.
    I love that color!

  8. 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. 🙂

  9. PJ says:

    I wish I could taste this fruit. Jam looks so divine…

  10. Suzanne says:

    Hi Joumana, I’m curious as to why the butter is added

  11. Banana Wonder says:

    I wish I could get my hands on some mulberries!

  12. Susan says:

    My parents had a huge mulberry tree in their yard. I wish I would would have had this recipe then!

  13. 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

  14. 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…

  15. domi says:

    Je suis ” mûres ” pour goûter ta confiture….

  16. Hala says:

    There is an excellent book called Wild Mulberries by Lebanese author Iman Humaydan Younes.

  17. Hala says:

    It is about a girl that grows up in the mountains during the 30s when the silkworm industry was waning.

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