Mulberry season is fleeting, but you can continue enjoying the wonderful flavour of mulberries into the weeks ahead by making up some homemade Mulberry Jam.
If you have plenty of mulberries, you might also want to check out my popular Mulberry Pie recipe and find more ideas in this post.
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Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe is a simple one that can be made in 20 minutes – and I've included plenty of tips so that even first-time jam-makers can find mulberry jam success.
It captures that magnificent mulberry flavour and is based on several old-fashioned recipes. I scoured old cookbooks and newspapers for mulberry jam recipes and tips before coming up with the simple Mulberry Jam recipe you'll find below.
One recipe that I found particularly helpful was a Mulbery Jam recipe published in The Land in 1944.
Located in the "Women's Interests" section – though women's lives were expanding well beyond jam-making and other "household duties" at this time as a result of World War II – this is the recipe I relied on for the balance of quantities.
NOTE: I did update the ingredient quantities and adjust the cooking times, so keep scrolling for the recipe card at the bottom of the post rather than relying on the recipe pictured directly below.
Ingredient notes
To make this easy mulberry jam recipe, you'll need:
- fresh mulberries
- an apple
- caster sugar (granulated sugar)
- water.
That's right. No pectin! This is a mulberry jam recipe without pectin.
The ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Choosing mulberries
Mulberries don't keep for long, so plan to make your jam within a day or so of them being picked. When harvesting, make sure they are fully ripe. The berries are generally ripe when they are deep red or purple-black.
Equipment
You'll need a sterilised jam jar with a lid and capacity of about 300ml.
How to make Mulberry Jam
Prepping
Sterilise the jam jar. I do this by placing on a hotter setting in the dishwasher and allowing to air dry.
Remove the small green stems from the mulberries and wash them in cool water, allowing the water to drain off.
TIP: You can cut off those small green stems with small kitchen scissors or by nipping them off with your fingertips.
Crush the mulberries
Place the mulberries into a tray and mash with a potato masher. Allow to rest while you prepare the sugar mixture.
TIP: Make sure you're wearing an apron or are very careful not to get mulberry juice on your clothes during this step.
Boil the sugar mixture and apple
Place the sugar, water and chopped apple into a saucepan.
Heat gently to dissolve the sugar and then bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
TIP: Make sure it's a steady simmer – don't boil furiously.
Add the crushed mulberries
Add the crushed mulberries and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Pour the hot mulberry jam mixture into the sterilised jar and seal immediately.
How to store your jam
I store my mulberry jam, once cooled, in the fridge for up to a few months.
To store in the pantry, unopened, please do your own research on canning and preserving as there are too many variables to provide hard and fast rules here.
Recipe FAQs
Mulberry trees fruit for anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months during spring.
Mulberries are generally not sold commercially. So you'll need a backyard tree (or find a friend or neighbour with a tree). You can sometimes find them on local marketplace listings – I bought the ones used in this recipe from a lady in a nearby suburb who listed them for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Mulberries aren't too high in pectin, the starch that is naturally occurring in fruits and that helps gel the jam. Instead of adding store-bought pectin powder, I did it the old-fashioned way and added another fruit (apple) that is higher in pectin.
Love your homemade jam?
Here are some more popular jam recipes:
Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)
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Mulberry Jam
Equipment
- 1 sterilised jar with lid (about 300ml capacity)
Ingredients
- 250 grams fresh mulberries (2 cups)
- 1 apple (peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes)
- 200 grams caster sugar (granulated sugar) (1 cup)
- 125 ml water (½ cup)
Instructions
- Prepare the mulberries by removing the small green stems and washing them.
- Place mulberries into a tray and mash with a potato masher. Allow to rest while you prepare the sugar mixture.
- Place sugar, water and chopped apple into a saucepan. Heat gently to dissolve sugar and then bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add crushed mulberries and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.
- Pour hot mixture into sterilised jar and seal immediately.
Notes
- You can cut off the small green stems of the mulberries with small kitchen scissors or by nipping them off with your fingertips.
- Make sure you're wearing an apron or are very careful not to get mulberry juice on your clothes while making the jam, especially when crushing the mulberries.
- When simmering the mixture, make sure it's a steady simmer – don't boil furiously.
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