Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Has anyone ever tried to make mulberry jam?

I have a big mulberry tree, and every day, my Chinese neighbors have been over picking them. I asked them why they are so hot for them, and they said they were very healthy. Big in Asian medicine. Good for the blood. Good for the heart. Good for the preventing strokes... sooo. I got a ladder and picked a couple gallons of them. I'm thinking jam, but every tine I find a recipe, it says mulberry jam is runny. I want it to be good. What to do? Mix with something else? Don't know.

My tree is really producing well this year but the deer are hammering it. I was told by a few people that you dont want to pick or knock off the mulberries that they need to fall off to have the best flavor. The jam I have had was runny but if more pectin is used it may firm up.

http://www.kraftbrands.com/surejell

Rob,

I called my Mom and asked her. She says that it's not all that difficult, or different, than making other jams, but a few thoughts were worth mentioning.
You will need Sure Jell. She says use a lot of it, as pectin is cheap, and you can't really add too much. You need to make the jam in small batches, say 4 or 5 cups at a time, or it won't 'jell'. Measure carefully. Sugar, Sure Jell, fruit. Keep a close eye on that candy thermometer. No more than 225F.

I have never made any jam with Mulberries, so good luck, and let us know how it works out.

Dad had a huge Mulberry tree at the edge of his patio that literally dropped a pickup load of berries each summer. When the berries ripened birds would come from the surrounding counties to feast on them. We kinda figured 2 million robins, catbirds, and cardinals can't be wrong so we tried a few, and damn they were good! We ate a couple of handfuls each.

Those berries are without a doubt the most powerful laxative known to man.

we had a black mulberry beside our house. it would attract gray squirrels galore, and crows.

the fruit was red until ripe, and it sweetened up and turned black colored.

On the bright side, if it's runny, just call it pancake syrup...

This always works when one or a batch doesn't jell up.
Maybe you could mix it with strawberries and blueberries. Sure it would be great with those two or raspberry.

it should jell up if you use the proper amount of SureJell. When making jams and jellies, proportions are critical.

Runny in; runny out. Perfect symmetry.

I made my jelly, or should I say syrup yesterday. I made a batch as per sure gel's recipe and it was and still runny! I cooked the berries, ran them through a food mill, added sugar..... and so on. I poured a spoon in a bowl and sat it on the table. It looked pretty good. It glazed over and was promising. I made my jars, let them sit overnight, and they're still runny today. I put one in the refrig and it is much better. Still soft, but much better. I never had mulberry jelly before. It is really good. Lots of little seeds that should probably be screened first. They're soft but don't look nice floating on top of your jam! Eeh. It tastes good, and firms up about 50% in the refrig.

Best thing I ever had made out of mulberries, was mulberry wine, amazing taste. Hits you like a ton of bricks when you stand up after having a few, but very, very nice. Straight up, as a spritzer, or as the main liquid in a ice cream float, yes a float, served in a fluted champagne glass, topped with a tiny bit of club soda for a bit of fizz. A very special dessert.

mulberry wine, have not made that in years.

Getting hammered on something made from a powerful laxative could make for an interesting morning after.

My Father referred to it as the "whites [bleep] and the heartburn"....

Rob,
Try adding this to thicken your jam. Then instead of canning it, just freeze it (if you wish). This stuff works great and doesn't separate when thawed. I use it to make blackberry freezer jam with low sugar amounts. It is easy breezy and is the same basic thing the food manufacturers use to thicken commercial pie fillings. Get to know how to use this stuff and it will be one of your "best kept" culinary secrets.

http://healthykitchens.com/ultra_gel_instant_thickener.html

I use something similar in my berry pies. Got the tip from my baker grandparents.

http://www.amazon.com/Barry-Farm-Clear-Jel-lb/dp/B00015UC4S