How To Make Mulberry Jam - Lady Lee's Home

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Learn how to make mulberry jam. This mulberry jam recipe is simple to make, not too sweet, and preserves the very special taste of mulberries. It’s a favorite spring and summer jam!

Lady Lee’s Note…

My childhood memories include a whole lot of mulberries. I grew up in Israel, in a small place called a Kibbutz. If you are not familiar with a Kibbutz, it’s basically a self-sustained commune (or… used to be). Fruit trees are everywhere in Israel. In our Kibbutz, we had a ton of mulberry trees… Small mulberries, long mulberries, white mulberries, purple mulberries…

As kids growing up in a safe, small village we used to skip classes and go wandering around all the time. You could find us in different places depending on the season. We’d go to the pool, climb the hay bales, take a nap on the piles of fresh cotton, or go hang out with the horses… But during the month of May, we were at the mulberries. We’d climb the trees, we’d climb on top of roofs, we’d climb on top of each other… Anything to get to the mulberries.

I think I’ve eaten more mulberries than rice in my life. A few months after I purchased my land here in NC, I met with our local cooperative extension agent to discuss farming possibilities. The original plan was to plant a few acres with pecan trees, but I also wanted to explore different options. So I asked him about mulberries. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind and told me that mulberries are considered a weed here in the South.

SAY WHAT!? Did you lose your mind? I didn’t say that out loud…

Have you ever tried mulberry jam? I did say that out loud…

As much as I tried I couldn’t convince the guy that he is missing a very important berry in this berry-full state of North Carolina. Deep inside, I know that there is a huge market for mulberry jam because after you try it you’ll forget all about strawberries, blueberries, or whatever else ends with berries…

Anyway, that year we happened to be visiting Israel right in time for mulberry harvest. My kids went crazy for the berries just like I used to in the past (and the present!). We ate and ate and ate until our tummies hurt. And then, I made the kids pick some more berries so I could make mulberry jam.

Table of Contents

• Lady Lee's Note…
• Ingredients…
• Kitchen Tools…
• Step-By-Step Instructions…
• How to Can Mulberry Jam…
• How to Store…
• How to Serve…
• Frequently Asked Questions…
  • More Jam Recipes…

Ingredients…

• Mulberries – feel free to use any kind of mulberry that you can get your hands on. They should be ripe and juicy and sweet, but other than that the variety doesn’t matter. The mulberries that you’ll see me use in this post are the Pakistani mulberries.
• Sugar – traditional jam is made with one part fruit and one part sugar. This is simply too much sugar for me so I cut it in half. So, whatever amount of fruit you want to process (I don’t recommend processing more than 4 pounds at a time), use half of it’s weight in sugar for one part fruit, one-half part sugar ratio.
• Lemon juice – to add a bit of acidity.
• Lemon seeds – since we are not using a ratio of one part fruit to one part sugar, we can’t use store bought pectin. There is no reason though. Lemon seeds have natural pectin in them, so we’ll add 4 or 5 of them towards the end of cooking.

Kitchen Tools…

• Knife
• Food processor
• Shallow pot
• Wooden spoon
• Half-pint jars
• Ladle
• Paper towel
• Canning utensils
• Water bath canner

**Note – since I made this jam in Israel and not in my own home I didn’t have all of my canning equipment so I didn’t can this jam. We just kept it in the fridge and it was gone very quickly. I will give you instructions on how to can it though, in case you want to do that. I am guessing that you’ll probably get 5-6 half pints from 2 pounds of fruit.

Step-By-Step Instructions…

Step one – prep the mulberries. Wash the mulberries well. Then, use a knife to remove the stems. It’s hard and not much fun to eat. Add the mulberries to the bowl of a food processor and process them for a couple of minutes…

Step two – bring mulberries and sugar to a boil. Add the mulberries (and their juice) to the pan and then add the sugar. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for five minutes.

Step three – reduce the juice. Lower the heat to medium-low. Keep cooking, stirring frequently for about 25 minutes (juice will reduce by about 50%). After about 25 minutes, you’ll notice that the jam starts to thicken but probably hasn’t gelled yet…

Step four – add lemon juice and seeds. Add the juice of half a lemon and about 5 lemon seeds and stir them in. Now, cook the jam, stirring frequently, until it reaches your desired consistency. It should take an additional 15 minutes or so.

If you aren’t sure when the jam is ready, you can do the spoon test. Scoop some jam with a spoon and set it on a plate on the kitchen counter to cool for five minutes. Then add it back to the pan and as the jam leaves the spoon you’ll be able to measure its thickness better. Just remember that the jam will keep thickening a little bit more as it cools in the jars.

How to Can Mulberry Jam…

You can can mulberry jam the same exact way that you can strawberry jam or mixed berry jam…

1. While the jam is cooking, fill your water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. Set it on the stovetop and turn the heat to high. Bring the water in the canner to a gentle boil.
2. Wash the jars, lids, and rings well with hot water and soap. Since we are going to process this jam in the canner for more than ten minutes, there is no need to sanitize the jars.
3. Use a ladle and canning funnel to fill the jars with the jam leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
4. Use the bubble remover to remove bubbles by scraping it along the inside of the jar. Then use a clean, damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar before centering the lid and closing the jar with the ring finger tight.
5. Set the jars on the rack of the water bath canner and lower the rack into the boiling water. Process the jars for 15 minutes. Remember to adjust processing time according to the table below if you live in altitudes above 1,000 feet in elevation.
6. Once processing time is over, use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Set them on a kitchen towel on the counter to cool completely, undisturbed, overnight.

How to Store…

Once the jam has completely cooled, make sure that the jars are sealed before storing them. You can do that by pressing the center of each lid. If there is no movement there it means that the jar is sealed. Remove the rings (because they rust and stick) and wipe your jars. Store them in a pantry or a kitchen cabinet for up to 18 months.

How to Serve…

• With sour cream – it’s the simplest and most amazing dessert! Just add a few tablespoons of sour cream to a bowl and then add a couple of tablespoons of mulberry jam on top. Dig in, it’s so so good!
• With yogurt – another favorite! Add some yogurt to a bowl (here is how to make yogurt from store-bought milk or raw milk), add some homemade granola, and some mulberry jam. It’s an easy, filling, and healthy breakfast.
• In a sandwich – add mulberry jam to a sandwich (this simple homemade artisan bread is a favorite around here!) with nut butter or seed butter. Or add it on top of a bagel spread with cream cheese.
• Use in baked goods – this jam can be made pretty thick so it’s easy to use it in baked goods. My favorite are mulberry thumbprint cookies.
• A a sauce – add some jam into a sauce pan and add a little bit of water to thin it. Then use it as sauce for ice cream, pancakes, French crepes, French toast and so on.

Frequently Asked Questions…

Can I season this jam?

Mulberries have such a delicious flavor that I usually don’t add anything else, however, vanilla extract can work well. You can add just a couple of teaspoons once the jam is ready.

Do you remove the lemon seeds before canning the jam?

I don’t. I leave the seeds in the jam. They don’t break down, don’t change the taste of the jam no matter how long it stays on the shelf and once you stop cooking the jam they don’t keep thickening it. You can, however, fish them out when the jam is ready if you’d like, they are usually easy to find.

Can I follow this recipe with other fruit?

Honestly… Any fruit! If you find yourself with plums, peaches, grapes, kiwi, oranges… Follow this recipe and it should work every time. Just take into consideration that cooking times will probably change depending on how juicy your fruit is.

Can I adjust the quantities of the ingredients?

Yes, and it’s very easy. Just follow a ratio of one part fruit to one-half part sugar. So if you have 2 pounds of fruit, use one pound of sugar. The only thing that is going to change is the cooking time. And if you make a smaller batch, you can simply keep it in the fridge, it should last for weeks.

I hope you know how lucky you are if you can get your hands on some mulberries! Maybe you happen to have a mulberry tree or maybe you know where there is one that you can pick… If you haven’t tried making mulberry jam yet I sure hope that you will soon! It’s delicious and easy and truly a spring favorite. Also, make sure to try making mulberry pie!

More Jam Recipes…

• Fig Jam Recipe
• Strawberry Jalapeno Jam Recipe
• Low Sugar Apricot Jam Recipe
• Delicious Mango Jam
• Summer Cantaloupe Jam
• Honey Strawberry Jam Recipe
• Chia Blueberry Jam
• Simple Peach Jam Recipe
• Find all my jam recipes on this page.

Continue to Content

Ingredients

• 2 lb mulberries, washed and top part of the stem removed
• 1 lb sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4-5 lemon seeds

Instructions

1. Process the mulberries in a food processor for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the mulberries to a wide and shallow pot and add the sugar. Bring to a boil, stir frequently. Let the mixture boil for five minutes.
3. Lower the heat to medium and keep cooking while frequently stirring for about 25 minutes or until the juice reduces by about 50%.
4. Add the lemon juice and lemon seeds and stir them in. Cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the jam reaches your desired consistency.
5. To can this mulberry jam... While the jam is cooking, fill your water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. Set it on the stovetop and turn the heat to high. Bring the water in the canner to a gentle boil.
6. Wash the jars, lids, and rings well with hot water and soap. Since we are going to process this jam in the canner for more than ten minutes, there is no need to sanitize the jars.
7. Use a ladle and canning funnel to fill the jars with the jam leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
8. Use the bubble remover to remove bubbles by scraping it along the sides of the jar. Then, use a clean, damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar before centering the lid and closing the jar with the ring finger tight.
9. Set the jars on the rack of the water bath canner and lower the rack into the boiling water. Process the jars for 15 minutes. Remember to adjust processing time according to the table below (in the notes) if you live in altitudes above 1,000 feet in elevation.
10. Once processing time is over, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid and let sit in the hot water for 5 minutes. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Set them on a kitchen towel on the counter to cool completely, undisturbed, overnight.
11. Check that the jars have sealed. Remove the rings (because they rust and stick), wipe the jars and store them in the pantry or a kitchen cabinet for up to 18 months.

Notes

Adjust canning processing time according to the table below...

Frequently Asked Questions...

1. Can I season this jam? Mulberries have such a delicious flavor that I usually don’t add anything else, however, vanilla extract can work well. You can add just a couple of teaspoons once the jam is ready.
2. Do you remove the lemon seeds before canning the jam? I don’t. I leave the seeds in the jam. They don’t break down, don’t change the taste of the jam no matter how long it stays on the shelf and once you stop cooking the jam they don’t keep thickening it. You can, however, fish them out when the jam is ready if you’d like, they are usually easy to find.
3. Can I follow this recipe with other fruit? Honestly… Any fruit! If you find yourself with plums, peaches, grapes, kiwi, oranges… Follow this recipe and it should work every time. Just take into consideration that cooking times will probably change depending on how juicy your fruit is.
4. Can I adjust the quantities of the ingredients? Yes, and it’s very easy. Just follow a ratio of one part fruit to one-half part sugar. So if you have 2 pounds of fruit, use one pound of sugar. The only thing that is going to change is the cooking time. And if you make a smaller batch, you can simply keep it in the fridge, it should last for weeks.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases (there is no change in product cost or charge to you! Thank you for helping me support the blog).

• Cuisinart DFP-14BCWNY 14-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless Steel, White
• Granite Ware Covered Preserving Canner with Rack, 12-Quart
• Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set, 6 Piece Set
• PremiumVials 12 pcs 8 oz Mason Jars with Silver Lids for Jam, Honey, Wedding Favors, Shower Favors, Baby Foods, Canning, spices, Half Pint

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1 half pint jar Amount Per Serving: Calories: 802Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 206gFiber: 10gSugar: 189gProtein: 6g

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