Black Mulberry Jam

I made this Mulberry Jam a couple of months ago actually. I have been collecting black mulberries from my kind neighbour's tree plus some from my own small mulberry plants (not trees!) grown in pots, and have collected enough to make a batch of jam. 

Frozen Mulberries

Homemade mulberries jam.

I have used a hand-held blender to puree the mulberries, as mashing them with a potato masher is not that easy after all. Since the jam already contained powdered pectin in the ingredients, go easy on the lemon juice, as the mulberries are already slightly sour.

Gave one jar to my kind neighbour.

Perfect on bread, with some salted butter, makes a lovely breakfast with a cup of hot coffee.

Black Mulberry Jam
(adapted from "The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook" by Rachel Saunders)
1 pound white cane sugar (I use about 300 gm)
1/3 ounces powdered apple pectin (about 10gm)
3 pounds black mulberries (I use about 1.5kg)
2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice (I use 1-1/2 tablespoons)

Place a saucer with five metal teaspoons in a flat place in your freezer for testing the jam later.

In a bowl, combine the sugar and pectin and whisk well to evenly distribute the pectin granules throughout the sugar. Place the mulberries and lemon juice in an 11- or 12-quart copper preserving pan or a wide nonreactive kettle and immediately pour the sugar-pectin mixture over the fruit, stirring as you pour to prevent the pectin from clumping.

Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the juice begins to run from the berries. Increase the heat to high and continue to cook, stirring very frequently, until the mixture boils. At this point, lower the heat slightly, maintaining a boil.

Mash half to three-quarters of the fruit with a potato masher. Boil the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Begin testing for doneness after 10 minutes.

To test for doness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of jam to one of your frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment. Tilt the spoon vertically to see whether the jam runs; if it is reluctant to run, and if it has thickened to a near-jelly consistency, it is done. If it runs very quickly, cook it for another few minutes, stirring, and test again as needed.

Pour the jam into sterilized jars.

my notes :

• did not do the jam test. I cooked the jam until it has thickened to the consistency I want. Take note that it will thicken further upon refrigeration.  I like my jam to be a little on the runny side, so adjust to your own preference.
• advisable to add in about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice first, and add accordingly, as the more sour it is, you will tend to add in more sugar!
• Instead of using the potato masher to mash the mulberries, I have used a hand-held blender instead.
• Yields about 2-1/2 jars of 250ml-sized jars.

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