A new relationship with mulberries

When we lived in a much more urban environment, mulberry trees did not make me happy. When they had fruit, it would fall to the sidewalk where people would step through it, and the mulberry stains would end up everywhere. We even had a mulberry tree removed from our front yard for that very reason. The fruit wasn't really tasty enough to justify the month of mess they caused.

Fast forward to the present, where we have at least six, if not more, large mulberry trees. I was not thrilled at first, thinking of how they work in an urban environment. But you know what? This is another thing that is just better in the country. I don't mind them, and aside from chickens eating too many and causing a mess, it doesn't really affect life. (And the chickens cause a mess anyway, so that doesn't matter too much, either.) I have a better reason, though, for not minding the mulberries.

Mulberry syrup and mulberry jelly.

On a whim, I picked some mulberries last week, and tried turning them into jelly. Well, it seems they don't have a lot of natural pectin (or I didn't get the jelly mixture hot enough, which is entirely possible as well) to set, and instead of making jelly, I made syrup. It was actually kind of heavenly on pancakes. I thought it was significantly better than the actual mulberry.

So now I'm on a mission to make use of the mulberries. I made some jelly today, but I think I may focus on making more syrup with the rest. Do you want to make mulberry syrup, thus redeeming the presence of mulberries in your yard? Here's a quick tutorial, though you'll want to look up separate canning instructions if you want to can it.

Here are some mulberries I picked.

Now, the thing I discovered about mulberries is that when you pick a bunch you also end up with a bunch of bugs... which is kind of gross. So, I've taken to filling up the container which holds the mulberries with water, and letting them sit in it for a while, to kill off the vermin. It's seemed to work just fine. The other annoying thing about mulberries is that when you pick them, you end up with annoying little stems attached to each one. This would be troublesome if we were making jam, but we're not, so they can just be left.

Next, put your berries in a heavy pot, and just barely cover them with water. It's okay for some to be poking out the top of the water. Cook them on the stove for a bit until they start to get soft. Turn off the heat, and mash them up. Using a potato masher works, though I have a smaller masher-thing for eggs which I find easier. I don't worry about smashing every single berry.

Here comes the part which really calls for specialized equipment. You could make your own, but the real thing is pretty inexpensive, and extremely useful. It's a jelly strainer.

Pretty much, you set it up, carefully pour your berries and the liquid into the bag on top, and let it strain for a few hours. I'm usually ready to move onto something else at this point, so cover up the juice, and put it in the refrigerator until the next day. Or you could continue on, that's works, too. The leftovers in the bag just get tossed. If it were any other berry, I would freeze it until I had a lot, and then dehydrate it all to make fruit leather. But these are mulberries... and they have those stems... so I don't do that.

Now you need to get a heavy bottomed, non-reactive (ie not aluminum) pot. Measure out your juice into a measuring cup, and then measure out the same amount of sugar. [Edited to add, because the ph of mulberries is all over the board, with some varieties being higher than the 4.6 limit for acid fruit, I would also add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice to each batch to lower the ph and make it safe to can. If you are not canning it and just putting it straight into the refrigerator, this is not necessary.] (This is probably why I like mulberry jelly better than the actual berries.) I use cane sugar, so feel a slight bit better about it. Put all the juice and all the sugar into your pot. You will need a candy thermometer if you hope to get a jelly out of the berries, so clip that onto your pot now. Turn on your heat, and once it starts to boil, stir continuously. Stir a lot, especially as it boils harder. The stirring will help to keep it from boiling over, and help it not to burn. You want it to reach 220 degrees. For the syrup, I stopped at just under, but for the jelly, I cooked it until a genuine 220. I also added some homemade pectin just in case it didn't want to set. Once it reaches the correct temperature, you can take it off the heat. If you are really wanting jelly, you'll probably want to test the set before you call it a day. Put a plate in the freezer for a bit to get it really cold. (Do this before you start cooking the jelly.) Once you think the jelly is done, let it cool for a moment, and then put a small spoonful on the plate. Let it sit there for a moment, and then run your finger through the center. If the jelly doesn't immediately run into the space cleared by your finger, you've got jelly. If it seems to runny, put the pot back on the heat, and cook it some more.

Ladle the jelly into clean jars. If you want to can it, then follow the usual procedures, otherwise, put on the lids, let cool a bit, and put in your refrigerator. I didn't pick quite enough mulberries to get a full pint, this time around, so the fridge is where this jar went. I need to get out some half-pint jars for next time.

Other than just being good to put on your toast, you can also use small amounts of fruit jelly in cooking. Use as a marinade or to deglaze a pan as the beginnings of a sauce for meat.

I'm a little obsessed with this whole mulberry-thing currently. I love making something that is useful and tastes good out of something that would otherwise go to waste. It just feels doubly fulfilling. The beginning of filling the shelves with happy jars has begun.