This no sugar added, naturally sweetened Mulberry Jam recipe is the perfect way to use up and preserve an abundant mulberry harvest. I use apple juice concentrate to sweeten and preserve the fruit without making it overly sweet or masking the flavor or color of the mulberries. A quick water bath and these jars will keep for up to a year in your pantry!
Recipe Background and Details
I decided this was the year (2024) that I would finally get some mulberry recipes preserved here on my blog. Recently, I shared this beautiful, rustic Mulberry Pie and I have a cocktail and maybe one more baked good coming before the season is up.
I was determined to do a jam or preserve of some kind this season. When I started brainstorming, I knew I didn't want a traditional jam with loads of added sugar. So I took inspiration from Marisa McClellan and her book Naturally Sweet Food in Jars. Instead of sugar, this mulberry jam uses unsweetened apple juice concentrate, which you can find in the freezer section of any grocery store. I also added in my signature flavor combo - a couple vanilla beans and some lemon zest - to complement the sweet berries. Because of the lower sugar content of this jam, it does require a specific pectin made for lower sugar recipes. I use Pomona's Pectin, which I will talk more about below.
Serve this delicious jam with sourdough biscuits, toasted sourdough sandwich bread or sourdough discard sandwich bread, or on top of sourdough pancakes with a dollop of yogurt like my granny always did. If you don't do sourdough, give my honey white bread recipe a try - it makes the best toast!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Mulberries - I have only tested this with fresh mulberries. I think frozen will work, but you'll have to cook it down a bit longer as the frozen berries will release more juices.
Apple Juice Concentrate - Or white grape juice concentrate. This comes frozen. Make sure it is thawed before you begin since you'll need to measure it.
Vanilla Bean - I have a hard time not adding vanilla bean to everything. You can also use a splash of extract or vanilla bean paste. This is an optional ingredient added for flavor.
Lemon Zest and Juice - The zest adds a lovely flavor but is optional. The juice adds acidity which is not optional. You can use fresh or bottled.
Pomona's Pectin + Calcium Water - these are a package deal and come together in a box of Pomona's Pectin. I'll explain more later in this post but they are added at separate stages and are necessary to helping a low-sugar jam set. There are other pectins marketed for low-sugar recipes but I have not tested them.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to prepare calcium water
Pomona's Pectin comes with a small envelope of pectin and a small envelope of calcium powder. To prepare calcium water, place ½ teaspoon white calcium powder in a jar with ½ cup water. Stir or shake to combine. Store in refrigerator between uses and be sure to shake it before you measure out for recipes.
Do You Need to Remove Mulberry Stems for Jam?
This might horrify some folks, but I do not remove the stems. If you've grown up eating mulberries straight off the tree like I have, you know the stems are incredibly tender. Once you mash or puree the fruit, you will not even know they're there. But, if you are offended at the thought of having stems in your jam, here is a video on the best way to remove mulberry stems. You can also just snip them off with scissors or nail clippers.
Instructions - how to make mulberry jam
I used to be pretty intimidated by canning but over the past several years I have mastered water bath and pressure canning and now I love the process. And I really love the feeling of squirreling away pretty jars of preserves to enjoy all year. The key is to start with a really clean kitchen and have everything laid out and organized.
- First, gather jars, lids, rings, funnel, jar lifter, ladle, and prepare your water bath and half-pint jars.
- Next, place mulberries in a large pot and mash with a hand mixer or immersion blender. I don't mind a chunkier jam so I just do this by hand. You can always blend them more later if you decide you want it smoother. Add 1 ½ cups of the juice concentrate, split vanilla beans, lemon zest and juice, and calcium water.
- Place the pot over high heat and bring to a rolling boil then lower heat to a medium and cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, combine the pectin with the remaining ½ cup of apple juice and whisk well to combine. Add this mixture to the hot berry mixture and stir well. Continue cooking over high heat for 2-3 more minutes until you see signs of thickening. It will thicken up more as it cools later in the jars.
- Remove pan from heat and funnel jam into prepared, hot jars leaving ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims, add the lids, secure the rings finger tight, and process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath. See below for detailed water bath processing instructions.
How to Process Jam in a Hot Water Bath
- Put rack in canning pot and add jars. Fill pot and jars with water and bring to a boil. Set up a kitchen towel nearby for when you lift the jars out later.
- Set up all of your other very clean supplies nearby: oven mitts, funnel, ladle, headspace measuring tool, jar lifter, lids and rings.
- Prepare the jam while your pot is coming to a boil.
- When jam is done, remove jars with canning tongs, allowing any water in the jars to pour back into the pot. Be careful not to put your fingers or anything else inside the sterilized jars. Set jars on clean towel and carefully fill with jam leaving ½ inch headspace.
- Wipe rims with damp cloth. I often dip the edge of a clean towel into the water bath and use this to clean the rims. You can also use white vinegar.
- Apply lids and secure rings tightly using your fingertips. It is important to get them tight, but not too tight which is why this "fingertip tight" method is called for in canning recipes.
- Lower jars into hot water bath. If you feel the water is going to overflow, remove some with a large measuring cup.
- When pot returns to boil, start timer.
- When timer goes off, remove jars and place on clean towel. You should hear them sealing or pinging over the next couple minutes. This is a great sound as it means your jars are sealing!
- Leave jars undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours remove rings and gently lift up on the lids to ensure they have all sealed.
- Label and store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
- Any jars that do not seal can be stored in the refrigerator and used within 2-3 weeks.
Equipment
Canning does require some equipment. You can find nice kits that include all of the necessary tools. Here is the canning kit I purchased years ago as well as the water bath canner I use. These are usually easy to find at local gardening and farming stores too.
This post contains affiliate links, please feel free to check out my full disclosure policy
Storage
After removing from water bath, allow jars to sit at room temperature for 24 hours undisturbed. After 24 hours remove rings and check that the jars have sealed. Label and store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for one year. Do not stack jars.
FAQ
Mulberries taste a little like blueberries but are not quite as tart when fully ripened.
Yes, the tender stems of mulberries are edible and pleasant to eat. It is kind of a pain in the neck to remove them, so I never do. Once they cook down you won't even notice them.
What to Serve with Mulberry Jam
Serve this jam on top of biscuits, toast, scones, or muffins!
- Banana Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Cornbread (discard or active starter)
- Sourdough Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns (discard or active starter)
Pairing - breakfast recipes
- Sourdough Discard Biscuits
- Ginger Lemongrass Poached Rhubarb
- Rhubarb Crumble Scones
- Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins
Mulberry Jam Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 half-pint jars
Description
This no sugar added, naturally sweetened Mulberry Jam recipe is the perfect way to use up and preserve an abundant mulberry harvest. I use apple juice concentrate to sweeten and preserve the fruit without making it overly sweet or masking the flavor or color of the mulberries. A quick water bath and these jars will keep for up to a year in your pantry!
Ingredients
4 pounds mulberries
2 cups apple juice concentrate, divided
grated zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon or 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
2 vanilla beans split lengthwise
1 tablespoon calcium water
1 tablespoon Pomona's powdered pectin
Instructions
- First, gather jars, lids, rings, funnel, jar lifter, ladle, and prepare your water bath and half-pint jars. See blog post for very detailed water bath set up and processing instructions.
- Next, place mulberries in a large pot and mash with a hand mixer or immersion blender. I don't mind a chunkier jam so I just do this by hand. You can always blend them more later if you decide you want it smoother. Add 1 ½ cups of the juice concentrate, split vanilla beans, lemon zest and juice, and calcium water.
- Place the pot over high heat and bring to a rolling boil then lower heat to a medium and cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, combine the pectin with the remaining ½ cup of apple juice and whisk well to combine. Add this mixture to the hot berry mixture and stir well. Continue cooking over high heat and stirring for 2-3 more minutes until you see signs of thickening. It will thicken up more as it cools later in the jars.
- Remove jars from hot water bath and place on towel on counter.
- Remove pan from heat and funnel jam into prepared, hot jars leaving ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims, add the lids, secure the rings finger tight, and process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath. See blog post for detailed water bath set-up and processing instructions.
- After 10 minutes, remove jars and place on towel on countertop. Leave jars undisturbed for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours remove rings and check that jars have sealed. Label and store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
Notes
How to prepare calcium water: Pomona's Pectin comes with a small envelope of pectin and a small envelope of calcium powder. To prepare calcium water, place ½ teaspoon white calcium powder in a jar with ½ cup water. Stir or shake to combine. Store in refrigerator between uses and be sure to shake it before you measure out for recipes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: breakfast, jam, summer
- Method: water bath canning
- Cuisine: American
Leave a Reply