This jam recipe has been passed down through my family for three generations, and no matter what we add to it, it always works/turns out and is delicious! Any member of your family will like it because there are so many options to customize and enhance it. As an alternative to mulberries, it also works great with strawberries and rhubarb or any other berry you can think of. On the shelf of the cabinet, the preserves could appear liquid or thin, but once placed in the refrigerator, they thicken up wonderfully. Enjoy!
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 45 |
| Yield: | 8 jars of preserves |
Ingredients
- 6 cups mulberries
- 1 tablespoon water, or more as needed
- 2 cups water
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry-flavored gelatin (such as Jell-O®)
- 1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin
- 8 half-pint canning jars with lids and rings
Instructions
- Mix mulberries and 1 tablespoon water in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer, stirring frequently, until berries are softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Mash berries using a potato masher.
- Combine 2 cups water, sugar, strawberry-flavored gelatin, and pectin in a bowl; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture into mashed mulberries; bring mixture to a boil.
- Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the boiling mulberry mixture into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
- Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.
- For smoother preserves, run berries through a blender or food processor after boiling them instead of using potato masher.
- This recipe can be changed out with any flavor of gelatin dessert as well as any fruit. Here are some examples from three generations of kitchens! Only process the following combinations if you want them smooth: 6 cups chopped rhubarb and strawberry gelatin; 3 cups each rhubarb and strawberries and strawberry gelatin; 6 cups chopped apples and orange or lemon gelatin; 6 cups halved and pitted cherries and cherry gelatin; 6 cups blackberries and strawberry or raspberry gelatin; 6 cups mandarin oranges and orange or lemon gelatin; 6 cups chopped watermelon rind and watermelon gelatin; 6 cups raspberries and raspberry gelatin; 3 cups each raspberries and blackberries and raspberry or strawberry gelatin; 2 cups each raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries and strawberry or raspberry gelatin; 6 cups sliced lemon and lemon or orange gelatin.
Reviews
I read the modification in the comments and only added one cup of sugar and reduced the water to one cup. That being said, I only canned three pint jars instead of 4. We had a little left over that we added to our ice cream after all the work of picking and processing the berries. It was delicious!
Runny jam. I sterilized my jars beforehand so I didn’t have to wait to heat up water on the sideand wait. In retrospect, I think the author meant to say to boil the mulberries-after adding gelatin, for 5 min. I’m pretty sure I just wasted all my time and supplies.
This is my new favorite jam. I love it because 1) it jells perfectly with the gelatin, and 2) you don’t have to use a mountain of sugar. Just feels healthier and lightly sweet. Mulberries are delicious on English muffins. I haven’t tried any of the variations yet, but I appreciate all the combo ideas! Thanks for a great recipe!
It’s a good recipe – definitely too thin and doesn’t yield 8 8oz jars.
I reduced water by 1/2 and this was still runny…did not set. It tastes good, but didn’t turn out as jam (for me). Also, made (5) 1/2 pints, not 6. I don’t know if I did something wrong!!
I loved it but I tweaked it. I did a double batch I added the strawberry jello with the sugar and pectin and it was to strawberry. So added a little Allspice and vanilla and it calmed that down. So I still had to add more of the sugar and pectin and I used Berry Blue jello with a little more vanilla and Allspice and it has a perfect berry taste.
I made recipe 1st time last year. I followed recipe to the T. It was delicious, but too loose /watery. I looked at other berry recipes and noticed most only use 1/2 cup of water, so I tried same recipe but cut water to only 1/2 cup. Came out perfectly! I will continue to use recipe with decreased water! I also used Rasberry jello,…love the taste with the Rasberry vs strawberry.
Turned out perfectly! I read the comments ahead of time and decreased the water to 1 1/2 cups and then increased the sugar to 1 cup. It was not runny and was perfectly sweet. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This recipe was fast and simple, but turned out well! First year the birds didn’t get them first.
I followed the recipe except only used 1 cup of water. The preserves thickened nicely!
This is my first time making mulberry jam so was excited to find such an easy recipe. I followed the recipe exactly as printed but only got 4 half pint jars out of it? Will need to figure that one out. Very tasty though.
No changes to the recipe. It was very easy to make and really enjoyed it on some biscuits. I only got 7 half pints instead of the 8 listed on the recipe.
The recipe was very easy and the preserves came out great! I used the tip at the bottom and blended the mixture since my kids don’t like chunks! As stated in the recipe, at room temperature it seems thin, but it firms up nicely once in the fridge! I will definitely be trying some of the other combinations mentioned at the bottom of the recipe!
The taste is good, but not sweet. I found it to be a bit too thin. Maybe adding less water or more pectin could make it better. I pureed the berries after boiling them but still had many stems in the jelly. I am not sure how to get those little stems out. Overall, was fairly easy to make but a tad messy.
I have made this recipe twice now and it has turned out perfect both times. My first ever attempts at canning. My family loved the flavor!
Good recipe. I used raspberry jello instead of strawberry and it was a good complement to the mulberries. I added extra pectin but it still came out a little too runny for my liking. Next time I would try doubling the amount of pectin.
Very quick and easy recipe to help use up some of the zillion mulberrys from my back yard! This is a little thin, even after being in fridge, but perfect for us as we like to add on ice cream or pancakes. I never boil jars to seal them for any of my canning. I simply put the hot lids on jars (the jars I have already individually warmed up by running under hot water) twist the lids on and done. They always seal nicely and have long shelf life. Thanks for the recipe!