One of the great things about being married to my husband is benefiting from his youth climbing up trees. When most people walk by sidewalks dotted with purple crushed berries, they think "What a mess!" Instead, my husband swings open the door and announces "It's mulberry season!" At my job I noticed a tree loaded with berries and watch the horror on the faces of my coworkers as I walked over and put a few in my mouth. These trees are definitely thought of as a nuisance and not a food source for humans. Silly humans.I am a mulberry novice. I wasn't entirely sure what a mulberry tree looks like (when they aren't fruiting), which is why I count myself fortunate that my husband does.* These are quite delicious berries; I can see why the birds adore them too. They are intensely sweet and have an almost watermelon-y taste. And, now that I know what to look for, I feel like I'm seeing these trees everywhere. I'd be a fool, though, to tell you my favorite mulberry foraging spots...I get enough competition from birds!
*Please verify the ID of any berry before sampling.
Mulberry Jam (makes 6 half-pints)
(From Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
3c crushed & stemmed mulberries
1/2c lemon juice
1 package of powdered pectin
6 c granulated sugar
Directions
1. Prepare canner, jars & lids.
2. Combine mulberries & lemon juice. Whisk in pectin.
3. Boil over high heat. Add sugar & return to boil.
4. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim off foam.
5. Fill jars/wipe off rim/tighten lid; process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes
Mulberry hands.
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This mulberry jam recipe sounds quite tasty. I think many would agree that it's a perfect time of the year for such a treat.
ReplyDeleteHa - I share those mulberry hands today!
ReplyDelete