Black mulberries are now in season and you can find them growing on cultivated trees! 😋⁠ ⁠

Mulberries can produce male and female flowers on the same plant or on separate trees.

Flowers are greenish or creamy coloured, arranged in short catkins designed for the pollination by wind. However, some types of mulberry are able to produce fruit without any pollination.⁠ The colour of the fruit depends on the variety of the mulberry tree. It can be black, purple, pink, red or white.⁠ ⁠

Mulberries can be eaten raw or in the form of jams, pies, and muffins.⁠

BLACK MULBERRY JAM RECIPE 

Ingredients for 3 jars

• 1kg of mulberries (fresh or frozen) (1kg = 3 jars)⁠
• 800g of sugar
• the juice of one fresh lemon

Preparation

Step 1 Sterilize the canning jars in boiling water.⁠

Step 2 Rinse the berries quickly with cool water without soaking them.

Step 3 In a jam pan, mix the berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring it to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

Step 4 Skim off any foam that may have formed on the surface of the jam. ⁠ Let it cool. Cover the fruit with a sheet of parchment paper and set aside in the fridge overnight. ⁠ ⏰

Step 5 The next day, bring this preparation to a boil, stirring gently. ⁠ Keep cooking over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes while stirring and skimming carefully. Boil again.

Step 6 Immediately put your jam in jars and cover. Let cool at room temperature for at least 8 hours before using it.⁠

Step 7 Enjoooooy your jam! 😁⁠

Every month we feature a fruit or vegetable that is in season, along with a fun fact or recipe idea. We are currently working on a project, ACT4CAP, highlighting the importance of citizen involvement in agricultural policy to ensure healthy food and protection of our agricultural land. This project is a continuation of our previous work that was done through the Citizen’s CAP project and Agrokatina.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This article reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

This project is co-financed by the  Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE) and the Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisation.