Mulberry Freezer Jam

Name: Mulberry Freezer Jam
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 cups mulberries ((or any berries or a mixture) rinsed under cold water); ⅓ cup honey; ½ cup orange juice

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Mulberry Freezer Jam is the perfect recipe for a beginner or anyone wanting to avoid the canning process. This is a simple small batch freezer jam with no pectin, no sugar, and sweetened with honey and orange juice! I've made this a mulberry jam recipe, but any berries can be used - blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, black raspberry or any mixed berry combination! Stock your freezer for breakfast or kid-friendly PB&J's!

Why We Love It!

Freezer Jam is Easy! - The jam making process often brings to mind buckets of berries, loads of jars, a huge hot water bath, and 30 beautiful jars of jam to last you all year. It's a lovely project if you have the time, the know how, and the access to that many berries. I have 2 huge mulberry trees ripening berries faster than I can pick them, so I certainly have the berries. But, I didn't want to get too involved with an all day project, and my family doesn't really eat 30 jars of jam in a year. This quick and easy small batch freezer jam only takes 30 minutes and you can use any kinds of berries you have.

No Sugar, No Pectin, No Canning Rules! - This is a quick and easy beginner mulberry freezer jam with no pectin and no sugar! Freezer jam with honey just thickens on its own and is fine for the freezer, without worrying about the rules and cautions that come with canning. This recipe makes 6 half pint jars, filled only about half full. I like to have more jars less full, since without preservatives, the jam doesn't last as long when thawed as store-bought jam. If you aren't a jam making expert, this is an easy recipe to give it a try. Bob Marley's "Jammin" makes for nice background music!

Colander full of fresh picked mulberries.

Ingredients

Mulberries - I get the mulberries straight from my backyard! If you have mulberries in your neighborhood, they are an extremely abundant producer, ask a neighbor if you can pick a bowl! This recipe can also be made with any combination of berries. Our backyard also has raspberries and black raspberries, also a great mix for freezer jam.

Honey - Store bought jam can be loaded with sugar. Making jam with honey gives you a more natural, not overly sweet, finished jar. I like to use local raw honey, as it is said to have more nutritional value. I've actually found the fresh local honey from the farmer's market to also be the best price.

Orange Juice - Fruit juice sweetened jam with honey allows you to make a low sugar freezer jam without using refined white sugar. The orange juice provides the liquid along with some of the sweetness as your jam simmers on the stove.

Instructions

Step 1 - Add the washed berries, honey and orange juice to a sauce pan.

Child adding orange juice and honey to a pot of mulberries on the stove.

Step 2 - Simmer over medium low heat, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the mixture bubbling and moving, but not boiling over. Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Sauce pot of mulberry jam simmering on the stove.

Step 3 - Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 6 half pint or any small glass jars with lids, be sure not to fill more than ¾'s of the way full so they don't crack when freezing. Cool completely in the fridge before transferring to the freezer.

Filling jars of mulberry honey sweetened jam.

Tips

Storage - Store jam in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks or in the freezer for 1 year. To use, thaw overnight in the fridge. Once thawed, freezer jam doesn't keep as long as store-bought jam because of it's lack of preservatives. It's best to freezer your jam in smaller portions and use them quickly. If mold appears on the top of your jam in the fridge, throw it out!

Freezer Jam will not be as thick as store-bought jam - Without using pectin, your jam is thickening only by reducing the liquid as it simmers. Your finished jam will be delicious, but more runny than the gel-like consistency of store-bought jam. This is ok, just different!

There is no need to pluck off the small stems on mulberries - They are completely edible. Once blended they are unnoticeable.

Finished jars of small batch freezer jam.

How to Use Mulberry Freezer Jam

Breakfast Breads - We love mulberry jam on all your standard breakfast breads, english muffins, and toast with butter. We love bagels with cream cheese and freezer mulberry jam!
Crepes - Mulberry jam makes an excellent topping for Sunday Morning Crepes.
Cocktail Meatball Sauce - I save a jar of my freezer jam every year to add to the sauce for my Sweet and Sticky Crockpot Meatballs for New Year's Eve!

Six small jars of mulberry freezer jam and a jar of honey.

Recipe FAQ's

Can you Freeze Mulberries?

Yes! Fresh picked mulberries freeze very well. Just wash them under cold water in a colander, then lay them flat on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and set them in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can transfer them into a container or freezer bag. Freezing them on the sheet pan first helps them to not all freeze together in a solid clump. Use your frozen mulberries to top Crockpot Oatmeal, Yogurt with Granola, or add them to Smoothies.

Can you put glass jars in the freezer?

Yes! Freezing food in glass jars is a great alternative to plastic. Always make sure to fill your jars only ¾'s full to allow for expansion in the freezer. If adding a hot food to a glass jar, allow it to cool a bit first to avoid cracking. Cool your filled jars completely in the fridge before transferring to the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Finished jars of mulberry freezer jam without sugar.

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