Uses of the French Mulberry

I love the early fall in Louisiana because French mulberries (beauty berries) are plentiful in the woods and along bayous around here, especially at our  family camp, La Roue qui Pend (The Hanging Wheel) on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion, where I gathered three grocery bags full yesterday.

I need three Winn-Dixie grocery bags full of French mulberries RIGHT NOW to the VIP!

A few years ago, I heard that you could soak the berries in water in the ice box for a "refreshing drink". So I did that, and it is a nice and hebal drink. I had also read somewhere that people put the leaves under their hats to keep the maringouins away, so I tried crushing the leaves up and rubbing them on. That works well in a pinch.  Then I began to make homemade insect repellant with the leaves and berries by soaking them in vodka for a month or two. I also add some crushed citronella leaves and maybe a few drops of lavender or lemongrass oil. 

 
I have been harvesting these berries this year and drying them in the window, giving them out to friends. I add them to cereal, or eat them alone. I read that the berries or a tea from the root or bark is good for stomach upset, and we use the dried berries like that, too.
 

Drying French mulberries

When picking the berries to dry them I wondered if they could be used in jellies. Don't you know, the next day I saw an article about a family that makes jelly and insect repellant from them.

Beauty Berry Jelly

(approximate, fond culotte style)

8 cups French mulberries, cover with water, with a little extra. (5 cups?)

Boil for 20 minutes until they lose their color.

Remove berries, compost.

Add one pack of Sure-Gel( two?), five cups of sugar, and half cup of lemon juice to the infusion liquid.

Boil until it forms a foam on the top, skim for clarity. Check the beautiful color!

Strain with cheesecloth (not necessary, but nice to get the punaises and spiders that may be still floating...)

Pour in sterilized jars and follow canning instructions.

Follow these Fond Culotte methods to a T, or your jelly may not "jel", like mine! I think I put too much water and not enough lemon juice... so I may have gotten a bunch of perfectly sealed French mulberry syrup...

In fact, forget the fond culotte method, I would just click here.

French mulberry jelly

La Roue Qui Pend 

picking French mulberries at the camp

Bayou Vermilion? check mark

French Mulberry patch at the camp.