Homemade Blueberry Syrup
Blueberry Syrup is a wonderful concoction that has many purposes. At first, you might wonder why you would want to discard the blueberry pulp and only use the juice? This method a way to use up berries that are just about spent and still put food on the table.
Uses
Blueberry syrup can be added to maple syrup to bring a new flavor to the table. Maple syrup can be pricey, and will a house full of boys they can empty a sixteen dollar jug in one pancake sitting. When you add syrups to the maple syrup it can make it go twice as far. This works for my tight teenage-feeding budget.
Blueberry Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 cups of blueberries or fruit of your choice
- 1 cup sugar
- bowl
- sieve
- spatula
- 3 quart freezer bags
- 1 cup measuring cup
Instructions
- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly so you don't burn the sugar. After the boil let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool to the point of not burning yourself when you work with it. Place the sieve over the bowl and pour the mixture into the sieve. Using a spatula mash the mixture until no more juice comes out. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve. A lot of juice will collect there.
- Pour 2/3 cup of syrup into 2 bags. Label them. Lay flat in the freezer.
- Put the blueberry syrup discard into the third bag to freeze. This can be used in quick bread, added to pancake batter, homemade ice cream or smoothies.
Instructions
This recipe can be doubled or tripled if you are wanting to do large batch preservation. There are two methods of making the syrup last a long time, canning and freezing. Our video walks you through freezing the portioned syrups for later use.
- 2 cups of blueberries (or fruit of your choice)
- 1 cup sugar
- bowl
- sieve
- spatula
- quart freezer bags (3)
- measuring cup
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly so you don’t burn the sugar. After the boil let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Let the mixture cool to the point of not burning yourself when you work with it. Place the sieve over the bowl and pour the mixture into the sieve. Using a spatula mash the mixture until no more juice comes out. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve. A lot of juice will collect there.
Pour 2/3 cup of syrup into 2 bags. Label them. Lay flat in the freezer.
Put the blueberry syrup discard into the third bag to freeze. This can be used in quick bread, added to pancake batter, homemade ice cream or smoothies.
Homemade Tips
In the video, I share that I use this blueberry syrup for lemonade to give it a special look and flavor. If you are short on time with visitors coming, mix up the powdered stuff and pour in the syrup, homemade! You could even throw in the discard to have blueberry bits floating around.
The syrup makes fabulous ice cream or frozen yogurt and you are now prepared with some already made ahead. If you run into a sale and have a pile of blueberries this is one option.
Pie Filling
Blueberry pie filling can also be prepared with this recipe. Do the same procedure except add the following.
- When the blueberry/sugar mixture comes to a boil, add a cornstarch slurry.
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Mix thoroughly and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Pour mixture into preferred bowl or jar and refrigerate until set.
- Use within a week or freeze.
Large batches of pie filling can be canned using the water-bath method.
About the Author
Holly is an author, storyteller, and Florida Master Naturalist who loves to share heritage skills taught to her by her grandmothers. Florida has been her family home for generations and preserving that lifestyle for the future is her goal. Holly enjoys coming alongside women to share skills and help them discover their own natural gifts and talents.