How to Make Homemade Blueberry Syrup - Easily!
(NOTE: This recipe works equally well with other types of berries, such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)
Making and canning your own blueberry
syrup is
so easy. Juices from fresh or frozen blueberries are easily made into
toppings for use on ice cream and pastries. Here's how to do it, in 12
simple steps and completely illustrated.
For more information about blueberries, see Blueberry Picking Tips
For blueberry jam, click here, and for easy applesauce or apple butter directions, click on these links. And here are simple directions to make blueberry deserts: cobbler, coffee cakes / buckles and pie!
Click here for a PDF print version!
Ingredients and Equipment
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Optional stuff:
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Blueberry Syrup-making Directions
This example shows you how to make blueberry (or any berry) syrup! The yield from this recipe is about 10 eight-ounce jars (which is the same as 5 pints).
Step 1 - Pick the blueberries! (or buy them already picked)
It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality ones!
I prefer to grow my own; which is
really easy -
but that does take some space and time.
As mentioned in the Ingredients section; you may use frozen blueberries (those without syrup or added sugar); which is especially useful if you want to make some syrup in December to give away at Christmas!
At left are blueberries (in my yard, actually; they make a great hedge or landscaping bush) almost ripe! If you want to pick your own, here is a list and links to the pick your own farms.
Step 2 - How much fruit?
Syrup can be made in rather small batches - about
7 cups at a
time - it is difficult to get even heating and a good set (thickening) on
larger batches)
Step 3 - Wash the jars and lids
Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars, the water bath processing will sterilize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.
NOTE: If unsterilized jars are used, the product should be processed
for 5 more minutes. However, since this additional processing can result
in a poor set (runny syrup), it’s better to sterilized the jars.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.
Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot syrup.
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Lids: put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes; to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids. I just leave them in there, with the heat on very low, until I need them!
Step 4 -Wash the berries and sort!
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in a
colander of plain
cold water.
Then you need to pick out and and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft
or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and
gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your
fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries
get caught in your fingers.
Then just drain off the water!
Step 5 - Crush the 6.5 cups of berries
You can go wild, be a conquering Genghis Khan crushing the peasants..
watch them flee. . Well, if they're not fleeing, the berries sure do manage
to roll everywhere. You won't find them until the next time you clean
behind your refrigerator!
Anyway, to crush them, you can either do one layer at
a time in a pan or
bowl, using a potato masher..
OR
you can be lazy like me and use the slice mode on your food processor.
Either way, if you start with 10 pints of berries, you'll end up with about 6.5 cups of crushed blueberries.
Step 6 - Measure out the sweetener
You can make syrup with sugar, fruit juice or artificial sweetener, depending upon your needs.
| Type of syrup | Sweetener |
| regular | 7 cups of sugar |
| low sugar | 4.5 cups of sugar |
| lower sugar | 2 cups sugar and 2 cups of Splenda |
| no sugar | 4 cups of Splenda |
| natural | 3 cups fruit juice (grape, peach, apple or mixed) |
Step 7 - Mix the blueberries with the lemon juice and cook to a full boil
add the lemon juice and heat the blueberries in a big pot to boiling and simmer until soft (5 to 10 minutes).
Step 8 - Strain the cooked berries
Strain
the hot berries through a colander (I use a sieve that fits just inside a
large pot, or for more pulp bits, use a Foley Food Mill) and let them drain until they are cool enough to handle.
Step 9 - Strain again through cheesecloth
If
you want a more clarified (clear) syrup, strain
the collected juice through a double layer of cheesecloth OR a jelly bag.
Discard the dry pulp. The yield
of the pressed juice should be about 4 ½ to 5 cups.
Step 10 - Add the sweetener
Combine
the juice with 6 3/4 cups of sugar in a large saucepan, bring it to boiling,
and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
NOTE: To make a syrup with whole fruit pieces, save 1 or 2 cups of the fresh or frozen fruit, combine these with the sugar, and simmer as in making syrup without fruit pieces.
Step 11 - Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on
Fill them to within 1/4
to ½ inch of the top, wipe any spilled syrup off the
top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into
the boiling water canner!
This is where the jar tongs and lid lifter come in really handy!
Step 12 - Process the jars in the boiling water bath
Keep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water
boiling. In general, boil them for 10 to 15 minutes. I say "in general"
because it depends upon the jar size and altitude. You have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea
level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not sterilize the jars and
lids right before using them. See the table below:
| Recommended Process Times in a Boiling-Water Canner for Hot Pack Berry Syrups | |||
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Process times (in minutes) for altitudes of |
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| Jar size | 0-1,000 ft. | 1,001 -6,000 ft. | Over 6,000 ft |
| Half-pints | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min |
| Pints | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min |
Step 13 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or
bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can
then remove the rings if you like.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them!
Other Equipment:From left to right:
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Summary - Cost of Making Homemade Blueberry Syrup - makes 10 jars, 8 oz each** |
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| Item | Quantity | Cost in 2005 | Source | Subtotal |
| Blueberries | 1 gallon | $8.00/gallon | Pick your own | $8.00 |
| Canning jars (8 oz size), includes lids and rings | 10 jars | $7.00/dozen | WalMart, BigLots, Publix, Kroger |
$6.00 |
| Sugar | 5 cups | $2.00 | WalMart, BigLots, Publix, Kroger |
$2.00 |
| Pectin (low sugar, dry) | 1 and a quarter boxes | $2.00 per box | WalMart, BigLots, Publix, Kroger |
$2.70 |
| Total | $18.70 total or about $1.87 per 8 oz jar |
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* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars, and that reduces the cost! Just buy new lids (the rings are reusable, but the flat lids are not)! |
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Answers to Common Questions
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