We love blackberries! They are easy to grow in our region and we're getting a bumper crop this year!!
The seeds though... We don't mind some, but they get annoying very quickly! My solution is to strain most of them, leaving just enough to know the recipe has home grown blackberries in it!
DIY Blackberry Syrup
11 cups blackberries (that's just how many I had)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups of sugar
More sugar to taste
First I picked all those blackberries. 11 cups!!
Next they were rinsed and just checked quickly for leaves or stems. My plan is to strain most of them anyway so a stray stem won't hurt anything. The clean berries, sugar, and water were dumped into a soup pot with a lid. I got them nice and warm over low heat for about an hour.
At this point, my Handsome Husband wanted to buy me lunch and run some errands. When your favorite fellow invites you to lunch, who can say "No"? Not me! I turned off the heat and left for a nice lunch and a bit of shopping. Upon return, the berries were perfect! Lots of juice was already swimming in the pot. I turned the stove back on low and started warming them slowly, leaving off the lid.
Using a slotted spoon, I scooped the berries from the pot and into a large bowl. A few seeds slipped through, but I am OK with that. I chose just a small handful of the prettier berries and tossed them back in the pot.
More sugar to taste
First I picked all those blackberries. 11 cups!!
Next they were rinsed and just checked quickly for leaves or stems. My plan is to strain most of them anyway so a stray stem won't hurt anything. The clean berries, sugar, and water were dumped into a soup pot with a lid. I got them nice and warm over low heat for about an hour.
At this point, my Handsome Husband wanted to buy me lunch and run some errands. When your favorite fellow invites you to lunch, who can say "No"? Not me! I turned off the heat and left for a nice lunch and a bit of shopping. Upon return, the berries were perfect! Lots of juice was already swimming in the pot. I turned the stove back on low and started warming them slowly, leaving off the lid.
Using a slotted spoon, I scooped the berries from the pot and into a large bowl. A few seeds slipped through, but I am OK with that. I chose just a small handful of the prettier berries and tossed them back in the pot.
The rest were supposed to go thru my juicer. It only took a few minutes and I smelled smoke. How curious! Then the juicer began shooting out little sparks!
What the WHA!?!?
Welcome to my world! The juicer was quickly unplugged and set outside. Once the smoke settled, it was tossed into the trash.
I used a strainer and a serving spoon to juice the rest of the blackberries. It really didn't take long. All that juice without seeds was added back into the soup pot. I cranked the temperature up to medium and let the it simmer until thickened.
What the WHA!?!?
Welcome to my world! The juicer was quickly unplugged and set outside. Once the smoke settled, it was tossed into the trash.
I used a strainer and a serving spoon to juice the rest of the blackberries. It really didn't take long. All that juice without seeds was added back into the soup pot. I cranked the temperature up to medium and let the it simmer until thickened.
Tasting it is important. Depending on how ripe the berries are, you may or may not need a bit more sweetness. Add some sugar if you like. We don't care for deserts that are overly sweet. At this point, I added a little sugar at a time until we were happy with the flavor. I think I added about 1/3 cup.
All together, my recipe used just under 2 cups of sugar for 11 cups of raw blackberries.
When the syrup was as thick as I wanted, I deliberately scooped a few blackberries into each clean, sterilized jar. They are really quite beautiful and a few seeds are barely noticed. Then I ladled the rest of the juice into the jars. Once completely cooled, all but one jar was tucked into the freezer.
All together, my recipe used just under 2 cups of sugar for 11 cups of raw blackberries.
When the syrup was as thick as I wanted, I deliberately scooped a few blackberries into each clean, sterilized jar. They are really quite beautiful and a few seeds are barely noticed. Then I ladled the rest of the juice into the jars. Once completely cooled, all but one jar was tucked into the freezer.
I can't wait to tell you what happens next!
What would you do with homemade blackberry syrup?
;-) -Marci
Brings back memories going blackberry picking!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I don't like the seeds but love blackberries.
ReplyDeleteOur blackberries won't be ripe until late July, but it looks like our area will have a bumper crop. Hope they aren't too early for our Blackberry Festival in late August. I canned the last batch in 2010, guess I'm due this year to make jam and put up some whole fruits. - Margy
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter asked me to take her to a farm, maybe I should look for a u-pick blackberry farm. One should always have a pound cake on the counter!
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter asked me to take her to a farm. Maybe I should find a u-pick blackberry farm. Remember my mom cooking blackberries and squeezing them through cheesecloth when making cobbler.
ReplyDelete