The juice from fresh (or frozen) strawberries can be made into this sweet, sticky syrup - perfect for topping cheesecake, crepes, ice cream, pancakes, pastries and waffles. Delicious!
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Ingredients
for STRAWBERRY SYRUP
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Yield: around 9 cups
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Strawberry Juice*
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5 cups
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Lemon Juice
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2 tablespoons
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White Sugar
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6 cups
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*To make
strawberry juice, you will need around 2kg (4 1/2 pounds) of strawberries
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METHOD:
1. DAY 1: Make strawberry juice: Wash, hull and finely dice or puree strawberries. Measure strawberries and 1/2 cup of water into a large pan. Simmer strawberries (covered) for around 15 minutes or until very soft. Gently strain through damp cloth (i.e. jelly bag or several layers of finely woven cheesecloth/muslin) and store juice overnight in the refrigerator. Do not squeeze the cloth: this will result in cloudy juice. Keep juice refrigerated.
TIP: Skip this simmering fruit step and use a steam juicer or an electric juicer instead, adjusting the volume of strawberries if required as some juicing methods will make more/less strawberry juice.
2. DAY 2: Clean jars (or bottles) and equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.
3. Prepare jars (if they require pre-heating, i.e. twist top jars) in a pot lined with a cloth. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill.
4. Place lids into a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
5. Measure 5 cups of strawberry juice into a pan, freezing any excess juice. Add lemon juice and sugar. Whisk well. Heat on medium to high, stirring occasionally while the sugar dissolves. Once sugar has dissolved, simmer the strawberry syrup for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off and skim foam/bubbles from the surface (if any).
6. Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e. tea towel. Pour the hot strawberry syrup into the hot jars to 0.5cm (1/4 inch) from the rim.
TIP: use a jug and jar funnel to fill jars.
7. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any syrup residue.
8. Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.
9. Return jars of syrup into the pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a full boil.
10. Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e. wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.
11. The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating clearly.
12. Store jars of strawberry syrup in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e. pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal failure, do not consume).
13. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 6-8 weeks.
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Processing Time for STRAWBERRY SYRUP
in a Boiling Water Canner
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Jar
Size
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Altitude
≤ 1,000 feet
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Altitude
1,001 -
3,000 feet
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Altitude
3,001 -
6,000 feet
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Altitude
≥ 6,000 feet
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Hot Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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10
minutes
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15 minutes
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15 minutes
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20 minutes
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NOTES:
o Choose good quality, ripe strawberries for this recipe;
o You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice in this recipe;
o You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for this recipe;
o This batch can be halved to make a smaller quantity.
o Syrup is usually thin/runny – for a thicker sauce-like syrup, add cornflour or cornstarch when opening the jar. Simply whisk 1 tablespoon cornflour (or cornstarch) to 1 cup room temperature (or chilled) strawberry syrup. Whisk well then heat on medium until syrup is bubbling and thickened to your liking. Do not add cornflour to syrup when bottling.
Author: Megan Radaich
Image credit: Megan Radaich
Publication: Strawberry Preserving Guide, available HERE