The lemon juice in particular is helpful for jelling.

You can eliminate both, though, if you want to. It's not a safety issue. Depending upon the natural acidity and ripeness of the berries, the syrup may not thicken as much. You can improve the odds by using 1/4 underripe berries because less-ripe berries have more natural pectin and higher acidity.

I know draining the berries takes forever and it's a royal pain, but if you want jewel-like clarity in your syrup, it's the only way. If you get impatient and squeeze the bag, it'll extract some of the pulp and the result will be somewhat cloudy.

Using the food mill will create a strawberry pur, not strawberry juice. It's fine if you prefer a strawberry sauce rather than a clear syrup. Lots of Forum members do just that.

I'm inserting below part of an old thread with a post by Annie. You'll see two different syrup recipes, one with pulp and one with just juice. Both have their merits. There is less waste and higher yield using the pulp recipe.

"This is a great recipe, it's Linda Lou's. I've copied it here from another thread. I used the recipe for puree and just dropped the peaches into my blender, uncooked, and pureed them that way. I wanted some little "chunks", so I chopped up a couple of peaches into small bits that didn't go into the blender and added them to the pot. I did crush and simmer the blueberry and strawberry syrups. Now I have 3 pounds of apricots on my counter and I think I'm making them into syrup tonight.

'Syrups made from blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, boysenberries, loganberries, sour cherries, and Island Belle grapes as well as mixtures of berries are of good flavor, color, and consistency (thin like maple syrup, medium thick like corn syrup, or slightly jelled). Syrups can be made with or without pectin and lemon juice. Lemon juice may improve color. Use of pectin will vary consistency.

To Prepare Fruit Puree:
Sort, stem, and wash ripe fruit or thaw frozen unsweetened fruit; crush fruit thoroughly; measure crushed fruit. Add 1 cup boiling water to each 4 cups crushed fruit and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to soften--about 5 for soft fruits...about 10 minutes for firm fruits like cherries and grapes. Press through sieve.

SYRUPS MADE WITH PUREE
4 cups puree
4 cups sugar
1/2 package or less powdered pectin (if desired)
3 or 4 Tbsp lemon juice (if desired)
1. Mix puree, sugar, pectin and lemon juice.
2. Bring to boil and stir for 2 minutes (boil till jelly thermometer reaches 218F).
3. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and pour into 1/2 pint or 1 pint jars to within 1/2 inch of top.
4. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from canner and cool.
6. Check lids, label, and store in cool, dry place.

To Prepare Fruit Juice:
Sort, stem and wash ripe fruit or thaw frozen, unsweetened fruit; crush fruit thoroughly. Place crushed fruit in dampened jelly bag and drain. For clearest juice, do not press bag to extract juice. For firm fruits, heat is needed to start flow of juice. Add about 1/2 cup water to each 3 cups crushed fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Place hot fruit in dampened jelly bag; drain.

SYRUPS MADE WITH JUICE
4 cups juice
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice (if desired)
1/2 package or less powdered pectin (if desired)
1. Mix juice, sugar, lemon juice and pectin.
2. Bring to boil and boil 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, skim off foam, and pour into 1/2 pint or 1 pint canning jars to within 1/2 inch of top.
4. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from canner and let cool.
6. Check lids, labels, and store in cool, dry place.'"

Annie

Thank you so much Annie!! I used Linda Lou's recipe tonight, and made it with the puree. I used the finest screen on the food mill, though, so the syrups actually turned out rather clear, so I was happy with that.

I did one batch (3 pints) of strawberry, and 1 batch (5 pints) of blueberry. I had a little leftover for both, so I am excited to try them both. I used just a little pectin (1/4 package maybe) in the strawberry, but the blueberry seemed a little thicker to me, so I didn't use anything in that. We'll see how it turns out.

Thanks again for your help! Now I want to collect more fruit and make some more for gifts- super easy recipe to do!

Lisa

Hi,

I was searching the forum as I am planning to go to a farm to pick blackberries...my kids LOVE blackberry syrup...and if I can make it, well, why not, right?

So...I am reading the recipes above...I will be using the fruit puree and then straining (will most likely use a cheesecloth in the seive to get all the seeds).

My question is...if I want a syrup-type consistency (for pancakes and waffles)...how much pectin should I use? I was reading above and it says the pectin changes the consistency, which I know, but I really want a more runny syrup, rather than a thick syrup (I hope this makes sense).

Any guidance would be most appreciated...and my kids will thank you! :o)

Pam
Havertown, PA

G'morning Pam,

Lucky kids! I remember my mom making us syrup when I was a kid, it was a HUGE treat.

While I can't answer your question myself, I can offer a suggestion if your syrups come out too thick that works pretty well for me. When it comes time to serve too thick a syrup, I put some in a metal measuring cup and place the cup in hot water. I stir it over the hot water until it pours off the spoon the way I like it. Not that I usually have any syrup left to worry about but, I don't put it back in the jar if I do have any left. I don't feel comfortable putting warmed syrup back in the jam jar. Visions of bacterium dance in my head. lol

Anyway, this method has worked pretty well for those times when I thought I was making jam and discovered that I was actually making thick, fruit based syrup. ;^)

good luck

The zest adds a hint of lemon oil to the recipe. In a jelly or sauce its nearly invisable once its cooked.

If you want a thinner syrup don't add any pectin. It's not necessary.

If you have a food thermometer, the jell point (unless you're high altitude) is 220 degrees. Cook your syrup to 218 or 219 for the desired consistency.

If you don't use commercial pectin you can "test" the consistency of your syrup by putting a dab on a chilled plate and putting it in the fridge for 3 minutes. (Pull the pan off the heat while you're doing this to prevent scorching or over-cooking.) Another option with a no-pectin syrup is to take the pan off when you think it's ready, let it cool, put it in the fridge overnight and see the next morning just how thick it ends up being.

If it's too thick add back a bit of water by tablespoons. Don't overdo it. If it's not thick enough, return to heat and cook a bit longer. Either way, make sure it's sufficiently hot before canning.

Leave out the lemon zest if you like. It's fine. But don't skip the lemon juice if you're not using additional pectin. And again, for some thickness, it's better if 25% of the fruit you use is underripe.

Carol

Carol,

Thanks so much for the tips!

I am headed out today to pick blackberries with my 13 year old and her friend. My 16 year old just left for Costa Rica on a 10-day Girl Scout Destination trip, but is excited that when she returns "Mom will have made blackberry syrup"!

The last time we had really good blackberry syrup was from Lurray Caverns in (I think) West Virginia...same 16 year old, only then she was 14, driving back from UVA soccer camp. Yes...we do these crazy trips and stop and buy local foods...I guess both of my kids are "foodies"...the same child is bringing back a variety of coffee beans from Costa Rica (like she did the last time she went on one of these trips) and we brew it for special occasions (Thanksgiving, Xmas, etc.)

I have purchased sytrup in the local stores around here and, although I do not eat syrup (I prefer jam on my waffles), both girls have indicated that the stuff I bought locally "did not make the cut". (haha).

Hopefully mine will be better!

Thanks again!

Pam
Havertown, PA

It's great to hear I helped. Every season's berries are different, so you might want to do a small half-batch to test and see how you like it. That way you can practice and also check the balance of berry and sweetness.

The most important thing is to avoid overcooking as you don't want that "caramelized" flavor. Fortunately, with syrup it's less of a risk than with a jam or jelly.

Ironically, without commercial pectin you can use a bit less sugar, so if your berries are dead-ripe and very flavorful you might want to cut back.

Happy preserving. Get those saucers (I usually put three so I can do multiple tests if I need to.) in the freezer to chill!

Carol