Fruit Syrups

Fruit Syrups   This recipe came from Rosa Smith, Extension Home Economist, University of Idaho Cooperative Extension Service, Payette, Idaho.  I got this recipe from the state fair in 2005 or 2006.

Basic Recipe for Making Syrup

1 ¼ cups of prepared juice or crushed fruit

1 ¾ cups sugar

Combine juice and sugar in a large, heavy kettle.  Bring to a rolling boil and boil for one minute.  Count the time after the mixture comes to a boil that cannot be stirred down.  Remove from heat and skim off any foam.  Pour into clean, hot ½ pint or pint canning jars.   Adjust the lids according to the manufactures direction.  Place in hot water bath.  Be sure the level of water covers the top of the jars by at least one inch.  Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.  Remove from water bath and cool.  Check to see that the jars are sealed.  Label and store on a cool, dark shelf.  No refrigeration is needed if the seal is not broken.  Syrup should be stored in the refrigerator after it is opened.

Too Thick or Too Thin?

These directions make a mildly tart and fairly thin syrup.  If a more tart syrup is desired add one tablespoon of lemon juice to the basic recipe.  For a thicker, but not sweeter syrup use 1 ½ cups sugar and ¼ cup white corn syrup in place of the 1 ¾ cups sugar called for in the recipe.  If desired, both the lemon juice and corn syrup may be used.

It is difficult to give foolproof directions for making fruit syrups at home.  The pectin, acid, and sugar content of fruit varies with the kind of fruit and the season.   These directions will give satisfactory results under mist conditions.  Make a test batch and allow it to cool thoroughly before testing for thickness.  If the syrup is too thick, allow the rest of the prepared juice to stand in the refrigerator overnight.  Some of the pectin will be destroyed and the syrup made from this juice will be thinner.  If too thin, add corn syrup to the recipe.

NOTE:  Payette, Idaho is 2100 ft. elev.  My elevation is 4500 ft.  I processed my syrups for the same10 minutes time that the recipe called for and it seems to be fine.

NOTE.  I did not find any of the syrups I made to be too thick.  They were all very thin even using the 1 ½ cups of sugar and ¼ cup of corn syrup.  I have made cherry, blueberry, and strawberry.  I used a steam juicer to get the juice out of the fruit.  I did grind some of the blueberries in the blender and make it into syrup that way too.  It is thick and has a grainy texture.  Everyone likes it though.

Here are some creations my son-in-law, Kurtis, and I tried.  All were good.  We did find that the banana is very thick and  did not keep well after opening.  It went moldy fast.

Banana Syrup #1   Makes 5 cups

3 C bananas pureed

2 Tbsp lemon juice, added to the bananas when pureeing to keep them from turning brown

1 C corn syrup

2 ½ C sugar

Cook using the same directions as above.

Banana Syrup #2   Makes 5 cups

3 cups bananas pureed

2 Tbsp lemon juice, added to the bananas when pureeing to keep them from turning brown

1/2 C corn syrup

3 C sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Cook using the same directions as above.

Banana Syrup #3   Makes 4 cups  (Kurtis’s favorite)

3 cups bananas pureed

2 Tbsp lemon juice, added to the bananas when pureeing to keep them from turning brown

1/2 C corn syrup

3 C brown sugar, not packed

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

Cook using the same directions as above.

Pear Syrup   Makes 4 ½ cups

8 cups very ripe pears, pureed

5 cups sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon (slightly rounded tsp)

½ tsp nutmeg

Cook using the same directions as above.

NOTE:  I actually used 5 ½ cups of sugar and it tasted fine, but as it set it seemed to get too sweet.

Extra thick Apple Syrup   Makes 6 ½ pints.  We wanted extra thick syrup to put on our German Apple Pancakes.

8 cups apple homemade none chunky applesauce

4 cups unsweetened apple juice

2 ½ cups brown sugar, packed

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

¼ C Ultra Gel (Carnet Foods product)

Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly.  Follow processing directions above.