Homemade Blueberry Syrup with Honey
If you have never tried homemade blueberry syrup with honey – wait no longer. Using only a few simple ingredients, you can make this delicious topping to add to morning pancakes or even that afternoon ice cream snack. One of the simplest honey recipes to create. This blueberry syrup topping is sure to please everyone.
The blueberry is one of nature’s most celebrated types of fruit. Full of nutritious antioxidants, blueberries are added to every type of dish imaginable.
Only fresh for a short time, we want to store them in the best way possible to maximum use of our crop.
And thankfully, blueberries freeze well and are available in the freezer section year-round.
Blueberries and Honey Bees
Living in upstate South Carolina, I have maintained a few blueberry bushes for years. Well before I became a beekeeper, my bushes made a small harvest each season.
Once I become a beekeeper, the pollination services of thousands of honey bees contributed greatly to the crop yield. Now, I have enough berries to eat, freeze and some to share.
Blueberry bushes love acid soil – that’s good because we have plenty of that. They are relatively easy to care for and grow.
You will find several different varieties of berry bushes. Some are even friendly to container gardening.
Consider planting a few of blueberry bushes in your bee friendly garden. Then, you can have fresh fruit every year.
Bringing in the Blueberry Harvest
My harvest begins in mid July and continues until the end of the month. By the time I have harvested most of what I want – the birds have found them. They do the cleanup.
Thankfully, even though we have a lot of birds in the area – they have never been a major problem with my berries.
If you have bushes and start to see the birds harvesting – get out there and grab those ripe blueberries pronto.
Once my freezer is stocked with frozen berries and a few jars of blueberry jam is in the pantry, I start thinking about homemade blueberry syrup.
Being a beekeeper, I appreciate the healthful properties of raw honey. Using honey in recipes is a favorite way to add extra sweetness without using processed sugar.
Homemade Blueberry Syrup with Honey
Sweet, yummy and good for you too! This Blueberry Syrup with Honey Recipe is sure to please. With a few basic ingredients you can create a delicious berry topping to add to bread, yogurt, pancakes or ice cream.
Ingredients
- 6 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup of water
- 3/4 cup of honey
Instructions
- Add blueberries and water to a medium size sauce pan over low heat. Once the contents are warm and start to bubble, gently mash the berries with a slotted spoon or potato masher. This helps release the berry juice from the fruit. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- While the berries are simmering, zest your lemon. Using a vegetable peeler and peel 6 ¾” strips of lemon peel, then juice the remaining lemon.
- Remove the blueberry mixture from heat and let strain through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Using a large spoon to gently mash any remaining fruit skins and solids. Throw out the solids.
- Pour the berry juice back into the saucepan. Add your honey, lemon zest and all of the lemon juice except for 2 tablespoons to the blue berry juice.
- Bring contents to a boil of medium heat until the mixture reaches 225 degrees F on your candy thermometer or you see it noticeable thicken. Stir constantly (takes 8-12 minutes)
- Add the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (that you reserved earlier) to the berry mixture and cook an additional minute.
- Remove the mixture from heat source, throw away the zest pieces and let the mixture cool.
- While still warm but not hot, pour your blueberry syrup with honey into clean jars. Cover and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
*Blueberry juice is delightful but can be messy. Keep a damp rag on hand to wash up spills quickly before they stain.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 130Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 1g
Conclusion:
If you want to make a larger amount and have some on hand, consider canning your recipe. These sealed jars of blueberry syrup with honey will last much longer.
Use tiny jars and you have some wonderful gifts ideas!
Beekeeper Charlotte
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