We are having a bumper crop of blueberries this year.
Whether it's because of the weather, the fact that I was too lazy to prune the bushes too hard last winter or some other unknown factor, we have so many to harvest that we can't keep up with the picking. They are exceptionally sweet this year too. Our freezer was empty of berries so we're very glad to get them and it's such a blessing to wander around the front yard every morning grazing on berries for breakfast. We just don't get tired of those fresh anti-oxidants.
When I met up with my daughter, Katie, in Oklahoma, she brought me a load of her home-produced maple syrup. My son-in-law gathers the sap in February and they cook it down in evaporators with their Amish neighbors. It's great to have a ready supply of this quality, natural, mineral rich sugar. I love it in my morning coffee.
With such an abundance of blueberries it's finally time to make some more blueberry syrup. I don't like to use white sugar to make the syrup so was happy to find a recipe for blueberry maple syrup. It' so simple and straightforward and results in a delicious pancake syrup.
To make about two cups of syrup, combine in a pot: 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, 1/4 cup water and 2 or 3 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Heat and simmer for five minutes until berries are soft.
As you can see I made a big pot. I used twelve cups of berries and a whole quart of pure maple syrup.
When the berries are soft, strain the berries and juices through a fine mesh strainer or a food mill. Press the berries to extract as much of the berry goodness as possible. Discard the solids in the compost bucket for the chickens.
Since I made a large pot I reheated the syrup and sealed it in pint jars.
When I brought out the blueberry syrup for Sunday morning pancakes, nearly a whole jar disappeared during the meal. That means I'll need to repeat this project about seven more times to have enough to last until the blueberry harvest next summer. Which means I'll need more maple syrup.
What a great Christmas gift home-made blueberry syrup would make too!
