This blueberry syrup was inspired by… living!
This blueberry syrup was inspired by surprise sunny afternoons in Washington state. This sweet syrup was inspired by cart wheels in the grass… when you think you might be too old for cartwheels anywhere. It’s inspired by neighbor horses, nephew cats, and ferry boat rides. It is inspired by a Sunday afternoon visit to Vashon Island to see Gluten-free Girl and the Chef… we shared a meal, fed a horse, and entertained each other by dancing the the grass like stone-cold maniacs. It felt just like sweet sweet summer.
Charles, you’re a fine gentleman. Thank you for taking such good care of my little sister in Seattle.
Alone on a ferry.
Feels good and smells like going places.
Boat ropes.
I want this to be jewelry.
Vashon is green and romantic.
I feels like a lot of frogs and artists live here.
Vashon has all the room in the world for shed-side conversations and cartwheels.
You know you’re among your people when this happens…
… and when the beauty of simple things is amplified…
… and you’re welcomed with eggs, peas, and goat cheese.
… and you can go back for a second helping without even asking.
In Vashon, Shauna and Danny had a lovely jar of rose colored rhubarb syrup made for their homemade sodas. That seemed like just the ticket.
A syrup that’s simple, versatile and super summery.
I used frozen blueberries, because they’re easy and cost effective. I paired the frozen berries with filtered water, a good squeeze of lemon, and a small handful of mint leaves.
After a good boiling, a good straining, and another good boiling… this syrup is reduced from 3 cups to 2 cups.
It’s maple and blueberry sweet.
This syrup is wonderful paired with ice cold soda water. Add a splash of almond milk for a vegan Italian Soda.
Blueberry syrup is also bonkers delicious poured over vanilla ice cream.
And if you’re thinking that this syrup is perfect on pancakes… you’re 100% correct.
It’s beautiful out in the world… I hope you’re out in it, living well!
Maple Blueberry Syrup
makes 2 cups
3 cups water
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen blueberries, thawed of still frozen is fine.
juice of half a lemon
small handful of fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup maple syrup
soda water
In a saucepan, combine water, frozen blueberries, lemon juice (and why not toss in the entire half of lemon), mint leaves, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Using a spatula, press the blueberries into the strainer, releasing any juices. Return the warm, strained liquid to the saucepan. Bring to a boil once again, reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until syrup is reduced to 2 cups of liquid.
Place in a jar and allow to cool in the refrigerator.
To make blueberry soda, add a few tablespoons of blueberry syrup to iced soda water. Enjoy!
Miriam
Do you know if you could make this with other fruits, like peaches, for example? I’ve made a strawberry syrup using the same technique (except flavored with sugar) and it was divine.
Christine
brilliant! I have some brewing at this moment, thank you for sharing.. how long would you say this last in the fridge? Could you leave it on counter you think? thanks!!
Beth C.
I’m wondering if this would be ok to can? Any thoughts from anyone?
joythebaker
I’m not sure. Canning is a whole thing that I’m not really all that knowledgable on. I’m not really equipped to answer this. The sugar in the syrup should preserve it for a long while without canning. But I suggest you dig a little deeper, i.e. Google.