Blueberry Syrup

5 from 1 vote

Blueberry syrup captures the flavor of fresh or frozen blueberries in a simple 1:1 syrup, perfect over pancakes, spooned onto ice cream, or stirred into mixed drinks. There's no pectin or gel testing involved, and it cans for shelf-stable storage. The pulp you strain off makes a batch of blueberry butter, so nothing goes to waste.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Additional Time10

Total Time30

Course: syrup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberry canning recipes

Servings: servings, Makes 6 half pint jars (8 oz each)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Ingredients

For Blueberry Juice:

7 lbs blueberries fresh or frozen
2 cups water

For Blueberry Syrup:

4 cups blueberry juice extracted from berries
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice optional, fresh or bottled

Instructions

Rinse the blueberries and remove any stems or leaves. Add the berries to a large pot with the water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, crushing the berries with a potato masher as they heat. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the berries break down.
Line a fine-mesh strainer with 3 layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Pour in the cooked berries and let drip about 30 minutes, or until it stops dripping. Don't press the solids if you want a clear syrup. Reserve the pulp for blueberry butter or jam.
Measure the blueberry juice into a clean saucepan. Add the optional lemon juice and the sugar. Heat over medium-high, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
Ladle the hot syrup into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, apply lids and bands, and tighten to fingertip tight.
Lower the filled jars into a prepared water bath canner, covered by at least 1 inch of water. Process for 10 minutes for pints or half pints, adjusting for altitude. If not canning, cool and then refrigerate or freeze.
Turn off the heat and let the jars stand in the canner for 5 minutes before removing them. Cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, check seals, and store. Refrigerate any jars that didn't seal for immediate use.

Notes

Leftover Pulp: Straining off the juice leaves several cups of blueberry pulp. It makes good blueberry butter or blueberry jam, or stir it into smoothies. This is the same pairing the Ball book uses, syrup from the juice and butter from the pulp.

Using Frozen Berries: Frozen blueberries work just as well as fresh, with no need to thaw first. Just crush them with a masher as they heat.

Lemon Juice: Blueberries are high in acid, so lemon juice is optional and added for flavor, not safety. Fresh or bottled both work.

Juice Yield: Expect about 4 cups of juice from 7 pounds of blueberries, or about 5 quarts as purchased. If you get more or less, keep the sugar at a 1:1 ratio with the juice.

Storage: Properly canned and sealed jars keep at room temperature for 12 to 18 months. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a few weeks. Without canning, the syrup keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months, leaving 1 inch of headspace for freezing.

Altitude Adjustments: Processing times increase at higher elevations. At 0 to 1,000 feet, process for 10 minutes. At 1,001 to 6,000 feet, process for 15 minutes. Above 6,000 feet, process for 20 minutes.

Nutrition