Strawberry Syrup

Ever wonder what to do with all of those strawberry tops? This recipe shows you how to take those strawberry tops and turn them into strawberry syrup.

For years, I cringed at the idea of throwing strawberry tops away every time I made my Strawberry Honey Jam. I am a very practical, no waste kinda girl and throwing away those tops was not in my make up. Then, last year I was saved!

I came across a book, So Easy to Preserve. (I highly recommend this book for all things preserving.)

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In the book, they talked about using fruit scraps for syrup…brilliant! I don’t know about you, but we eat a lot of pancakes at our house and can go through syrup fast. The idea that I could take something I was going to throw away (or toss to the chickens and ducks) and turn it into something useful, well that is my love language right there.

Now, I am going to warn you, in order to create this syrup you are going to need a good amount of sugar. I am not typically big on using a lot of sugar. However, when it comes to drizzling it on pancakes I realize we don’t use that much and can justify having a bit more sugar than usual in the syrup.

What you will need

stockpot

jars

funnel

Can I can strawberry syrup

Absolutely! I like to can several jars of syrup to last us all winter long. For my strawberry syrup, I like to use these jars from Weck. They just look like syrup jars to me and they pour much easier than a regular mason jar. And, although I am a practical person, I do love pretty things and this jar is oh so pretty to look at.

You don’t have to stop at strawberry syrup either. This recipe can be used for other scraps as well, like peach, apple, pear etc.

Ingredients for Strawberry Syrup

Strawberry tops

Water

Sugar

How to make Strawberry Syrup

Begin by taking the tops and placing them in a stockpot. Pour enough water to cover and turn the heat up until it reaches a boil.

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Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 10 or 15 minutes. This gives enough time for the strawberry tops to extract the juice.

When it has finished simmering, strain the strawberry tops from the juice. Now, add the sugar to this juice. You want a 1 to 1 ratio of water and sugar. I know it feels painful to add this much sugar, but all things in moderation right? You’re not going to be chugging the whole jar of syrup in one sitting right? Right?

Once the sugar has been added, bring the juice to a rolling boil and boil for about a minute. Then, turn it down to a simmer until it reduces by 1/4, for me this takes close to 1 hour. Test it every so often by dipping a spoon in the syrup and then letting the syrup cool. Once it has cooled, if it has the consistency of syrup, take it off the stove and begin ladling it into jars.

The only tricky thing about this syrup is waiting to take it off the burner until it looks like syrup in the pot. By that time, you have overcooked it and once it cools it will be too thick. So, make sure to check it first once the syrup has reduced significantly.

For all those visual learners out there, here is a quick video on how to make strawberry syrup.

Canning Strawberry Syrup

This can be canned like strawberry jam. Grab clean canning jars and lids and place them in a hot water bath until they are fully heated. Once hot, take the jars out carefully and begin spooning the hot syrup into the hot jars. Leave 1/2″ headspace for Weck jars and 1/4″ headspace for Ball jars.

Next, wipe the lids and rims of the jars clean from water. Now, lay the lids onto the jar and screw on the band. If using Weck jars, make sure the glass lid and rubber ring are wiped clean of water. Place the rubber ring onto the glass lid and carefully place the lid onto the syrup jar. After the lids are on, place the metal clamps on either side to secure.

Once the lids are on and the hot water bath is ready, gently place the jars in the pot. Make sure that the jars are covered with water. When the hot water bath has reached a boil, process jars for 10 minutes.

After the ten minutes are finished, lift the jars out of the canning bath and let rest on the counter. If using the standard canning lids there will be a popping sound. That sound lets you know it is sealed. I typically leave mine on the counter for at least 8 hours. I do this to make sure all have sealed. At the end of the 8 hours I check each jar for a good seal before storing them in the pantry.

And that is how you take strawberry tops and turn them into liquid gold, I mean strawberry syrup. This syrup can be used on pancakes, over ice cream or yogurt, or whatever your heart’s desire.