preserving homemade syrup
TJ
I'm an interloper from r.f.c, and I've not gotten a rather important
question answered there, and, as I'm collecting my second gallon of
boysenberry juice from the steam-juicer as I type, time is of the
essence!
I'd like to turn this juice into boysenberry syrup. In the past, I've
done about a quart at a time, mixing the strong juice one to one with
sugar and simmering it for 5 minutes. This has given me a product that
would put Smuckers to shame. However, I've never kept it around longer
than a month or so.
I'm looking for a more experianced person's advice on how best to keep
this stuff, and how long it might stay 'good'. If the vote is that the
syrup will go off in the fridge in a couple of months, I could freeze
either the syrup OR the juice...making the syrup later in the season.
In summary:
How long will syrup stay good in the fridge
How does one prolong it's life (special processing, etc?)
Can one freeze the sryup sucessfully
My books (Preserving Today and Stocking Up) mention nada about syrup,
nor does the Joy of Cooking, and it took quite a hunt for this
jam-and-jelly novice to even find out if sryup could be made at home!
TIA
tj
dkmaas
juice! Anyway, ...
> How long will syrup stay good in the fridge I've successfully kept my strawberry & raspberry & blueberry
syrups in the fridge for months at a time. It seems to have a shelf life
(at least a cold shelf life) similar to that of the commercial syrups.
> How does one prolong it's life (special processing, etc?) I make my syrups using the Ball blue book recipe for strawberry
syrup, substituting various fruits & adjusting for what I know about
their sweetness/juiciness. I look for about 4 cups of juice to start
with. If you don't have the blue book, you should get one for many fun
recipes. I will send you the syrup recipe if you let me know you need it.
> Can one freeze the sryup sucessfully Never tried. I always can my syrups according to recipe
mentioned above. They have never lasted more than a year for me & my
family. We are gluttons for the stuff!
Hope this helps - good luck!
Kitty Maas>
Melba's Jammin'
Here's the poop I found in an old Farm Journal book about syrups:
"Western Berry Syrup
<recommends any berries available>
1-1/4 cups prepared berry juice
1-3/4 cups sugar
Combine juice and sugar in a large heavy kettle. Bring to a full rolling
boil; boil 1 minute. Count the time after the mixture comes to a boil
that you cannot stir down. Remove from heat and skim off foam. Don't
boil too long or the syrup may jell.
Pour into clean, hot jars. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath
(212 deg F) 10 minutes.
Remove jars from canner and let cool.
Store in a cool, *dark* place. If you prefer, leave head space in the
jars and freeze instead of processing in BWB. Once syrup is opened, keep
in refrigerator. If the syrup jells when you open it, stir vigorously or
place the jar in a pan of warm water, heat until jell dissolves.
Note: For a more tart syrup, add 1 tbsp lemon juice. For a thicker syrup,
use -1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup light corn syrup instead of 1-3/4 cups
sugar."
Despite the age of this recipe, that processing time is concurrent (right
word?) with times in more recent publications.
If 1:1 gives you an outcome you love, jar it and process as above.
That'll be your surest way to avoid mold over the long term. Dunno
exactly how long it'll stay mold-free if you refrigerate it without
sealing. If you don't want to bother with the canning process, freeze it.
It's getting late; let me know if something wasn't clear.
Er-r, um, "syrup" is what we call our jellies that don't jell. We try to
put on a happy face
when we offer it. (and lousy jam becomes "delicious topping")
Also, I have faked my way through plum syrup and apricot syrup
(ooooeeee--a byproduct of my apricot escapades) by increasing both the
amount of juice and sugar in a pectin-added jelly recipe -- the pectin
gives it a nice 'body' without a long reduction-boil.
-Barb
In article <6pb4op$81s$1...@news-1.news.gte.net>, tsi...@gte.net wrote:
>Hello r.f.p.
>I'm an interloper from r.f.c, and I've not gotten a rather important
>question answered there, and, as I'm collecting my second gallon of
>boysenberry juice from the steam-juicer as I type, time is of the
>essence!
>I'd like to turn this juice into boysenberry syrup. In the past, I've
>done about a quart at a time, mixing the strong juice one to one with
>sugar and simmering it for 5 minutes. This has given me a product that
>would put Smuckers to shame. However, I've never kept it around longer
>than a month or so.
>
>I'm looking for a more experianced person's advice on how best to keep
>this stuff, and how long it might stay 'good'. If the vote is that the
>syrup will go off in the fridge in a couple of months, I could freeze
>either the syrup OR the juice...making the syrup later in the season.
>In summary:
>How long will syrup stay good in the fridge
>How does one prolong it's life (special processing, etc?)
>Can one freeze the sryup sucessfully
>
>My books (Preserving Today and Stocking Up) mention nada about syrup,
>nor does the Joy of Cooking, and it took quite a hunt for this
>jam-and-jelly novice to even find out if sryup could be made at home!
>TIA
>tj
--
Melba's Jammin'
little slicker looking, more befitting of a fine wine, er, syrup? Source
for such a container?
-Barb
--
dkmaas
brunch/etc I'll pour it into a nice container. Otherwise, dress up the
jar for gifts with quilt batting, labels like "from the kitchen of...."
etc.
Kitty