How to Make and Can Blueberry Syrup

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining me. Today we are canning blueberry syrup. I know that for most people in my part of the world, blueberry season has already come and gone, but my garden was already in full-swing when our blueberries started coming off, so I had to toss all of them in the freezer to deal with later. Today is “later.”

Blueberry syrup is an amazing treat. My kids love it on pancakes and waffles. If I make a simple yellow cake during the winter, they will top it with this simple syrup instead of asking me to ice the cake. It is sweet, delicious, and it is so easy to make. You essentially dump it in a pot, mash them once they are warmed up and soft, then add the rest of the ingredients.

See? Pretty straightforward.

Note: If you prefer not to have the seeds and skins in your syrup, or if you have a family member with a food texture issue, I would recommend using the food mill to “mash” your berries instead of the hand masher or the immersion blender. The blender makes the skins very fine, but they are still in there, and sometimes, you can feel them when you are eating. The food mill does add an extra step and 5–10 more minutes to the process, but it makes it more enjoyable for everyone to eat.

You will need the following equipment to process and can your syrup:

7–9 Half-Pint jars with bands and lids

Large boiling water bath canner

Large, non-reactive stockpot

Set of canning tools

Immersion Blender

Food Mill (optional)

And you will need the following ingredients to complete this recipe:

8 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ⅓ cups water

4 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon non-iodized salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Before cooking blueberries and preparing the syrup, wash and sterilize all jars, lids, and bands needed for the recipe. Fill your water bath canner and start bringing it to a boil on your stovetop.

Making the Syrup

1. Clean and drain blueberries, removing any stems and debris.
2. Place all of the blueberries in a stockpot with a small amount of water (This water will cook off as the blueberries cook down). Let these cook until soft enough to mash. Using a potato masher, mash the berries. (If you prefer not to have seeds and skins in your syrup, run your blueberries through a food mill to remove these and return the pulp to your pot.
3. Once they are soft and have been mashed, return them to medium heat on the stove. Add the sugar, water, salt, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Cook for two minutes.
4. Using your immersion blender (or a wooden spoon if you used the food mill in step 2), puree the syrup to thicken it. Stir in the vanilla extract, if you are using it.
5. Once your syrup has reached your desired thickness, remove the pot from the burner and set it on a hot pad or thick towel next to your prepared jars.

Canning the Syrup

1. Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace between the top of the syrup and the rim of your jar.
2. Once all the jars are filled, wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth. Place the lids on the jars and screw on the bands fingertip tight. (“Fingertip tight” used to confuse me as a new canner. Essentially, with a cloth to protect your hands, hold the jar, and just twist the ring until you meet resistance. As tight as you would put a lid on something in the refrigerator. Please don’t manhandle your jars. They have feelings, too.)
3. Using your jar lifter from your canning tools, lift the jars into the hot water bath canner. (Please make sure you use the rack that came with your canner to keep the jars off the very bottom of the pot.) Once all the jars are in the canner, the water should be at least an inch higher than the top of the jars. If it isn’t, add more of the hottest water you can get.
4. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 15 minutes. (Add 5 more minutes to this time if you are more than 1,000 feet above sea level.)
5. When the processing is done, open the lid of the canner away from your face. (Trust me, that is not a facial that you want.) Using your jar lifter, carefully remove the jars and place them on a thick towel to collect drips and to cool.
6. If all has gone well, you will begin to hear the little pings of happiness as your jars seal. Let those jars sit for about 8–10 hours with the bands on them. Once they have cooled, press the center of the lid. If they don’t flex, great! They are sealed. If they flex, you can either clean the lid, rim, and band and try again, or if it’s just one jar, put it in your refrigerator and use it first.
7. Once they have sealed and cooled, remove the bands and wipe the jars and lids to remove any of the stickiness of the syrup that may have siphoned out. Label and store your jars in a cool, dry place. The syrup is best if used within 18 months, but I have had jars stay good for three years. Refrigerate any partial jars after opening.

Enjoying your Syrup

This concludes today’s canning tutorial. I hope that you enjoyed it and found the directions easy to follow. Learning to preserve your own food is a very liberating experience. And getting to enjoy the taste of something that you preserved is a blessing. Once again, I hope that you enjoyed this recipe and the fruits that it provided. Come back soon for more canning recipes and other tutorials.

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Grindle Creek Homestead is a homestead in Eastern North Carolina. It is owned and operated by Jessica Cauthon, who has been gardening and preserving food for most of her life. She runs four Medium publications: Around the Homestead — a journal of our day-to-day life on the homestead, Stocking Up — a publication dedicated to canning, freezing, and other means of food preservation, In Stitches — a home for crochet patterns, knitting patterns, and everything crafty, and Down in the Garden — a publication devoted to growing fresh food and being a steward to the land. Grindle Creek can be found online on Payhip and on Facebook.