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This fruity syrup makes most of late-season harvest

Recipe: Very berry syrup mixes strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and more

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED SEP 8, 2024

A mix of berries, plus a few other random summer fruits, go into the fruit syrup. Debbie Arrington

Late summer fruit can seem like a collection of leftovers – the last of the berries (but not enough to make jam) and (often overripe) plums, pluots or peaches. What to do with these odds and ends past their prime?

Straining syrup over a bowl — Strain the fruit juice after the first simmer.

Mix them together into a fruity syrup that’s a sure hit on pancakes, French toast or other breakfast favorites. (Debbie's sour cream blueberry pancake recipe can be found here. ) It’s wonderful drizzled over vanilla ice cream or plain cheesecake, too.

Berries tend to dominate this syrup’s profile in both flavor and color – that’s why it’s “Very Berry” and not just “miscellaneous mixed fruit.” For this batch, I used equal amounts of strawberries and blueberries plus the last of our wild blackberries and two overripe pluots. Like blending wine varietals, that mix of fruit creates a syrup that’s deep in flavor as well as color.

Very berry syrup

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed berries and/or fruit (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, plums, pluots, peaches, etc.)

1 lemon or lime

1 cup water plus more if needed

1-1/2 cups sugar

Syrup with pancakes — The berry syrup is great with Debbie's pancakes.

Instructions:

Prepare fruit. Hull strawberries and roughly chop. Remove pits from stone fruit if using.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepot, place prepared fruit. Squeeze juice of lemon or lime over fruit; gently toss. Add 1 cup water. Over medium-high heat, bring to boil, then reduce heat. Simmer fruit until very soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain the juice using a jelly bag, fine sieve or two layers of cheesecloth. Measure juice; it will be about 1-1/2 cups. (Add a little water if needed.)

Return juice to saucepan. Add sugar, stir to dissolve. Bring mixture to boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to jar or bottle. Store covered tightly in refrigerator.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

recipe recipes berries strawberries blueberries blackberries fruit sauce breakfast cooking produce management Sacramento gardening September summer stone fruit

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

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May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power

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Garden checklist for week of Oct. 4

* October is the best month to plant perennials in our area. Add a little well-aged compost and bone meal to the planting hole, but hold off on other fertilizers until spring. Keep the transplants well-watered (but not wet) for the first month as they become settled.

* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.

* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas. Plant garlic and onions.

* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.

* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.

* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.

* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.

* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.

* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.

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