Thick with sugar and the sweetest of blackberries, this Blackberry Lemon Thyme Syrup is spiked with lemon juice and thyme then canned in a boiling water bath to keep for months. Even mid-winter, you’ll enjoy the sunshine of fresh blackberries.
This week’s Sunday Supper is all about saving the summer harvest so I couldn’t resist telling you all about a new cookbook I love, Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them by Rebecca Lindamood. We also have one copy to give away so make sure to enter the lucky draw by leaving a comment and clicking on the rafflecopter below.
It was my distinct pleasure to speak with the author last week, from her upstate New York home – in her words – in the middle of nowhere. Originally from Michigan, Rebecca grew up in the food business, starting in her parents’ commercial camp kitchen as a pot washer, gradually rising in the ranks to cook. Her next few jobs were all in professional kitchens. In fact, she says, because of her background, food safety is drilled into every single cell of her brain. As a homeschooling mother of five, she is dedicated to learning the science behind every step of cooking and canning, why something works or doesn’t work.
In the first section of Not Your Mama’s Canning Book, Canning 101, Rebecca lays out a few food safety ground rules. Always follow the instructions and either boil or pressure can, as the recipe instructs. And to make sure you also process the appropriate length of time, for goodness sake, use a timer. Equally as important, don’t experiment with the proportions of ingredients in the recipes. The proper amount of acid is crucial to whether you will end up with a safe product or one that might be harboring microbes. And nobody wants that!
A warning that surprised me was the admonition not to tip the jars to pour water off the lids when you are removing them from the canning pot. Apparently that standing water and its gradual evaporation is an integral part of the sealing process. And there are a few more. You’ll want to read this part of the book thoroughly before moving on to the wonderful canning recipes.
So why is this unlike your mama’s canning book? It’s the final section. Every canned good has at least one recipe to help you use what you’ve put by. After all, asserts Rebecca, a bunch of pretty jars on the pantry shelf is pointless if you don’t know how to use them.
I must admit that canning too much of something that we end up not using is a particular fault of mine so my favorite of Rebecca’s tips is to keep a canning diary. Her own lists how many jars she makes of what and then what they are used for. Take her salsa, for instance. Her diary would say, 100 jars salsa. (No kidding! She puts up 100 jars of salsa – and uses them all!) X number used in slow cooker with pork roast, x number with beef, x number with chicken thighs. And then, of course, Rebecca grins at this admission, an even greater number just eaten with chips. Over the years, she says, keeping the diary has made her become an adult in her canning, helping her know and therefore can what her family really eats, resulting in less waste.
As we said our goodbyes, I asked Rebecca if she had anything to add, what she most wants readers to get from her canning cookbook.
I hope that what I’ve provided here is an inspiration to people at every level, whether it’s someone who has never canned before or it’s someone who’s been canning their whole life because I really, really believe that there’s a place in canning for everybody, at every level. I want to see people having that pride when they bring that jar of something they’ve made themselves out. As they pass it along, somebody asks, ‘Where’d you get this?’ And they can say, I made it myself! Nothing feels better than that!
– Rebecca Lindamood, author of Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Of course, the recipe I’m sharing today comes from Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them. This blackberry lemon thyme syrup is perfect over ice cream, pancakes or waffles but, as suggested, I chose to pour it over some ice and top up with soda water. This also makes a mighty fine cocktail with the addition of a measure of vodka. I mean, you know, probably.
- 2 pounds (1 kg) of blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 pounds (907g) of granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Place a medium sized saucepan over low heat and add the blackberries.
- Stir gently every minute or so until the blackberries begin to release some juice.
- Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Stir just frequently enough, about every 5 minutes, to keep anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Let everything heat gently together until softly simmering, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan
- from the heat and squash the contents with a potato masher to release more juices.
- Place a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth over a bowl.
- Ladle the blackberry syrup into the sieve one ladleful at a time until all of the blackberries are in the sieve.
- Let it drip gently, without pressing or pushing on the blackberry solids, for about 1 hour, or until it stops dripping.
- If you prefer, you can move the whole set-up into the refrigerator to keep dripping overnight.
- Return the syrup to a clean saucepan and place over medium-high heat to bring to a boil.
- As soon as it reaches a boil, use a ladle to add the syrup into half-pint (8 ounce) or pint (475 ml) jars, leaving ¼ inch (6 mm) of headspace.
- Moisten a paper towel with vinegar and wipe the rims of the jars clean.
- Place lids on the jars and fasten appropriately, whether it’s turning a ring to fingertip tightness or fixing clamps in place.
- Use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a canner full of boiling water that covers the jars by 2 inches (5 cm).
- Put the lid of the canner in place, return the water to a boil and process for 10 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the jars to a towel-lined counter or wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, preferably overnight, before removing any rings, wiping the jars clean and labeling.
- Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Once opened, the syrup will be good for up to 3 weeks when stored in the refrigerator.
• To make a homemade soft drink, fill a 12- or 16-ounce (350- to 475-ml) glass one-third of the way with ice cubes or crushed ice. Pour 2 tablespoons to ¼ of a cup (30 to 59 ml) of syrup over the ice and top off with well-chilled seltzer water, soda water or club soda.
Check out all the fabulous recipes our Sunday Supper tastemakers are sharing this week to save the summer harvest. And make sure you scroll on down to enter the rafflecopter for your chance to win a copy of Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them. Many thanks to today’s host Caroline of Caroline’s Cooking and our event manager Renee of Renee’s Kitchen Adventures.
Condiments
- Blackberry Lemon Thyme Syrup by Sunday Supper Movement
- Brinjal pickle (Indian eggplant relish/aubergine chutney) by Caroline’s Cooking
- Freezer Mixed Berry Puree by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Ginger Fig Jam by Palatable Pastime
- Herbed Salsa by What Smells So Good?
- Homemade Giardiniera by Curious Cuisiniere
- Homemade Sriracha by Monica’s Table
- Hot Pepper Oil by Feeding Big and more
- Mediterranean Chutney by Wholistic Woman
- Nanny’s 7-Day Sweet Pickles by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Nectarine Kumquat Habanero Chutney by Food Lust People Love
- No Pectin Mixed Berry Jam by My Imperfect Kitchen
- Peach Butter by Redhead Baker
- Pear Ginger Jam by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Simple Basil Butter by Momma’s Meals
- Spicy Mango Jam by Family Foodie
- Stove Top Roasted Garlic by Cricket’s Confections
- Tomato and Chili Pepper Jam by Delaware Girl Eats
Main dishes
- Grilled Peach and Burrata Pizza by An Appealing Plan
- Oven Roasted Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Tomato-Zucchini Pesto Flatbread with Chevre and Balsamic Drizzle by The Weekend Gourmet
Sides
- Garden Rice by Basic N Delicious
- Pickled Asian Vegetables by A Mind Full Mom
Snacks
- Homemade Fruit Leather by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apple Sauce by Books n’ Cooks
Dessert
- Chocolate Zucchini Banana Muffins by The Bitter Side of Sweet
- Drunken Peaches by Nosh My Way
- Freeze and Bake Blueberry Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- How to Freeze Peaches and Make Peach Sauce by The Freshman Cook
- How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread by Asian In America
- Mom’s Zucchini Bread by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Peach Yogurt Popsicles by Food Done Light
- Summer Fruit Crisp by Pies and Plots
- Summer Fruit Popsicles by Powered By BLING
Beverage
- Berry Shrubs + A Cocktail by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
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Special thanks to Page Street Publishing for sponsoring the giveaway of one copy of Rebecca Lindamood’s Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them and for permission to share this recipe. Links to the cookbook are affiliate links. Leave a comment – What’s your favorite method for saving the summer harvest? – and click on the rafflecopter to enter!
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