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Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Secret to Simple Living? Simple Syrup

oh yeah, simple syrup is the answer to all life's question. Go ahead try it.

Why is the sky blue?

Simple Syrup.

What is photosynthesis?

Simple syrup.

I tell ya, it works.

Simple syrup is your basis's of so many sauces and beverages. And a great thing to have on your resume. If you watch programs like top chef, you are guaranteed to hear that said once per episode, "I'm making a simple syrup, blah blah blah." And now you too can create the answer to all life's question. Simply send me $19.99 and I'll... no, that's not right.

Yesterday I had 2 lbs of strawberries to preserve. I could have made jams or jellies, but then I remembered simple syrup, that and the price of molasses went up by $2 the other day, and we love our pancakes around here. I decided to make a basic multipurpose strawberry syrup. This is great to pour concentrated on your hot breads, or mix it half and half with soda water to make your own pop (yes, here is Kansas we say pop, not soda or soda pop).

STRAWBERRY

You have to start with a simple syrup.

Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of white sugar for five minutes. Stir occasionally.

If you want to can this to keep some on hand at all times, process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

The strawberry syrup is also simple. Puree your strawberries and add 1 cup water to every 2 cups of puree. Once that is done add 2 cups of simple syrup to every 2 cups of strawberry juice. Boil gently for 15 minutes then bottle.

Now let's see who tells me what kind of bottle the syrup is in.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a crown royal bottle... I use them making homemade kahlua and vanilla extract all the time... Do I get a prize (like a bottle of syrup to sample) ;)

Anonymous said...

Crown Royal bottle?

lisa said...

Sounds yummy! I was gonna guess Canadian Mist bottle...heh...wrong!

Anonymous said...

I feel so .... thrifty? smug? smart? homestead-y? ... because I have a jar of simple syrup in my fridge as I type this!

Of course, my bottle was made by my friend Jen one night when she wanted to make Long Island Iced Teas and that's what the Bar Bible said to do, but still. I have it :)

And I was sure it was a booze bottle, but clearly I don't Know My Booze as well as kathie and mojosmom.

Amanda said...

crown royal...crown royal!!!!

Phelan said...

LUSHES!!! :D

Kathie, yep Crown Royal. No sample syrup this round as they are not "canned". Maybe next time.

MJM, you are correct.

Lisa. Crown Royal is the answer.

Ant, you can add that simple syrup to all kids of drinks. It keeps you from getting that layer of sugar on the bottom of your glass.

Amanda, yes!

Alex said...

Not only is simple syrup simple to make, but as any southern mom knows THIS is what makes sweet tea sweet.

Gina said...

We say "pop" here in Indiana too! I remember the weird stares I got when I moved to Arizona and ordered a "pop" instead of "soda" or "coke" (with a small c).

I never thought to add the syrup to fizzy water for pop. Great idea!

Country Girl said...

Crown Royal I'd say. What do you mix the simple syrup with to make "pop"?

dig this chick said...

we say pop in Montana too.

Phelan said...

ALex, mmm...sweet tea.

Gina, poppoppop. I remember getting odd looks ordering pop in dinners in different states, then having to go through a list of different words to find the right one.

Country girl, Crown Royal is correct. You mix the simple syrup with a fruit juice then to soda water and ice. (or as gina said fizzy water) You can get soda water in any grocery store, usually with the mixers.

dig this chick, it's good to know that I can say pop there and not get one of those, you're a moron, looks.

anajz said...

This sounds delicious! The other day I was thinking about how to keep some simple syrup in the fridge, but canning it sounds like an even better idea. Thanks!
~anajz~

Robbyn said...

Try saying Simple Syrup Simple Syrup over and over after polishing off the remains of the bottle...y'know..so you can use it for the syrup lol. Sounds like a possible way to kill a hot August Kansas day? (I'll suggest it to Jack...it gets blamed hot down here in Florida, too)

Amanda said...

phelan,
i made this strawberry syrup over the weekend when i had some organic berries about to go...it is amazing!
i however put mine in a bombay saphire bottle and i must admit we are already 1/3 through it. it is awesome on vanilla frozen yogurt...and i used it to make a strawberry snack cake.
made it in blueberry yesterday!
thanks for the recipe!!!

Phelan said...

That's great Amanda. And thank you. You are the first person to come back and tell me that you tried one of my suggestions. :D

Paula said...

That sounds great. How long does the syrup keep in the fridge?

Kimberly @ We Call Her Momma said...

I got the best strawberries today at Costco. By morning the kids will have eaten all but a few.
Every year I tell myself to make strawberry jam but can't seem to keep the strawberries around long enough. This strawberry simple syrup looks delicious.
How long does it keep in the frig if you don't can it?

Phelan said...

It should keep for a few weeks. However we go through it so quickly that it has never stayed in the fridge for more than a couple of days.

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