Heritage Rose Syrup

 My great granny was one of my favorite people when I was a child. For reasons I can't explain I associate with her the color of light yellow, crocheting, piano, and roses. Incidentally these things are becoming my favorite things. My memory of her is not as sharp as I wish it was but her stamp upon me was pivotal in the formation of the woman I have become. It was by her gentle tutelage that I learned, and fell in love with, the arts of cooking and crocheting. And it was out of utter admiration of her that I pursued all sorts of musical arts including piano, clarinet, voice, and later guitar, and bass guitar. I remember spending entire summers with her just listening to her stories from when she was a wild and rebellious teen to war time when my great grandfather drove semi trucks laden with bomb materials for the army. I wish now I had taken the time to record her stories then so I would have them to read now. Though she has been gone for 7 years now she has left us another legacy in the form of a wildly fragrant rose bush that has given starts to a few of her descendants.  This year I will be receiving a few canes from the start that my mom got after granny passed away. 

They won't bloom much if at all this year but that's ok I'm patient. This year my mom let me harvest some of the plethora of rose petals her bush is pushing. So I dried some for teas and I steeped some for syrup.  Floral syrups are very easy and fairly forgiving. 

 

Rose syrup 

2 cups packed fresh petals 

2 cups boiling water 

2 cups white sugar 

Place petals in a heat proof container with a lid pour boiling water over, cover, and steep at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Strain and press as much liquid as possible from the petals. Combine liquid and sugar in a saucepan and heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes. Place into container and keep refrigerated. Use in coffees and teas, or use to make rose flavored baked goods or icing. 🌹💕🌹

From the sunset homesteaders to you, God bless!

Redbud Syrup

In planting zones 4-9 you can find redbud trees. In the very early spring the redbud springs forth first with a vibrant splash of beautiful pink flowers in the under story edges of the wood line. They are the first herald of springs impending arrival. They start uplifting spirits from the long dreary winter droll.
This spring I discovered that these gems are edible! In our quest to forage more and buy less these little flowers offer a splash of exciting color to our plates. And as the earliest spring edible it's great fun to start foraging again with this one.  The redbud blossoms themselves taste exactly like snow pea  pods very crisp and sweet with ever the faintest hint of what I can only describe as a 'green' flavor. I decided that since I made violet syrup I would attempt the same with the redbud blossoms except I would make more of a pancake syrup instead of a beverage flavoring. I started the same as for violet syrup by starting with clean blossoms only and pouring an equal amount of boiling water over the blossoms and allowing them to steep overnight. Then straining the blossoms and removing as much liquid as possible from them I measured the remaining liquid and added to it a only slightly larger measure of white sugar (1 cup liquid would get 1 slightly mounded cup sugar) this I brought to the boil and boiled over medium heat for about 20 minutes and the resulting syrup was a beautiful gem-like magenta and the flavor was that sweet pea flavor only lighter, less green, and sweeter. And because I am so terribly impatient I had it still warm over buttered toast and delightfully cold Greek yogurt. Yummy.

Redbud syrup

1 c packed blossoms
1 cup boiling water
1 mounded cup sugar
A splash of lemon juice (optional)

In a quart jar place clean blossoms and carefully pour the boiling water over them.
Let steep overnight up to 24 hours
Strain and press all moisture out of the blossoms
Place in a saucepan and add the sugar
Bring to a boil and boil for about 20 minutes over medium heat
If the color seems to turn greenish rather than pink add lemon juice. This will correct the ph and return the pink color.
Pour into sterilized jars to prevent premature spoilage
Syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks

From the Sunset Homesteaders to you, God bless!

Violet syrup

 This spring our yard is inundated with violets and dandelions. Being the foraging enthusiasts that the mountain man and I are, we've decided to capitalize on our good fortune and make up a batch of violet syrup to flavor drinks with.
We started by filling an old ice cream tub (the gallon sized one) with what felt like a million violet blossoms. Then we pulled the petal off each bloom saving the petals for the syrup and tossing the rest to the compost. Each batch of syrup requires a cup and a half of packed violet petals. This process requires a fair amount of time but it's worth it! Now that you have spent several hours gathering and separating the petals bring a cup and a half of water to a rolling boil and pour over the violet petals. Now make sure that you use a heat proof container for this - preferably one with a lid. Once you have gotten the violets submerged let those puppies steep for 18-24 hours at room temperature. Strain out the petals and press as much liquid from them as you can.  Place the beautiful deep violet liquid into a small pot and add one and a half to two cups of white sugar heat over gentle heat until the sugar fully dissolves. Place in jars and store in the fridge for 4-6 months.

 

Violet syrup
1.5 cups violet petals (packed)
1.5 cups boiling water
1.5-2cups sugar (white suggested)

Pour boiling water over petals and steep for 18-24 hours
Strain petals removing as much liquid as possible
In a pan mix the sugar and violet water over gentle heat until sugar is dissolved
Store in fridge for up to 6 months.

There you go! Gorgeous violet syrup to add to your favorite drink or have on your pancakes! It tastes just like spring! Enjoy!


From the sunset homesteaders to you God bless!