Gulping the Harvest: Making Garden Syrup with Herbs
Simple syrup flavored with fresh herbs is easy to make and a lovely way to bottle and enjoy the taste of summer all year long.
Many of Storey’s books are beautiful to hold and look at, but Drink the Harvest really knocks my socks off — the berry-splotched pages, radiant ciders, glowing juices, all that light shining through. It makes my mouth water for summer.
Last year about this time, I planted a smattering of basil starts that had sprouted from seeds for a mix of different basil varieties. As the herbs basked in the sun and grew more robust, I strolled through the garden rubbing leaves between my fingers and sniffing. Mmmm . . . . One of them was clearly lemon basil. I had plenty of traditional basil to use for pesto, enough to freeze and later fill our pasta and pizza needs through the winter, but this lemon basil was so fresh and lemony, it called for something else, something special. I settled on making a syrup, simply by steeping the leaves and adding sugar. And it was even better than I expected. All summer long, we added the syrup to club soda for refreshing fizzy summer drinks and to our locally made Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ Ethereal Gin for fancy cocktails. We impressed our friends — and so easily!
So now I am extra-inspired to try making some new garden syrups and juices using the recipes in Drink the Harvest. Other herb syrups recommended by authors Nan K. Chase and DeNeice C. Guest include bee balm, lavender, rosemary, and mint. And then there are the fruit-herb combo syrups: watermelon-mint, peach-rosemary, blueberry-basil. (This is when I get that dreamy look in my eye as I think about putting my bare feet up on the rails of our porch on a sunny Saturday afternoon in August, hearing the ice cubes clink in my glass as I raise it to my lips . . . )
A simple herb syrup is easy and versatile and will get you hooked. Here’s the mint syrup recipe from Drink the Harvest. Not a mint lover?Just swap in your favorite herbs. I promise you’ll soon be turning to the book for more.
Mint Syrup
The taste of mint has never been so perfectly fresh and sweet as in this syrup. Garden mint really sings when boiled with sugar, and whatever this syrup is added to will be energized with minty goodness. Here are just some of the beverages you can make using mint syrup: mojitos, mint juleps, mint-flavored iced tea or lemonade, mint spritzers, minty-licious sangria or other wine punch, or mint-flavored hot chocolate (with a splash of peppermint schnapps for the adult version). For a special dessert, add some mint syrup to homemade fudge sauce before spooning it over ice cream.
Makes 1 pint
Ingredients
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 2 cups sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ascorbic acid (optional, but it lengthens the shelf life)
Directions
Bring the water to a boil.
EXCERPTED FROM DRINK THE HARVEST © NAN K. CHASE AND DENEICE C. GUEST.
Preserving the harvest doesn’t have to stop with jam and pickles. Many fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be made into delicious beverages to enjoy fresh or preserve for later. Drink the Harvest presents simple recipes accompanied by mouthwatering photographs for a variety of teas, syrups, ciders, wines, and kombuchas. DeNeice C. Guest and Nan K. Chase also provide advice for harvesting ingredients for maximum flavor and even creating your own backyard beverage garden. Pour a refreshing glass of Passionflower-Lemon Balm Wine and drink in the possibilities.
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