No-waste Strawberry Top Simple Syrup Recipe

This simple recipe is quick and easy to make. The no-waste nature of this recipe allows you to stretch your dollar by using strawberry tops (which people usually just throw away) for a delicious syrup!

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Canning Time 1

Servings 4 1/2 pints

Equipment

Knife
Cutting board
8 cup glass measure
Measuring Cups
Whisk
Small Pot
Spatula
Mesh Strainer
(If you’re wanting to can)
Jars, lids, rings ( I used 8-1/2 pint jars)
Canning Accessories
Water bath Canner

Ingredients

6 cups Strawberry tops
4 cups Sugar
4 cups Water

Instructions

Wash strawberries thoroughly. (see notes about washing)
Cut the tops off of the strawberries and set tops aside for this recipe. Use the strawberries as desired for other recipes.
Add strawberry tops to a small pot
Cover with water
Add sugar to water/strawberry mixture For the syrup, the sugar to water ratio is 1:1 so if you have 4 cups of strawberry infused water you'll add 4 cups of sugar to the water.
Boil strawberry tops in water and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. All of the tops should be very faded light pink and the water should be red.
Take the small pot off of the burner and strain the strawberry tops, having the liquid pour into another liquid measuring cup. Make sure to press down or squeeze the strawberry tops to extract as much liquid as possible.
Pour the juice back into the pot
Bring juice back to a boil and simmer until it has reduced by approximately 1/4 and thickened slightly
Take off heat and cool before pouring into a jar and storing in the fridge.
Canning Directions:
If canning, wash and rinse jars; let stand in hot water or warm oven. Brings lids to simmer; turn off the heat; let stand in hot water. Wash bands, set aside in hot water. Fill washed jars to 1/4: headspace. Wipe rims clean with paper towel or washcloth dipped in white vinegar. Screw on the 2 piece lids. Lower filled jars into simmering water in water bath canner and add the lid to the canner there should be 1 inch of water above lids. Bring to a full rolling boil and process for 10 minutes. ( add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft above sea level). After 10 minutes remove lid and let sit 5 more minutes. Remove jars from water on to a clean towel. Let jars cool. Check seals, and wash jars before labeling and storing. Lids should be fully sealed.

Notes

No-Waste Strawberry Top simple Syrup Tips:

Storage: canned or frozen. This syrup can be kept good for up to a year after water bath processing (canning) or up to a year in the freezer. I prefer to can for freezer space, and so it's available whenever we'd like to use it. It lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge after processing or freezing.

Customize your infusion: You can add many other herbs or flavors to this syrup if you'd like. Think strawberry lavender, strawberry mint, strawberry lime, strawberry lemon, or strawberry rosemary. Make this recipe your own!

Do you need to use sugar: For this recipe, you should use only white or cane sugar.

What do you use strawberry simple syrup for? Our favorite uses are strawberry syrup are: flavoring lemonade, topping pancakes, waffles, crepes, and ice cream. You can add this syrup to any tea, drink, pastry, or cake for a pop of strawberry flavor.

Can you multiply this recipe? Yes! Make this recipe however big your strawberry top amount allows.

Are there other ways to use strawberry tops? Yes! You can dehydrate them and store them for tea, or another common use is making strawberry vinegar to top salads and add to marinades. This simple strawberry top vinegar recipe is excellent!

Tips For washing strawberry tops: to wash strawberry tops thoroughly, I clean my kitchen sink well or use a big pan and add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the water and let the strawberries soak 5 minutes. Then I use the spray nozzle on the faucet and spray the strawberries as the water drains into the sink to drain all of the vinegar/dirt water.