Syrup of Spring

Recipe:

Syrup of Spring (Spring in a bottle)

4 cups lilac blossoms

Zest and juice of two grapefruit

5 cups sugar 1/2 cup honey 64 oz water

64 ounces of boiling water

Put the 4 cups of lilac blossoms and grapefruit zest as well as the sugar and honey in your pot give it a little stir and let it boil for one minute, then turn off the stove, and let it steep for 25 minutes

then strain blossoms and zest. Add the grapefruit juice. Boil the syrup for about 10 minutes stirring.

This will make a fragrant simple syrup.

If you want it sweeter, add another half a cup of sugar at a time until you get to the sweetness, you like if you would like sweeter and more depth, of flavor add more honey, and depending on where your honey comes from, it will have a different flavor as well. I use local honey, and it has a very light floral flavor that I really enjoy. And if you also would like the lilac flavor and fragrance to be stronger add more lilac I suggest you go half a cup at a time till you get to the strength in flavor that you like same goes for the grapefruit if you want more grapefruit for flavor, add more grapefruit if you want less bitter, don't add the zest at all.

You can bottle it and it should be good for 2 weeks in the fridge or water bath can it so it will be shelf stable and you are able to store it up to a year or more. I will do a post on how to water bath and pressure can later in the summer.

This recipe will make about 5 pints depending on if you added more sugar or honey then you might get one more pint.

Ideas and possibilities...

Breakfast ideas ...

I enjoy drizzling the syrup over my cottage cheese and mulberries in the morning or Greek yogurt nectarines. Pancakes, French toast and scones.

Desert options I also really enjoy good vanilla bean ice cream whatever fruit I have on hand or if I don't have any fruit this syrup drizzled over is heavenly drizzling it over something like a shortcake, angel food cake a poundcake just you could take a skewer and poke some holes in the top of the cake and drizzle this over it .

Drink ideas...

Ice tea, make a basic black green or white iced tea depending on how big of a picture you're making or if you just want a cup for yourself, just drizzle as much in to flavor it just taste and get it to where it's just perfect.

Pour in a hot coffee or tea use it for syrup you would make a latte.

Or just pour some in a big picture with some ice and enjoy.

Syrup of spring is absolutely spring in a bottle and this will make any dessert or drink taste and feel elegant, enchanting, and oh so fancy and EverAfter.

Thank you for "Stepping into our Story and experiencing the flavors! "Tase and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8

The perfect way in the middle of winter to enjoy some spring in a bottle a beautiful pick me up in the dead of winter when you're a weary and tired and you need a little hope and a little sunshine to get you through. Take out your spring in a bottle. Pour it in a nice hot drink heat it up and it'll be beautiful syrup over any breakfast pancakes waffles French toast mix it in make it beautiful topping for dessert ... The possibilities are endless because there's always hope when you have Syrup of Spring, Spring in a bottle.