Simple Garden Syrups

Boiling Up Some Garden Bliss

As I write, I’m watching a dainty little doe nursing her long legged spotted fawn just a few feet from my window. Awww, right? So all my kale has turned into Bambi, so my roses and strawberries are pruned to the ground, so my hardy fuchsias are nibbled into weirdly tidy balls (primal topiary?). Baby deer are pretty sweet, gamboling about like lambs and frisking merrily among the container plantings. Sigh.

The only plants that haven’t been deer ravaged are the fragrant herbs, from rosemary, lavender, and chives to thyme and sage. I use fresh herbs daily, in everything from scrambled eggs and sandwiches to salads and stir fries but I also love to make savory herb salts and sweet herbal syrups. This week, I harvested a few rugged rugosa rosebuds from a battered bush that had once overflowed its huge tree pot. They smelled fantastic, so I decided to capture that sweetness in a simple syrup.

Saving Up Summer Goodness

Simple syrups are just that; extremely simple mixtures of cane sugar and water, boiled for a few minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. Before electricity and freezers were common, most fruits were canned in simple syrups, which helped preserve their quality and flavor. Simple syrups can be flavored with all sorts of things, from vanilla beans and peppercorns to toasted fennel or coriander seeds. In summer, it’s delightful to capture the fleeting scents and tastes of herbs, flowers, and even fruit in such syrups. The primary rule here is to use only organically grown fruit, flowers, and foliage, as pesticide residues are definitely not edible.

Though syrup recipes abound, you may discover that your own preferences demand more or less of a given flavoring agent. Maybe you like a mint syrup that really zings, so you bump it up to two cups of leaves. Maybe you want a thyme syrup that whispers rather than shouts, so you knock it back to a few sprigs. That’s why it’s wise to work out your own recipes by starting with small batches and keeping good notes. Once you make a few, don’t be surprised if you get caught up in a creative fervor. Basil syrup! Cilantro! Spearmint! Meyer Lemon! Rose petal! Keep this mad invention under control, though; while some blends work well (lavender and rose petals, basil and lime), too many ingredients can make for a muddle. (Ask me how I know….)

Basic Simple Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water

Combine in a saucepan and boil for five minutes. Cool, store in tightly sealed glass jars and refrigerate until needed. Keeps indefinitely.

Garden Variations

Where shall we start? I love Rosemary syrup, which takes lemonade to new heights of refreshment and sophistication, adds a splash of vim to cocktails or ice tea, and tastes fabulous mixed into a watermelon and cantaloupe salad. While most forms of Rosmarinus officinalis taste similar, various kinds can have decidedly different flavors, so make a small batch with each to see which you find most appealing. I prefer Tuscan Blue for most culinary purposes, though Miss Jessup’s Upright, Spice Island, and Sudbury Blue all boast lovely fragrance and flavor as well.

Rosemary Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
1/3 cup leafy rosemary twigs (mainly young tips)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Add rosemary, remove pan from heat, cover pan and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for up to a month. Makes about 2 cups.

Taking Thyme

Thyme is one of my favorite culinary herbs and I grow as many kinds as I can find. Try making this simple syrup with various kinds; my go-to is made with Lemon Thyme (Thymus x citriodorus), but most forms of Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) are also delicious. The only one I didn’t enjoy was a batch made with Caraway Thyme (T. herba-barona), but some people loved it in cocktails (!?). Drizzle a little over steamed green beans, add a bit to a basic vinaigrette, or mix with lemonade or fizzy water for a refreshing summer cooler.

Thyme Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
1/3 cup leafy thyme twigs (mainly young tips)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Add thyme, remove pan from heat, cover pan and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for up to a month. Makes about 2 cups.

Spearmint Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
1 cup spearmint leaves

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Add mint, remove pan from heat, cover pan and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for up to a month. Makes about 2 cups.

Basil Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
1 cup Genovese basil leaves (or any kind you like)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Remove pan from heat, add basil, cover pan and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for up to a month. Makes about 2 cups.

Capturing The Rose

Rose syrup is deliciously perfumed and tastes amazing in cocktails, fruit salads, or spooned over warm shortbread or ice cream. Stir a spoonful into lemonade or hot chocolate for a romantic moment, or add a tad to a plain vinaigrette, along with a handful of fragrant rose petals, to zip up a plain salad. Use rose petals of the same color for the prettiest syrup. If the flavor isn’t as bold as you’d like, add up to half a cup of food grade rose water (sold in shops that carry Middle Eastern foods).

Rose Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
2 cups rose petals (just opened from buds)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Remove pan from heat, add rose petals, cover pan and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for up to a month. Makes about 2 cups.

Lavender Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons lavender blossoms (opening buds are best)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Add lavender, remove pan from heat, cover pan and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for up to a month. Makes about 2 cups.

Zesty Lemon Variations

Lemon syrups have a zillion uses and keep indefinitely if refrigerated. Meyer lemons have an especially floral fragrance, and the syrup they make is rather mellow. When I find big organic lemons in the market, I make simple syrup and add strips of lemon peel to the sugar water before continuing with the recipe below. Boil for five minutes, then dry the strips on a baking rack and pour the remaining syrup through cheesecloth to get the zest bits out. I even save those, because they’re delicious sprinkled on butter cookies or used as a garnish for desserts.

(Meyer) Lemon Syrup

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8 organic lemons)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Lemon rind strips (optional)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil (*), stir until sugar is dissolved, then simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and zest, cover pan and steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth, cool and refrigerate in tightly sealed glass jars for at least a month. Makes about 3 cups.

(*) This is where you do the bit with the strips.