We are so lucky to live where blueberries thrive.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds blueberries (about 5 cups)
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon (Remove 1-inch strips with a vegetable peeler, trying not to get a lot of the white pith, and get as much of the zest from the lemon as you can.)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
In a pot, combine the blueberries with cup of the water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Crush the berries with a potato masher or large fork. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain the juice into a heatproof measuring cup, pressing hard on the solids. Discard the solids.
Rinse out the pot. Add the sugar, lemon zest and the remaining 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil the syrup over moderate heat until it registers 225° on a candy thermometer, about minutes. Add the blueberry juice and lemon juice and boil over high heat for 1 minute. Let the syrup cool, then discard the lemon zest. Pour the syrup into clean bottles. Keeps in the refrigerator for about 6 months.
