Throughout the years, I have been inspired by the explosion of local redbud trees (all wild, mind you) to collect redbud blossoms and create something to eat in my kitchen. Before this spring, I made redbud jelly, shortbread and pound cake. You can read all about those experiences here. This year, I remembered how much I enjoyed making blackberry syrup one summer, adding it to a margarita instead of traditional lime juice. I searched the Internet for a recipe for redbud simple syrup and found this one, from Capturing Wonderland’s blog.
I am fond of the delicacy and floral flavor of redbud blossoms. First of all, just going out to gather them is a delightful experience. It’s spring, everything is greening up and redbuds are among the first of the trees to show themselves in the Ozarks. Winter is beyond us now, and there’s no turning back. Before long, we’ll be out here picking wild blackberries and maybe, gooseberries.
I wanted to get about four cups of redbud blossoms, so I took some plastic bags and headed out to strip blossoms off thin branches. I think the sooner, the better, for the blossoms as they will dry out quickly.
After that was accomplished, I placed all the blossoms into a large colander, ran cool water over the batch and picked out any little sticks I could find. They will affect the flavor. I imagine they taste like – wood.
Then, I saw another technique for cleaning the blossoms. I dumped the blossoms into a big glass bowl and poured cool water over the top. The blossoms floated to the top and dirt and sticks sank to the bottom of the bowl. That made it easy to scoop out the flowers.
I then put the 4 cups of flowers into a saucepan and added a little more than 4 cups of fresh water to cover the blossoms. I brought this concoction to a boil and let it cool off. Then, I covered the saucepan and put it in the fridge overnight.
The next day, I poured the “tea” through my trusty canning colander sieve lined with cheesecloth, and used the old wooden pestle to push the blossoms against the colander – forcing all the tea out possible.
Here’s the fun part. Now’s about the time to squeeze a lemon into the tea. It’ll turn from brown to ever-so-lovely-light pink.
I had about 4 cups, so I placed the tea into a clean saucepan and added about 4 cups of sugar. It’s a 1:1 ratio. I turned on the heat and brought the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Note: Watch to see that the sugar becomes completely dissolved. Then, you can turn down the heat and leave it to simmer until it reaches the consistency you desire in a syrup.
Let it cool. Place the syrup into glass jars and into the fridge.
So far, we have used the syrup over pancakes, waffles and ice cream and I substituted it for lime juice in a gin and tonic one night.
Capturing Wonderland reminds us that we may use combinations, such as lavender, ginger and lemon verbena along with the redbud blossoms.
Over at the Iowa Herbalist, Adrian White wrote a post titled “Flower Powers and Flavors: Floral Simple Syrups,” so if you want to try to make a simple syrup from something other than redbud blossoms – since they’re out of season now – there are plenty of options, such as lilacs, dandelions and violets. Adrian douses the flowers with honey and then sets a container in the sun for a few days. Then, the concoction goes on the stovetop for a moment with a small amount of water. I’m looking forward to trying this method soon, probably with some type of edible flower.
Whatever you choose to use, having a simple syrup made from blossoms or flowers that you pick make a lovely statement about how much you care.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
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