Recipe Information
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse, hull and slice strawberries. Crush into chunks and put in large saucepan. Cook until it comes to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and let cool.
Line a colander or jelly strainer with cheesecloth or unbleached muslin. Pour cooked strawberries into colander and let drain completely. Once cool, squeeze more juice out with your hands. Collect 3 cups of strained strawberry juice.
Put 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum in a dish and pour 2 tablespoons of juice over top. Stir thoroughly. This will get lumpy. Stir vigorously for 5 to 10 minutes, mashing with the back of a spoon and breaking up the lumps as best as possible. Set aside for 10 minutes. Mixture will thicken.
Meanwhile, measure 3 cups of Strawberry juice into a large saucepan. You can add up to 1/2 cup water to reach 3 cups of measure. Stir in 1 cup of sugar and slowly heat over medium heat while stirring frequently. Remove another tablespoon of syrup and add to the xanthan gum mixture. Stir until well incorporated. Pour this into the warm syrup and using a wire whisk, whisk vigorously, making sure no lumps remain.
Heat mixture to a rolling boil for 2 minutes while stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in either vitamin C crystals or lemon juice (see below for substitution ratio). Continue to stir as the mixture stops boiling, incorporating as much foam as possible. Let rest a couple minutes then gently push the foam to one side and skim from the top. I use a gravy ladle.
Pour into prepared jars, wash jar tops off and put on prepared lids and rings. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
This syrup is very concentrated and can be used to flavor drinks or put over ice cream or pancakes.
Notes
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