In the summer, I often find myself nostalgic for days gone by in my childhood, when I would spend endless hours foraging for wild blueberries, raspberries and wineberries.
The thing with foraging for wild berries is that most of the time, the berries are small and the bushes aren’t very plentiful, making it hard to justify the time spent picking the fruit. That’s why picking cultivated fruit is so rewarding!
When picking at the orchard, you get all the benefits of being outside in the sunshine and fresh air, working with your hands to pick the fruit and quality time spent as a family – without having to hunt for wild berries.
Blueberry picking is one of my favorite pastimes because it reminds me of picking from the blueberry bushes at my childhood home and now my kids and I pick them both in the wild and at the orchard.
Blueberry bushes are at an ideal height too, perfect for anyone who has trouble sitting on the ground to pick strawberries.
One of my favorite things to do with berries is to make a simple syrup and to dress it up with some herbs from my garden and citrus. For this recipe, I used blueberries, lime and spearmint sweetened with a little sugar.
Maple syrup or honey would also be delicious options, but I was running low on those when I made this recipe! I’d recommend going light on the mint, as it can quickly overpower your recipe. Just 2-3 leaves should be plenty!
Blueberry Mint Lime Syrup
This delicious blueberry syrup can be used in a variety of ways including in seltzer, as a yogurt topping or on pancakes. Yum!
Ingredients
- 1 pint blueberries
- ½ cup water (see step 1, then add:)
- Juice of ½ a lime
- Zest of ½ a lime
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2–3 spearmint leaves, chopped
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, add the blueberries and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat after 1-2 minutes, when the blueberries are soft. Use an immersion blender to blend the blueberries (do not put hot liquids in a regular blender as this can cause the lid to burst off. If you don’t have an immersion blender, let the blueberries cool slightly and if possible, leave the lid part way open. Once blended, strain the mixture with a sieve or cheesecloth.
Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan and simmer 5-7 minutes. Cool completely and then serve in a variety of ways! I love it in ice water or seltzer or on top of yogurt. It would also make a delicious pancake syrup! Enjoy!