There are still a few months until summer gets here. It has been an interesting weather year in Los Angeles. With the early prediction of strong El Nino, we thought it would be raining like cats and dogs for days from January to March. But instead, there were only 2 strong storms so far. It hasn’t been cold either. I barely took out my down feather coat. There are many moments that makes us think summer is already here. It has been too warm. It even reached 90˚F (32˚C) a few times. It is not normal! Summer isn’t my favorite season. I can’t stand heat! BUT there is one thing that I love about summer. That one thing is BERRY! Drowning in that ripe and sweet berries is my dream every summer.
The other day, I saw these beautiful juicy blackberries in the market. I knew I have to start the berry season early! After some thoughts, I have decided to make a syrup. By making it into a syrup, I can concentrate that intense berry flavors. The syrup is very basic. Some fresh blackberries, water, lemon juice, sugar and a few ginger pieces. That ginger brought a nice aroma, little kick and warmth. Not only this syrup is incredible, there are a million ways to use it too. Perfect to pour over pancakes, ice cream, panna cotta, cocktails (recipe coming next week), ice tea, and even to make a salad dressing! Don’t you wish you have a jar now?
Blackberry Ginger Syrup
About 1 cup
Ingredients:
– 1 pound fresh or frozen blackberries
– ¼ cup water
– ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
– 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons – ½ cup sugar
– 6 ginger pieces (1x1x¼-inch)
Directions:
- If using frozen blackberries, thaw them in room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- For the ginger pieces, smash them with the side of the knife until they break slightly, but still intact. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the blackberries, water, lemon juice, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the ginger pieces and continue to simmer until the berries are broken apart and sauce has slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to a medium bowl. Using a spoon or spatula to push out as much pulps as you can. Let the syrup sit at room temperature and cool. Syrup will thicken a bit as it chills. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Tips:
- To easy remove ginger peel, use a metal spoon to scrap off the peel.
- The sizes of the ginger pieces can be an estimate.
(Adapted from The Kitchn)
Yes, I DO wish I had a jar of this syrup now! I agree that berries may be the best part of summer! Our supermarkets often put blackberries on sale and I never know what to do with all of them. Now I know! The combination of blackberry and ginger sounds wonderfully refreshing! I can’t wait to see how you use this syrup to make one of your famous cocktails!
This is my first time working with blackberries too. I am not too fond of the tiny seeds of blackberries, so I thought a seedless syrup would be just perfect. Thank you so much, Wendy! Try this next time when you see some blackberries. You will like the flavors. 🙂
It’s sunny and gorgeous right now in the Bay Area, but the past few weeks it was rainy cats and dogs! Good news – we definitely needed the rain. Bad news, our basement flooded. When we moved to CA, I never thought I’d have to worry about something like that – ha! 😉
In any event, this syrup looks amazing! I’m such a fan of fresh blackberries and I’m loving your addition of ginger to the mix! Hooray for spring!
I have heard about the heavy rain up North from the news. Yuck! Flooded basement! Hope you guys didn’t have any serious damage. But don’t worry, the sun and dry weather will resume very soon!
Hooray for spring! Blackberries and ginger really go well together. I love this syrup!
Here, I feel like I’m complaining about the cold then quickly switching to complaining about the heat! I gotta stop that! I do love the berries of the summer and this syrup sounds great with the kick of the ginger. I see some fabulous cocktails in your future!
Haha! We do love to complain about weather, right? It is amazing how well blackberries and ginger go together. 🙂
I’ll take three jars!! That syrup is stunning and the tiny kick of fresh ginger sounds delicious. I can just imagine pouring it over buttermilk pancakes.
I agree, our cali winter has been basically nonexistent, here’s hoping spring will stick around a bit before the heat waves start 🙂
I will send them to you right away! HAHA! Yes, this syrup is delicious over fluffy pancakes. Maybe with a bowl of mixed berries and a dollop of vanilla whipped cream? YUM! I’m ready for breakfast.
YES! Spring, please stay for longer! 🙂