Warm, sunny weekends have endless possibilities. But to me one of the greatest ways to spend them is picking berries. Rising early to be greeted by the song of a small bird nesting outside your window as you bounce out of bed ready to begin the hunt. You drive down a country road with the windows down until you reach a small farm filled with verdant bushes holding small, dark treasures. With a bucket in hand you proceed down one of the many rows.

Last weekend I made a trip like this in order to obtain some blackberries. They were beautiful. There is something timeless about harvesting your own produce which makes me smile. You search, pick and clean the bounty and then capture it’s flavor in your own culinary creations. All of this is to say that you can expect quite a few recipes including blackberries from me in the near future. But to begin here is an ultra simple syrup which is delightful on just about anything. We’re talking three ingredients here, simplicious! Let us begin!

Start with one quart of fresh blackberries, one cup of sugar and two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for twenty minutes stirring often. While your stirring away, do you say “sir-up”or “seer-up”? I say “sir-up”, but whatever. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer then pour into a jar for future pleasure.

This syrup is beautiful and brightens up any stack of waffles or slice of chocolate cake. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

Recipe: Blackberry Syrup

makes 1 jar (22 oz)

1 quart blackberries

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup sugar

Combine ingredients in small saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring often for twenty minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer and pour in jar. Let cool and serve.