June 7, 2012
I always know summer is coming when our beloved mulberry bush is bursting with deliciously ripe, sweet and sometimes tart, fruit. My girls love to hide in the depth of the leaves, picking fruit as they play. The dark berries stain dresses, fingertips and faces all summer long. I know that they will have forever mulberry memories and once again, I am so thankful for life in the garden.
Most of the time, the berries are nibbled before they ever make it to my kitchen. However, we have so many berries currently that there are full baskets just sitting on the counter. I concocted a plan to salvage these berries by making a syrup for sodas and cocktails. This recipe is great too because you can use virtually any berries in your basket. My experiment worked–which doesn’t always happen. Do you know how many recipes I dream up that never leave my kitchen scribble pad?
This mulberry syrup uses up what we have in the garden and it feels like such a treat served over iced sparkling water.
1 cup berries
2 tablespoons sugar
Muddle together in a mortal and pestle and let rest on the counter for 1-3 hours or store in the refrigerator overnight.
Strain with a fine mesh sieve. Fill a glass of your choice with ice and sparkling water top with approximately 1 tablespoon of syrup and a squeeze of lemon. If you’re feeling frisky add some vodka, too.
