Top 5 recipes for making blackcurrant syrup for the winter

To replenish vitamins, caring homemakers preserve fruits and berries for the cold season. Blackcurrants make a wonderful syrup, and the recipe is easy even for novice cooks. It's used as a dessert and a treat for children. To ensure the preserves last a long time, follow the rules for choosing berries and preparing containers.

What are the benefits of currant syrup?

As is known, in Black currant contains a record amount of vitamin In these respects, the berry surpasses even lemons. During cold weather and outbreaks of flu and acute respiratory infections, currant syrup helps strengthen the immune system and restore strength after illness. It is recommended for children to boost the body's defenses.

Cooking secrets

To ensure that currant preserves last a long time and don't spoil, listen to the advice of experienced housewives.

Selecting and preparing berries

Attention is paid to the selection and preparation of the main ingredient, as the taste of the future syrup depends on its quality.Don't use unripe currants for this treat, as the resulting dessert will be too sour and you'll need to add more sugar. Also, berries that are bruised, rotten, or damaged by insects or diseases are discarded.

The currants are sorted to remove any debris, twigs and leaves, washed under cold running water and laid out on a kitchen towel to dry.

Sterilizing containers

To prepare the syrup, use glass jars with a capacity of 0.5 to 1.5 liters. The jars are thoroughly washed with baking soda and sterilized. This can be done in several ways: in a pan of boiling water, in the microwave or oven, or over the spout of a simmering kettle. After cooking, the jars are turned upside down and placed on clean kitchen towels.

Delicious recipes for the winter

Every housewife has several recipes for this winter treat. The key to making the syrup is following the step-by-step instructions.

Hot method

To prepare this dessert you will need only two ingredients:

• 0.5 kg currants;
• 0.5 kg of granulated sugar.

Place the prepared currants in a saucepan, press them down lightly, and sprinkle with a generous amount of granulated sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and leave in a warm place for 2 days. After this time, return the pan to the stove and simmer for 10 minutes after boiling.

While hot, press the berries through a sieve. Return the resulting juice to the saucepan and simmer until the syrup thickens. Since the berries are high in pectin, long simmering isn't necessary. Pour the hot syrup into prepared jars and seal with lids. Once cooled, store in a cool place.

Cold method

To preserve the maximum amount of vitamins in berries, you can prepare the syrup using the cold method, that is, without heat treatment.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 liters of currant juice;
• 1 kg of granulated sugar;
• 5 grams of citric acid.

Using a juicer, extract the juice from the fruit. Mix the juice with granulated sugar until it is completely dissolved, then add citric acid. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal with metal lids. Store refrigerated only.

Blackcurrant jelly syrup

To prepare a thick syrup, more reminiscent of jelly, prepare the following ingredients:

• a liter of currant juice;
• 1 kg of granulated sugar;
• instant gelatin.

Extract the juice from the fruit using any available method. Mix it with sugar and place it on the stove. Once boiling, simmer for 10 minutes and slowly pour in the gelatin dissolved in cold water. Immediately turn off the heat. Pour into sterile containers and seal tightly with lids.

Blackcurrant sauce-syrup

This fragrant, purple-hued sauce is used to garnish desserts, ice cream, and baked goods. To prepare, prepare:

• 200 grams of currants;
• 2 tbsp. l. brown sugar;
• 1 orange;
• 50 ml of quality port wine;
• 1 small lemon.

The berries are mashed with a wooden masher. The orange and lemon are zested and juiced. Bring to the boil and add the remaining ingredients. Once the treat comes to a boil, simmer for 7-10 minutes and then pour into sterile jars.

Recipe for fragrant currant syrup

To diversify the taste of blackcurrant syrup and give it a piquant aroma, additional ingredients are added:

• cinnamon sticks;
• star anise;
• carnation;
• allspice.

You can use all the spices at once or choose your own. Otherwise, the recipe is the same as the hot method.

Storage tips for delicacies

At home, hot-canned syrup is stored in a dark pantry. Fresh syrup, however, is stored in the refrigerator or cellar. The shelf life of the syrup is about a year.