Spring is in the air and what does all this mean? It means sweet summer is right around the corner with freshness and new beginnings…. Yup, I am the mom of a groom! So this little blog will be all about fun wedding shower ideas and themes and some great and SWEET treats, like lemon syrup, for you to make in the summer months.
The theme for the wedding was “The Main Squeeze” and yes it was all things lemons and citrus! So. Much. Fun.
As I was chalking and preparing for all the décor, I also added in great citrus recipes and the sweetest table was the lemonade bar! We had the plain jane lemonade, the pink strawberry lemonade and the super yummy blueberry lemonade. And of course, we were in GA, so there had to be sweet tea abundantly! All of this yumminess was amazing, but if you just top off any of those drinks with a little lemon syrup, you would think you were in heaven!
So let me share with you about this lemon syrup that makes all things heavenly…
As I was squeezing the 10 pounds of lemons, I was saddened because I saw such potential in those bright yellow lemon rinds. I could and should have zested all of that yumminess and used the zest in the muffins and the cakes along with freezing some of it for the future uses with chicken and pork, but I didn’t have the time this time. So I was so sad to get rid of it. I used this amazing juicer attachment to make juicing the lemons easier.
So off to plan B—lemon syrup.
Since there was so much goodness still in those rinds, I cut them into 2” chunks and placed them in a stainless steel bowl. You can also use glass, but the plastic doesn’t work as well for some weird reason. If you know why, let me know! Anyways, after placing the pulp from the juicing and the rinds in the large bowl, cover the rinds (about 16 lemons worth) with 3 cups of cane sugar. Mix those lovelies up with a spoon and cover with a clean towel. Let them just sit and stew a bit. Like for 6-8 hours. Stir them throughout the day. They will start making this delectable treat all by themselves.
The hardest part is when you actually strain the syrup.
Using a cheesecloth over a bowel, pour some of the syrup and pieces of lemon rinds over the cloth. Then, twist the cloth to a pocket and simply use your hands to wring the syrup from the rinds. It is so amazing at how juicy these beauties become!
Pour the fresh syrup into glass stopper jars and place in the refrigerator. They can stay in the fridge for 4-6 months—but I can tell you that it won’t last that long as it is so yummy! These are the jars I used for this recipe.
The best step is the one which comes after ALL of the rinds are squeezed and your hands are still messy—LICK YOUR FINGERS! I am telling you that this is the sweet amazement of goodness—sweet and tart, it makes ya just want to pucker up and decide what you will pour this goodness over!
I would love to hear how you used your lemon syrup!
Was it on a lemon garlic chicken meal? A pork chop meal? A pound cake or some other sweet treat? Or did you simply enjoy it daily in your iced tea as you begin to enjoy the hazy, lazy days of summer?
