NCHFP offers 2 recipes for mint jelly canning in BWB- you just make it as syrup instead by reducing or eliminating the pectin. Acidification is required.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/mint_jelly_liquid.html - Mint Jelly

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/mint_jelly_liquid_II.html - Mint Jelly II

Do you want to leave the mint in the syrup or are you infusing the mint and then removing it?

If it's a simple syrup (sugar, water, maybe a bit of lemon for flavor and to help prevent crystallization) with the mint removed, you could can it as for jelly no problem.

I don't know that the leaves would look all that pretty anyway. Given the difference in density they'd probably float, which wouldn't be very attractive.

Carol

Yes, I was planning to remove the leaves. Not going for a cooked spinach look here! :)

I see the Jamlady cookbook mint jelly recipe doesn't require lemon juice, either. How would lemon juice prevent crystallization? I would normally use corn syrup for that-- is there any reason not to add a bit (say a tsp) of corn syrup to the mix for that purpose?

Lemon juice prevents the growth of large crystals and/or prevents crystallization just like molasses or corn syrup or cream of tartar or vinegar but the lemon juice taste better and doesn't have the associated risks that the other products have.

Dave

Corn syrup or an invertase enzyme. The latter will restructure cane sugar and make it 'invert' sugar instead. Then its used as fondant and fillings for chocolates. The enyme prevents sugar from crystalizing. Not sure how much heat it can stand, but its a form of yeast. Fructose sugar will also reduce crystalizing. Then, there is tarteric acid, add too much and you get tarteric acid crysals forming on the bottom instead!

Here is a link that might be useful: invertase

No, there's no reason not to use corn syrup. Lemon juice is not required.

Carol

Can I preserve lavender syrup by the same method then? Just strain it through a regular strainer and no lemon juice is required?

Melissa

Yup.

Carol

Wow thanks! I've been wanting to make some before I bring it in for the winter, but I haven't felt like making martinis lately, and it's too cold for lavender lemonade.

Melissa

On the new Emeril Green show I see he made a basil syrup. That sounded interesting.

I'm also thinking of the possibilities with some of these syrups for brushing on cake layers.

Carol

A basil cake? Hmm. Maybe bread instead? If you like chocolate cake, make one with a chocolate filling and spread apricot preserves in between the players too. The combination of chocolate and apricot is FANTASTIC!

I just found out that if you are concerned about the sugar recrystalizing, the enzyme I mentioned (above) can be used at room temp. Mix it into the sugar syrup, and give the sugar based syrup about 12 hours to convert the sugar. After that, it can be cooked if necessary. In this way, the invertase enzyme (a yeast) will not die before its done its job.

I wasn't thinking of the basil with cake, though it might be intriguing with a polenta-based dessert. Basil does share commonalities with mint that make it intriguing for the sweet as well as the savory.

Carol

I would like to try to make and preserve the mint syrup as well. I did a search but couldn't locate the Jamlady recipe that is referred to here. Could someone please post how to make the simple syrup for canning? Thanks.

Carol, I say give the basil cake a try! I'm a huge fan of basil and peach! (And also thyme and peach, even better!). Upside-down peach cake with basil glaze? Hmm...

lyndapaz, here's the syrup portion of the Jamlady's recipe:

5 c. water
4 c. fresh mint leaves (chopped or bruised)
4 c. sugar

Boil the mint leaves in the water, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain and measure out 3 cups of liquid. Put back in pan and add sugar. Bring to boil.

It's a bit thick for a simple syrup, which I normally make with equal parts sugar and water, but I made the recipe as-is and it seemed ok. I also added a tsp corn syrup, since I don't have any of the enzyme ksrogers mentioned and my mint plants are time-sensitive at this point, no time to order any this time round. I made the syrup with marshmallow mint, spearmint, and peppermint-- delicious!

Thanks, Joannaw. I'm so happy to be able to use all the mint. I hate to see the freeze get it. So far we've been lucky here in Philly area, but I don't think we have too much longer. Now I'm looking forward to our first freeze to see how sweet the kale gets. Thanks again.

Can I just process in BWB for 10 minutes, as the recipe for mint jelly with lemon recommends? Or does this recipe have to be pressure canned? and for how long? Thanks in advance. With all the discussion of the need for acid in canning, I just want to double check. I have the syrup made. Just ready for canning.

As I mentioned above, a simple sugar and water syrup (herbs removed after infusion) can be processed as jelly for 10 minutes BWB.

Carol

Thanks, Carol. Somehow I missed that in reading through the discussion.

Lynda

Do you think I could cook this up one day and can it the next week? I'm looking for a demo for my Herbaceous Plants class. We still have some herbs in our show gardens. I'm thinking one class for the syrup and one class for the canning?

Also wondering what might make a good hot drink syrup for winter?

It would be pretty quick to make and can. I would vote for either doing it all in one session, or showing how to cook one batch and then showing how to can another batch, maybe with a different herb. You could give the jars to your classmates (either one jar per person or one from each week, depending how big the class is).

It would probably be ok after a week...syrup is pretty stable in the fridge. I'd be more worried about showing an example of canning a week-old product. You don't want to give the impression that it's a good thing in general.

Melissa

You know a real fun thing to make would be liqueur, but it isn't exactly something you have to BWB! Would be a lot of fun for some of my students I think, but not sure what the university rules are on that one!

:)

Hmm, a hot drink syrup...maybe something with cinnamon and spices and brown sugar that could be added to hot apple cider or to make hot buttered rum?

A chai syrup could be good, too- use black tea leaves, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves to make the syrup, then stir into regular black tea to make a quick chai. For that matter, making many tea syrups to add to regular black tea could be good-- earl grey, other fruit flavors. Even the mint!

Or the mint could even work for making hot chocolate-- use the mint syrup (maybe with some vanilla added in?) instead of sugar for a quick stovetop cocoa. A Tbs of cocoa, a Tbs of syrup, heat together in small pan, add a cup of milk.

What a great thread to pull up as my basil, lemon balm and mint start going crazy! Mint jelly, mint syrup, basil syrup, lemon balm and catnip syrup, the ideas are endless. Oh, almost forgot the lavender syrup/jelly.
What about rosemary?