Lemon Balm Syrup Recipe
A refreshing way to preserve all the lemon balm herb growing in your garden. The leaves are infused with citrus fruits and sugar, and the result is a fragrant homemade, shelf-stable lemon balm syrup.
Servings: 8 16oz or 500 ml bottles
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale to weigh the leaves
- 3.5" Paring Knife to cut the fruits
- Fine-Mesh Strainer to strain the syrup
- Large Funnel to pour the syrup into th bottles
- 16 oz or 500 ml Glass Bottles with a Cap we use bottles with a swing top caps as they are airtight
Ingredients
- 7 Ounces Lemon Balm Leaves Fresh
- 9 Cups Water
- 3 Pieces Organic Unwaxed Lemons
- 2 Pieces Organic Unwaxed Oranges naval oranges
- 15 Cups Sugar
- ¼ Cup Citric Acid
Instructions
- Get the freshest lemon balm leaves possible. We harvest them fresh from the plant. You can cut off tender stems with a set of leaves to save you time.7 Ounces Lemon Balm Leaves Fresh
- Weigh the leaves.
- Place the lemon balm leaves into fresh water with a dash of vinegar to wash them. The vinegar removes small insects and impurities. Keep them for 5 minutes or so in the vinegar water before taking them out and rinsing them in fresh water.9 Cups Water
- Place the clean lemon balm leaves into a large pan and pour the full water quantity into that.
- Wash your lemons and oranges well. Cut off the ends and discard. Cut the fruits into larger chunks. We cut the lemons into quarters.2 Pieces Organic Unwaxed Oranges, 3 Pieces Organic Unwaxed Lemons
- Add the lemon and orange chunks to the lemon balm and water, with the sugar and the citric acid. I recommend adding the sugar in stages and stirring it all in, one by one.15 Cups Sugar, ¼ Cup Citric Acid
- Mix the content of your pan well until the sugar looks somewhat dissolved.
- Cover the pan and leave it in a place where it's not in the way for 3 days to infuse. Stir once a day to mix it all up and cover each time again.
- When it's done infusing, take and squeeze out the lemon balm and fruit pieces. Discard them. You should be left with a syrup.
- Take the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve. You may have to strain it twice. The syrup should be as clear as possible.
- Pour the syrup back into the clean pan from earlier and heat it all up for 5 to 10 minutes. Do not boil the syrup, just heat it up. Control the heat on a medium to low-heat setting.
- Take the syrup from the heat when done and leave to cool completely.
- Keep your clean sterilized bottles ready (I wash them in the dishwasher on a high setting). Place a funnel into the bottle opening and pour the lemon balm syrup with the help of a ladle into the bottles. Fill each bottle up to the top. Clean up your mess with a wet clean kitchen towel/Wettex and close the bottle.
- Store the bottle in a clean, dry, cool environment, away from direct sunlight. Shelves are better than basement floors. You can use the syrup as required and keep it in the fridge once you unseal the bottle and use it up soon. Unopened lemon balm syrup bottles are good for 10-12 months.