Y’all since moving to Tennessee, each spring I see these beautiful trees blooming all along the highway and throughout the countryside.
Until recently I didn’t know that the blooms were actually edible and could be used to make jelly, syrups and baked goods, along with flavored sugar.
So this year I decided to make some syrup and I’ll tell you what, it is amazing over pound cake and even drizzled as a sweetener in tea. It is so easy to make and I think y’all are going to love it too.
Ingredients
8 cups redbud blossoms
8 cups water
7 cups of sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Start by cleaning the blossoms of as many sticks and leaves as possible (and bugs).
In a large bowl, cover the blooms with cold water to float any remaining sticks or insects.
Drain and transfer to a large stock pot. Add 8 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Bring the water and blossom mixture to a light boil and add 1 cup of sugar.
Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or up to overnight.
Drain the water through a fine mesh screen or cheesecloth to remove the blossoms. Press the blossoms with the back of a wooden spoon to press any remaining water out.
What you have now is Red Bud Tea.
Add the resulting redbud tea back to a stockpot. Add the remaining 6 cups of sugar and bring to a light boil. Add the lemon juice.
Squeeze in the lemon juice.
Boil the mixture until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, or you will be left with rock candy, good, but not what we are going for here. Remove from heat as soon as the syrup is thick enough. Let they syrup cool and transfer to lidded jars for storage. Store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
Pour the syrup into jars for storage.
Be the first to comment