canning spearmint lime syrup?

[ABHanna4d]

I have a ton of spearmint and was wanting to can some simple syrups...I also love spearmint with lime, would it be ok to can it? I cant find any recipes for it and Im sure im not the first one to try this but I havent been canning that long so I wanted some advice!
Have you tried this? Any advice or cautions on the matter?

 

[patandchickens]

Basically if it is high in sugar and somewhat acid, it is fine (from a food safety standpoint) to waterbath can it. I'd give it the same time as jellies, 10 min for a half-pint or 15 for a pint.

I have no recipes to offer but just today, while hacking back the overgrown chocolate mint, was contemplating trying to make some sort of flavor-intense syrup from it to can. I do not know if that is ever going to make it high enough up on my to-do list, but I will be watching this thread with interest to see if you turn up, or create, some good recipes

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[me&thegals]

Basically if it is high in sugar and somewhat acid, it is fine (from a food safety standpoint) to waterbath can it. I'd give it the same time as jellies, 10 min for a half-pint or 15 for a pint.

I have no recipes to offer but just today, while hacking back the overgrown chocolate mint, was contemplating trying to make some sort of flavor-intense syrup from it to can. I do not know if that is ever going to make it high enough up on my to-do list, but I will be watching this thread with interest to see if you turn up, or create, some good recipes

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

Pat, if you find a good recipe, would you be so good as to post it? I am also due for a major hacking of the chocolate mint bed!

 

[lalaland]

I use a juice steamer to make mint syrup - it is a stainless steel set of pots with a colander in it, you put the mint and some sugar (or grapes, or rhubarb or other fruit) in the colander portion and water on the bottom pot.

The juice condenses into the middle pot, which has a tube, which you use to drain the juice into canning jars. You seal the jars up, and presto, you have mint syrup or rhubarb juice, etc.

It is a scandanavian contraption, I've seen them advertised in Lehmann's catalogs. I paid an astronomical amount - maybe a little over a hundred bucks for mine, but it has been well worth it. Friends borrow it for their grapes, tomatoes, apples, berries, etc -

I use the mint syrup primarily for iced tea.
You can also can the juices of whatever berries you have on hand, and later use the juice to make jelly when you have more time.

Anyway, a spearmint lime syrup sounds fabulous!

 

[me&thegals]

Great idea, lalaland! We have friends who use one for their grapes. Do you have proportions for the mint and sugar? Thanks--sounds awesome for sweet tea!

 

[lalaland]

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/steam-juicers/Mehu-Liisa-Recipes.pdf


3 cups sugar to 1 quart of loosely packed mint leaves. when i was googling the steamer recipe, I saw something about lime mint syrup - so I bet you could find a recipe for that.

thanks for asking, when I looked for the info for you I found some recipes I want to try out too!

 

[me&thegals]

Thanks much!

 

[2dream]

Funny thing happened at the Drs office this morning. I was thumbing through a Cooking Light magazine and guess what I ran across?

Mint Lime Syrup:
1/4 cup fesh mint leaves in a small bowl
add 3 strips lime rind and hot Simple Syrup
let stand 30 minutes, drain off liquid.

Simple Syrup
Combine 1/4th cup water and 3/4 cup sugar, bring to boil stiring until sugar dissolves.

Makes 1 cup.

Also in this Aug 09 issue were Peach syrup. Pretty much the same as above, peel and mash peaches, add hot Simple Syrup, drain off liquid.

These recipes did not give examples of use. (well I think they did but the page was missing.) I gathered from the article it was to be used in teas or over ice cream, etc.

 

[ABHanna4d]

Thank you so much everyone!