MAKES 8 CUPS

• 2 quarts fresh strawberries, or frozen ones, thawed
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 ounces powdered pectin
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups light corn syrup
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

1. Rinse, hull and roughly chop the strawberries. Whirl in a food processor or blender with the lemon juice until very smooth.

2. Transfer to a saucepan, stir in the pectin and set aside for 30 minutes. Whisk in the remaining ingredients.

3. Bring the mixture just to a boil over medium-high heat and cook gently until the sugar is dissolved and a candy thermometer registers 165° to 175°F (no high-altitude adjustment is required). Skim off any foam and cool. Strain if desired.

• Try using cherries, papayas, other berries or a combination of fruits instead of the strawberries in this medium-thick syrup.

• Fill a graham-cracker pie crust with strawberry ice cream, cover with a thin layer of syrup, and freeze. Ten minutes before serving, remove the pie from the freezer and slice after 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with sliced strawberries and additional syrup.

Check out the original article, Sweeten Your Breakfast with Herbal Syrup.