In summer, raspberry plants generously produce small sun-ripened red fruits. Delicious eaten fresh, raspberries lend themselves to many homemade preparations: jam, tart, raspberry coulis… and above all, an authentic-tasting raspberry syrup. Easy to make, this homemade raspberry syrup recipe highlights freshness of garden fruit. A sweet-and-tart touch that enhances both summer drinks and homemade desserts.
When and how to harvest raspberries ?
Raspberries are harvested in two main periods, depending on type of raspberry plant grown. Non-perpetual varieties produce once a year, usually between June and July, whereas perpetual varieties offer a second harvest in August–September, sometimes until first frosts.
→ Find all our raspberry plant varieties.
In all cases, harvest is carried out little by little, as fruits do not ripen at same time. A raspberry is ready to pick when it comes away from receptacle by itself and its colour is even, bright and deep. To preserve aroma and delicate texture, pick by hand, early morning or late afternoon, in dry weather.
Full of flavour but fragile, raspberries should be eaten or processed quickly after harvest. It is however possible to freeze them as you go, with a view to preparing raspberry syrup later.
Homemade raspberry syrup recipe
Ingredients for about 50 cl of raspberry syrup :
- 500 g fresh garden raspberries (or organic)
- 250 g caster sugar (organic cane sugar works perfectly!)
- 25 cl water
- Facultative : juice of half a lemon for better preservation
- a saucepan
- a fine sieve or a cloth
- a wooden spoon
- a sterilised bottle or jar for storing raspberry syrup
Preparation of raspberry syrup :
1- Start by sterilising your container, whether bottle or jam jar, by plunging it a few minutes into boiling water.
2- Put fruit into a saucepan with 25 cl water. If necessary, rinse raspberries first, gently, under a trickle of cold water and drain carefully without crushing.
3- Heat over low heat for about 10 minutes. At end of cooking, crush raspberries with wooden spoon to release as much juice as possible.
4- Then strain mixture through a very fine sieve or a clean cloth to remove raspberry seeds. Press well to extract all juice.
5- Return obtained juice to saucepan, add sugar and lemon juice (facultative).
6- Heat again for maximum 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent syrup crystallising or reducing too much (it may turn into jam if cooked too long).
7- Pour raspberry syrup hot into sterilised container (bottle or jar), then close immediately.
Storage of raspberry syrup
Stored in fridge, raspberry syrup keeps between 15 days and one month. It can also be frozen in small containers, such as ice-cube tray.
Ideas for using raspberry syrup
This fragrant raspberry syrup is perfect in refreshing drinks, diluted in still or sparkling water, with some ice cubes and perhaps a few mint leaves.
It also flavours natural yoghurts, creams, fruit salads, sorbets, and pastries as raspberry coulis, on cheesecakes, sponge cakes or biscuits. It is also a great ingredient for homemade cocktails.
For a more indulgent version, feel free to combine several small red fruits : raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries, blackcurrants or blueberries. Blending these flavours gives a rich, well-balanced red-fruit syrup.
And if you are unsure which raspberry plant variety to plant in garden, Olivier meets Pascal who shares some tips:
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