Zero-waste: make strawberry-top syrup

Long sunny spring days make strawberries blush and they multiply in the garden as well as on market stalls. Sweet and flavoursome, they never fail to be enjoyed with relish, whether plain, in a tart or as a dessert. But did you know their little stem can also be used in the kitchen? Perfect way to combine indulgence and zero waste! So rather than throwing them away, discover our delicious recipe for syrup made from strawberry stems!

A strawberry-stem syrup garnished with a few red fruits and fresh mint leaves

When, how and where to harvest strawberries?

When to harvest?

For non-perpetual strawberry plants, harvest starts in May and lasts until the end of June. For perpetual strawberry plants, picking can continue through to autumn, into October. Morning is best time of day to pick delicious strawberries, as that is when they are most flavourful.

How to harvest strawberries?

Pick fruits when ripe and fully red. Simply cut the stalk that holds the strawberry by hand or with scissors. Then place strawberries in a basket or punnet. Beware, strawberries are delicate and bruise easily, so cook or eat them soon after picking.

Which strawberry variety to choose?

For this strawberry-stem syrup recipe, any variety will do. However, choose varieties suited to your garden and deliciously aromatic. Here are a few examples to plant in the vegetable patch:

The strawberry plant 'Cijosée' is an organic, perpetual variety that produces medium-sized, perfumed fruits with fine flesh, tart and juicy. Fruits grow above the foliage, making them easy to pick.
Well known, the non-perpetual strawberry plant 'Gariguette' is an early variety, offering lovely elongated strawberries from May. Fruit flesh is firm and juicy, fragrant and slightly tart.
The strawberry plant 'Mara des Bois' is a classic, known for good perpetual productivity. Its strawberries are highly aromatic and prized for their wild-strawberry flavour.
The strawberry plant 'Anaïs' is renowned for good disease resistance. This perpetual variety yields beautiful red, juicy and very fragrant fruits with a good balance of sugar and acidity.

→ Find all our strawberry varieties.

mara des bois and gariguette strawberry plants

Strawberry plants 'Mara des Bois' and 'Gariguette'

Strawberry-stem syrup recipe

Ingredients:

Approximately 60 g strawberry stems, equivalent to stems from a full punnet of strawberries.
80 g caster or white sugar.
125 ml water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cooking time:

20 minutes

Method:

1/ rinse strawberries under water.
2/ Using a knife, remove stems from berries. For a stronger flavour, take a little strawberry flesh with stems.

remove strawberry stems and keep a little flesh

Hull strawberries and keep stems with a little flesh

3/ In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, strawberry stems and lemon juice.
4/ Place saucepan over heat and bring to the boil, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
5/ Then simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.
6/ Next, strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to retain only the liquid. Press the strawberries to extract as much juice as possible.
7/ Syrup is ready — pour into a pretty bottle or a cleaned jam jar.
8/ Store syrup in fridge for a few weeks.

Store strawberry-stem syrup in fridge and in a bottle

Recipe ideas:

Serve syrup with still or sparkling water and a few ice cubes. Add garnishes to dress up the drink, such as lemon or strawberry slices and fresh mint leaves.
This strawberry-stem syrup will add a gentle sweet note to kirs and sparkling wines.
Use syrup to drizzle over yoghurts, cakes and dessert creams.

My zero-waste tips:

Once recipe is finished, reuse softened strawberry flesh. Remove green parts to keep only the flesh. It can sweeten yoghurts or be spread on toast.
For a zero-waste approach, blitz cooked strawberry stems and add to a delicious smoothie.