Homemade Lemon Syrup: A Sweet & Tart Delight!
Make Your Own Delicious Lemon Syrup: Perfect for Kids and the Whole Family!
One day, my daughter tasted a honey lemon tea at a cafe and exclaimed, ‘Mom~ This lemon drink is so sweet and tart, it makes me so happy!’ Hearing her joy, I was inspired to make homemade lemon syrup right in my kitchen! The weather has turned surprisingly chilly lately. How about a warm cup of lemon tea made with this syrup in about 3 days? It’s a wonderful way to enjoy a comforting and healthy drink.
Ingredients- 11 Lemons (approx. 856g)
- 700g Sugar (for initial mixing)
- 170g Sugar (for layering in the jar)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s sterilize the glass jars that will hold your lemon syrup. If you have children, you’re likely familiar with this process! Let’s ensure our jars are sparkling clean to keep the syrup fresh.
Step 2
Now, let’s get serious about cleaning the lemons. Sprinkle baking soda generously over the lemons.
Step 3
Pour boiling water over the lemons. This will help dissolve any wax coating and react with the baking soda, making them easier to clean.
Step 4
Next, add some vinegar. If you have citric acid at home, that works wonderfully too! This step ensures your lemons are thoroughly clean.
Step 5
Once the bubbling subsides, use coarse salt to scrub the lemon peels vigorously. Finally, rinse them one more time with boiled water to remove any remaining wax.
Step 6
Thinking of my precious daughter, I’m back to making this homemade lemon syrup! For the lemons, I trim off and discard both the stem and blossom ends – they aren’t needed for the syrup.
Step 7
Here are the lemons with their ends trimmed off. They almost look like offerings for a ritual fruit, don’t they? (Laughs) I used a total of 11 lemons for this batch.
Step 8
Now, let’s slice the lemons. If you’re lucky enough to slice them without finding any seeds, it feels like winning the lottery! Enjoy that momentary thrill!
Step 9
However, as I was slicing, I found quite a few seeds popping out! It was a bit surprising. I found over 10 seeds in just one lemon! It was quite an experience. (Laughs)
Step 10
Carefully remove any lemon seeds you find.
Step 11
If you have a kitchen scale, measure out sugar equal to about 80% of the lemons’ weight and mix it with the lemon slices. A quick note: if you’re using xylos sugar (like I am), which can be less sweet, you might need to increase the sugar ratio to about 1.2 times to prevent mold. I also added a little extra sugar for the layering part in the jar.
Step 12
After mixing the lemons and sugar, place a thin layer of sugar at the bottom of your sterilized jar. Then, carefully layer the lemon and sugar mixture into the jar. Oops, I forgot to take a photo of this step while I was busy with everything else! (A bit regretful)
Step 13
Once all the lemon mixture is in the jar, pour the remaining sugar evenly over the top.
Step 14
I divided the mixture between two jars.
Step 15
To ensure a good seal, I covered the top of each jar with plastic wrap before screwing on the lid. And that’s how you make ‘Yeonhol Mom’s’ homemade lemon syrup!
Step 16
Besides the plain lemon syrup, I also made an apple-lemon syrup this time! My daughter just got home from kindergarten and already wants another drink with lemon and apple. The syrup is currently sitting at room temperature, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Homemade lemon syrup typically needs 2-3 days at room temperature for the sugar to fully dissolve, after which it should be stored in the refrigerator. Enjoy your fragrant and healthy lemon tea!
