Perfect Blueberry Syrup

Last summer I came across this recipe in August 2010s Food & Wine Magazine and have held onto it since, just waiting for the perfect mood to try it out.  So this past weekend I finally did...I went down to the 99 cent store by my house and purchased some little syrup jars to fill up when I was done.  The process was a lil longer than I excepted but the end result was very yummy!

TOTAL PREP TIME: 45 MIN, PLUS COOLING TIME 2-3 HOURS
SERVINGS: MADE 6 CUPS (JARS)

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 pounds blueberries (5 cups)
2. 4 cups water
3. 2 cups sugar
4. Six 1-inch strips of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler
5. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. In a pot, combine the blueberries with 1 cup of the water. Crush the berries with a potato masher and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain the juice into a heatproof measuring cup, pressing hard on the solids. Discard the solids.
2. Rinse out the pot. Add the sugar, lemon zest and the remaining 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil the syrup over moderate heat until it registers 225° on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. Add the blueberry juice and lemon juice and boil over high heat for 1 minute. Let the syrup cool, then discard the lemon zest. Pour the syrup into just-cleaned bottles. Seal and refrigerate for up to 6 months.

P.S. Make sure to wear old, dark clothes while handling the blueberries!