Homemade Blueberry Soda

In less than two weeks, we will be back home in Haiti, with both a chattering toddler and tiny newborn in tow. On my bucket list of foods to enjoy before we leave are the delicious peak-of-summer blueberries that line our local farm stand. So this week I boiled up a batch of blueberry syrup to make into tall frosty glasses of Homemade Blueberry Soda; a thirst quencher on these steamy Indiana days. For more blueberry additions to your cooking, try: Summer Chicken Waldorf Salad, Blueberry Bay Leaf Quick Jam, Hoosier Milk Tarts with Berries, and for a blue tinted breakfast, Blue Corn Griddle Cakes with Lime Butter.

Yield: around 3 cups, or enough for 10-15 drinks, depending on the amount used

Blueberry syrup Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• juice of 1 lemon

Steps:

1. In a medium pot, bring blueberries and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Strain the blueberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the blueberry skins and seeds. I use a sturdy metal strainer over a small sized pot and use a metal spatula or the back of a sturdy ladle to press the liquid mixture through the sieve. Discard the blueberry seeds and skins.
3.  Add sugar to the strained blueberry liquid and place on medium heat. Whisk briefly to dissolve the sugar. 
4. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the blueberry mixture from the heat, add the lemon juice, and cool.
5. Store the blueberry syrup in tightly sealed containers (canning jars work well) in the fridge for up to 1 month.
6. To make blueberry soda: fill a glass with ice and add 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of the blueberry syrup, fill the remainder of the cup with seltzer water/club soda, and stir to combine.

Notes:

• Because of the natural pectin in blueberries, this syrup thickens up nicely when it cools and is great on waffles or pancakes, on ice cream or frozen yogurt, milkshakes etc. 
• Feel free to play around with flavor additions to the blueberry syrup, substitute lime for lemon, and add a dash of vanilla after the syrup has cooked.