• Combine 1/4 cup water and berries in a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook down over medium heat until the berries are very soft and steaming.
  1/4 cup water, 12 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• When hot, use an immersion blender in the pot to blend the berries. See note 1 below if you don't have an immersion blender.
• Ladle hot berry sauce into a metal sieve placed over a bowl.
• Use a spatula to work the sauce around until all that is left in the sieve is the seeds. Return the now seedless sauce to the cooking pot.
• Mix sugar and (optional) lemon juice into the sauce, cook on medium-high, stirring often until the syrup has reduced by 1/3 (about 5-10 minutes).
  2 cups sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice
• If you're not canning the syrup, allow it to cool and then transfer it to small containers. Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks, or freeze for six months.

How to Can Blackberry Syrup

• Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water. You just need to have enough water to cover the jars by 1 inch once the water is boiling.
• Set the canner on the stove. Turn the burner to high.
• Wash and sanitize your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170˚F.
• Wash your lids and set aside in a clean bowl.
• Ladle in the warm syrup into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove any bubbles from the jar (I use a chopstick).
• Use a wet clean rag and wipe the rim of the jars to make sure it is free of any food.
• Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
• Using canning tongs, add jars to the boiling water, and put the canner lid on. Pro tip: you must have at least 1 inch of water over the tops of the jars for safe canning.
• Process half-pints and pints based on the elevation guide below:

  *0-1,000 ft – Half-Pints & Pints =10 min 

  *1,001-6,000 ft – Half-Pints & Pints =15 min 

  *6,000 ft+ – Half-Pints & Pints =20 min 
• Once the syrup has processed for the appropriate amount of time, remove the canner from the burner, and carefully remove the lid of the canner (Pro tip: use oven mitts to take the lid off because the steam is super hot).
• After the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner, use canning tongs to carefully remove the jars, and place them on a thick towel in a place where they can be undisturbed for 12 hours.
• Store in a cool dark place for 12-18 months.