Most strawberry recipes start the same way: Hull the berries, trim away the leafy cap and the pale shoulder, and drop what's left into the compost without a second thought. It's such a routine motion that most people never stop to wonder what they're throwing away. Strawberry tops, as it happens, hold onto a surprising amount of the fruit's flavor and color, enough that simmering them down with sugar and water produces a vivid strawberry syrup.
All you need to get started is a small saucepan, a fine mesh strainer (or a square of cheesecloth) to separate the tops from the syrup, and a clean glass jar or bottle. Nothing about the process calls for anything beyond what's likely already sitting in your kitchen pantry.
- Save strawberry tops as they come off the berries, tucking them into a container in the fridge or freezer until there's a cup or two collected.
- Combine the tops with equal parts sugar and water in the saucepan, roughly a cup of each to start.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over low heat, and let it cook for fifteen to twenty minutes. The liquid will deepen from pale pink to a rich, almost garnet red as the sugar draws out the last of the color.
- Strain out the tops, pressing on them with the back of a spoon to coax out every drop of syrup.
- Let the strawberry syrup cool completely before transferring it to its jar.
There's also a version that skips the stove entirely, which suits anyone unwilling to heat up the kitchen in the middle of summer. Stir the tops directly into sugar in a jar, seal it, and set it in the refrigerator for a day or two, stirring once daily until the sugar fully dissolves into a loose, unfussy syrup on its own. It won't taste quite as concentrated as the cooked version, since nothing is reducing on the stove.
We love stirring this syrup into lemonade or a glass of sparkling water for something bright and pink, adding into our afternoon matcha, or drizzle it over pancakes and ice cream, the way any strawberry sauce might be used. It also stands in nicely for grenadine in a cocktail, since it brings both the sweetness and the color without any artificial dye.
A few details make the difference between a good batch and a great one. Keeping the ratio close to equal parts tops, sugar, and water is a safe starting point, though cutting back on the sugar slightly produces a lighter, less sweet strawberry syrup for anyone who prefers it that way. A splash of lemon juice sharpens the color and keeps the sweetness in check, while a vanilla bean or a few torn basil leaves added during the simmer turn a simple syrup into something a little more distinctive. Made either way, it keeps in the refrigerator for a few weeks, long enough that there's no need to rush through the jar.
What ends up in the jar tastes like strawberries with the volume turned up, all flavor and no water weight, a more concentrated version of the fruit.
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