There are so many things to love about late spring, early summer. One of the things I love most is our annual trip to pick strawberries. We pack lunches, bring friends and make the hour drive west for our favorite fruit. Upon arrival, the boys are always quick to point out how even the air smells sweet like strawberries. It isn’t long before we are in the fields with red stained fingers (ok, stained lips too) from filling our baskets with the ruby red berries.
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There are many things we make with our haul of strawberries, including jam, fruit leather and of course just eating them straight from the bowl! But sometimes, you want something just a bit fancier than plain berries, something sweet that you can make as a dessert for your family or to share with friends.
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This vanilla bean syrup comes together quickly and only needs time to cool before pouring over a bowl full of berries. Our favorite combination is strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, but mix it up to your own taste or whatever is in season where you live.
Fresh Berries with Vanilla Bean Syrup
1 cup of water
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
In a small saucepan combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering until sugar is dissolved, creating a simple syrup. Take the vanilla bean and slice it down the middle. Scrape out the vanilla beans inside. Stirring, add them to the simple syrup. Remove from heat and pour into a separate container to cool. Cool completely. Pour over berries and serve.
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