Mango-Lemon Syrup

To make this into a jam you can add 1 1/2 Tbspn of pectin or cornstarch in the mixture before heating.

For this recipe you will need:

 -3 ripe mangos

-4 lemons(for 1 1/2 Tbspn zest and juice)

-1 cup water

-1/2 cup agave nectar

-1/2 cup sugar

-3 mason jars (8 oz)

-1 Large deep saucepan

-1 Big pot for boiling the jars

-Ball Utensil Set or tongs to grab glass and a funnel

1. Cut open and dice the mangoes. Because I have difficulty cutting mangoes I ended up cutting around the seed starting from the stem. After outlining the mango hold on to the two halves and move them back and forth until the loosen up and the seed is revealed. 

2. Using the knife safely dice the mango and use a spoon to get out the fruit. For the other side you can use your hands to peel off the skin and cut the fruit off the seed. Be careful and cut away from your hand.

 3. Place the cut up mango in the blender with 1 cup of water and blend until smooth

4. First zest the 4 lemons and squeeze the juice into a little bowl so that you can spoon out the seeds

5. In the deep saucepan mix the mango juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and agave nectar. Heat the mixture for 30-45 minutes over MEDIUM heat. Constantly stir to prevent burning and take out the foam that forms on top to allow some thickening.

6. Fill the big pot with the glass jars, lids, and enough water to cover everything with 2 or more inches of water. Heat on HIGH and boil for 10 minutes to sterilize everything. Also make sure that you use new lids (old lids can have rust and icky stuff).

 7. After letting the jars cool a little bit use the tongs to place the warm jars and lids on a towel. Be careful not to touch the inside of the jars and lids(this will introduce germs into the syrup-very bad). Try to air dry the jars and use a clean napkin to dry the lids.

8. Once the mango mixture gets to a syrup consistency and becomes a little darker place the funnel in the jar and fill it with the syrup with an inch of free space.

9. After filling the jars carefully screw on the lids tightly and turn the jars upside down on a kitchen towel for 10 minutes to seal everything up.

Tip: one reason the Ball canning kit helps is because the magnet in the kit makes it easy not to touch the lids when picking them up.

10. Place the jars in the fridge and use when cool. Enjoy!