Holiday Gifts Home Made Edition

My mom is a canning nut. As long as I can remember I have been snapping beans and peeling tomatoes every summer and fall to can. Well, since we won't have a ton of money this year for holiday gifts I decided to make some of my mom's famous Berry Vinegar(it is called vinegar but it tastes like syrup). The recipe is easy and it delicious on pancakes and ice cream!

10 cups of raspberries or Blackberries (these are the only 2 I have tried)
2 cups of vinegar
*sugar

In a glass bowl place berries in and pour vinegar over them. Smash the berries in vinegar. Cover bowl and leave on counter for 4 days. Each day smash the berries. On the 4th day strain the berries into a bowl through a cheesecloth or jelly bag. ( I strained it 3 times to make it a clearer liquid and to get all the juice possible out of the pulp). Throw the pulp away. You will have anywhere from 3-6 cups of juice, depending on the berries. Put juice in a pan on the stove top with 1 cup of sugar for every cup of juice. Stir until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for 20 minutes on low-med heat, stirring occasionally. Skim the foam off the top. Pour your syrup into the jars and put hot lids on them and rings and voila! Easy peasy gifts!
It is also so yummy and cheap if you can find a place to pick the berries for free.