DIY : Lemon balm syrup

Did you know that you could make your own homemade syrups to replace industrial syrups that are ultra-rich in sugar? In this article, we'll explain the advantages of such a preparation, and take a look at one of them: lemon balm syrup.

Industrial syrups: drinks with too much sugar

Syrups are one of our children's favourite drinks, but did you know that they contain almost exclusively sugar?

And that this sugar is often of mediocre quality? Indeed, in most industrial syrups, sugar is the main ingredient, and is often replaced by glucose syrup, which is high in calories but so cheap!

And that's not the only negative aspect of this product. Industrial syrups also contain artificial flavours, colourings and preservatives. And the icing on the cake is that they contain little or no fruit, and when they do, it's often fruit concentrate, which is much sweeter than fresh fruit. All these ingredients make syrup a very popular product with children, at a very low price. If we had to use a metaphor, we could compare syrups to "candy in liquid form" (for information, one measure of syrup diluted in seven measures of water corresponds to around 90 kcal, or the equivalent of a glass of soda).

Advantages of making your own syrup

A healthier, natural alternative does exist, however. All you have to do is make your own syrups. You'll be able to dose sugar more sensibly, and choose quality sugar. You'll avoid preservatives and artificial flavourings in favour of "real" taste, thus gaining in flavour. You'll also benefit from the fruit's vitamins and antioxidants, as well as the various medicinal virtues of the plants used.

Initially, a syrup is a mixture of water and sugar, heated and infused with flavoring ingredients. As it cools, the liquid becomes syrupy. The resulting mixture is used, diluted in water, in tea or used as is in pastries, fruit salads, smoothies and cocktails.

Lemon balm syrup, a lemon-flavoured drink

Lemon balm is a plant that grows "like a weed" in our gardens and often ends up in the compost. But did you know that this plant has a thousand and one virtues?

It helps combat overwork, stress, anxiety, insomnia, digestive disorders and stress-related heart problems. Lemon balm also has antispasmodic, antiviral and sedative properties. And last but not least, its great strength is that it can be consumed by everyone, with no contraindications.

It is mainly the leaves that are used therapeutically, but the whole plant can be eaten. You can use it as an herbal tea by infusing the leaves for about ten minutes in boiling water. In spring, harvest the young leaves and dry them so you can enjoy them for the rest of the year. Be aware, however, that drying the leaves loses their lemony taste.

Another way to use lemon balm is in syrup. This delicious lemon-flavored drink is excellent for quenching your thirst in summer. Homemade lemon balm syrup has the advantage of being additive-free, unlike industrial syrups, while retaining the taste of lemon balm.

It's up to you to measure out the sugar to ensure that the drink is not too sweet. Note, however, that sugar helps preserve the syrup, so don't reduce the quantities too drastically, or your drink will go mouldy. Remember to use cane sugar, which has a higher sweetening power than beet sugar. You'll need to use less, but still retain the sweetness of your syrup.

To preserve it for as long as possible, we recommend keeping it in the refrigerator.