To improve the flavor, mix the sugar syrup with berry-flavored juice instead of water. Make sure you use real juice and not juice drinks.

1. Wash berries in cold water; remove any bruised spots.

2. Heat sugar syrup to boiling; fill each jar with ½ cup of liquid. Add berries, leaving ½" headspace and making sure berries are covered in liquid. Remove any air bubbles.

3. Put on lids; process 15 minutes in hot-water bath.

• MAKES 4 PINTS

• INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups Monin sugar syrup

• 8 cups mixed fresh berries

Syrups for Fruit Many fruit recipes call for a sugar syrup. You make a light syrup by mixing 2 cups of sugar with 1 quart of water (yields 5 cups). A medium syrup is 3 cups of sugar to 1 quart water (5 ½ cups) and a heavy syrup is 4 ¾ cups sugar to 1 quart water (6 cups).