Everything is blooming! I love it.
This is normally the post where I would be making my springtime batch of dandelion wine. But, I got lazy this year; Too lazy to spend hours picking dandelion petals off of the flowers until I have enough to fill a one gallon crock... really my back can't handle it anymore. So.... Jelly only needs two cups of flower petals. I can do that.
Flower Jelly
This is kind of a two-day project, so be patient! First, on the evening or afternoon of the first day, pick a LOT of flowers. I made two batches of jelly, one each of lilac flowers:
and dandelions:
And then I picked a handful of violets because I thought they would help to make the lilac jelly more purpley:
You can use any edible flowers to make jelly. Lavender makes a nice jelly. Rose petals make a nice jelly. Elderflowers make a TERRIFIC jelly. If in doubt, taste a (Non-poisonous. Duh.) flower before you pick a bunch to be sure it tastes worthy. I think nasturtiums and marigolds are probably too tangy to make a good jelly, but you can try them and let me know.
Pop in a movie and spend the next couple of hours picking all of the petals off of the flowers. You don't want any of the green stuff or it will make the jelly bitter.
Ok. You and Godzilla have picked your petals clean. Remember, you needed 2 cups of them. Squish them down in the measuring cup to be sure you have enough. Put them in a largish bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Cover the bowl, and let it steep overnight. The petal decoction can sit for up to 24 hours.
On the next day: Line a colander with cheesecloth or a clean handkerchief and strain your petal mixture into a medium saucepan. You will want to squeeze as much liquid out of the petals as you can. Discard the petals (they make really good compost).
LOOK AT HOW PINK THIS IS. Ha. Sorry. To the liquid in the pot, add four cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Stir really well and bring it to a boil.
When the mixture comes to a ROLLING boil (That means it is probably boiling over and killing your stovetop. Watch it closely.), add one 3 oz packet of liquid pectin.
This is messy, but oh so pretty:
Boil for about 2 more minutes, and then pour into jars. Did I forget to tell you to have canning jars ready? Yeah. You'll need about 6 half-pint canning jars...
At this point you can refrigerate the jelly, or process it in a boiling water bath canner for ten minutes to seal the jars for longer storage. Voile. Jelly.
Lilac jelly:
Dandelion jelly:
OMG RADIOACTIVE JELLY:
Like this? Hate this? You should also try:
