Making Dandelion Jelly

Lilac, left – Dandelion, right

I’d decided to try making new different jellies this year. I had made violet jelly for a couple years and had tried lilac this year. Dandelion sounded fascinating so I gave it a go.

We had a rainy Saturday coming up so I went out after supper on Friday night and picked a large colander full of small and large blossoms. I had only picked wide open ones but by the time I had finished processing them, they had closed up.

You want to pull the yellow out and not get the green leaves under them. Apparently they turn the jelly bitter and tinge it green. It’s finicky work and took me about an hour or more to do. I found it easier when they had closed up. I didn’t try to get all the petals, as I was getting too many green leaves.

What my waste looked like

The petals

The recipe called for 2.35 oz of just petals. I’d gotten that much in a quart mason jar and still had blossoms left, so I finished those. There wasn’t enough for a whole second batch. I put the jars into the fridge overnight.

In the morning, not reading the directions well, I put ½ of the petals in a saucepan with cold water. They were very hard to mix in. I brought them to a boil then turned off the heat and let them steep for 20 mins. While it was steeping, I picked out the 4 – 5 green leaves I saw.

The waste from pressing

I then drained them and gently pressed out the water and returned the water to the saucepan. I brought it to a boil, then added the other ½ of the petals. They mixed in easily this time. (It pays to follow directions….) I turned the heat off and let them steep 20 mins again. I picked out a LOT of green petals from this batch, 2 dozen or more.

I again drained and pressed them gently to get out the water. I didn’t get quite 2 cups of liquid so I added water to make 2 cups. It was a lovely golden color.

Heat your jars, lids, and rings for 10 minutes to sterilize them. Leave them in the hot water until you fill each one.

Sift and mix the pectin into the sugar very thoroughly. If not mixed well, the pectin will form lumps.

I put the steeped water back in the saucepan with ¼ cup of lemon juice and the 2 tsp. of calcium water called for in the Pomona recipe. I mixed it well and brought it to a boil. I added the sugar mix and stirred vigorously for at least 2 minutes to incorporate the pectin in the liquid. Brought it to a boil and then removed it from the heat immediately. It did develop a bit of scum on top.

I let it sit for a few minutes while I cleaned up and got ready to put it into jars. The scum reduced and it was easier to remove. This is not pretty but it still tastes good. It could be a treat for any small helpers you have…

Into each hot jar, using a funnel, pour the jelly up to ¼” from the top of the jar. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth, set a hot lid on and put the ring on tight.

Ready for water bath canner: l-r: violet, lilac, dandelion

Once you’ve filled all the jars, return them to the canning kettle of hot water and bring to a rolling boil. Process them at this point for 10 minutes.

Set them on a towel spaced evenly apart to cool. This can take several hours and they should not be disturbed. You will hear the ping of the lids as they seal when they cool.

Once they are all cool, check the lids to make sure the center is depressed. Label with contents name and the month/date.

The recipe states that this is more like honey than jelly. It did not set-up well for me either but has a nice flavor. It can be poured over ice cream, cake, pancakes or waffles, French toast, etc.

Credit for recipe: https://teaspoonofspice.com/make-dandelion-jelly/

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