Dandelions are in full bloom in my neighborhood. Though our neighborhood is looking pretty yellow these days, we have surprisingly few in our yard.
Our own dandelion colony dwindled to a fraction of its previous size when we tried a new approach—when dandelions bloomed in our yard, we picked them. My husband (who dreams of a beautiful, lush lawn) then goes through with a dandelion digger and pulls out the plants. The blossoms went in the trash and never the compost. Those little seeds are just too numerous and hardy. The plants and roots cook on the driveway for the day until they are good and dead. Then they end up in the compost pile. All that good phosphorus should make it back to my garden eventually.
This year my five year old daughter is absolutely enthralled with dandelions. She picked bouquet after bouquet for me while I was planting my father’s garden. This week, her friends stopped by to play and they had already picked a bag full of them. I sent the girls back for more with a promise to make dandelion jelly. Years ago, I found the recipe in an old, local cookbook, belonging to my mother. Compiled by Katie Fiene Birchler, it is a collection of recipes she published in the Sparta News-Plaindealer. This variation on her recipe for dandelion jelly is a great springtime treat, often our first harvest of the season.
PLEASE NOTE: We only pick dandelions in areas where we are sure there have been no chemicals sprayed on them.
All three girls brought home more than enough dandelions for a double batch of jelly and had a wonderful time playing in the ravine, picking dandelions.
Dandelion Jelly
Ingredients:
2 qt dandelion blossoms, separated from their stems
8 c. water
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 package of Sure-Jel
3 c. sugar
Remove the green collars from the dandelion blossoms and discard green portion, reserving the yellow petals.
Boil 4 cups of dandelion petals in 8 cups of water for 3 minutes.
Strain and cool the steeped dandelion tea.
Bring 3 cups of dandelion tea to a boil.
Add the lemon juice, Sure-Jel, and 3 cups of sugar.
Boil for 2 ½ minutes, stirring continuously.
Pour liquid into sterilized half pint jars and seal with 2 part caps.
Makes 6 half pints (for less than $5 a batch).
This recipe makes enough dandelion tea for two batches of jelly. Prepare each batch separately as jams and jelly recipes require precise measuring and timing.
Dandelion jelly can be processed in a hot water bath, as with other jellies. I usually do, but it was a late night. I’ll keep this jelly in the refrigerator.
Every family should try dandelion jelly. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon, picking flowers and making a sweet treat from something most people revile. And it makes a great family memory. How many kids can say they made dandelion jelly growing up? Hopefully more now!
Oh wow, I've never heard of dandelion jelly. And I thought I'd seen every kind of jelly under the sun at the Western N.C. Farmer's Market. Is the jelly yellow? What does it taste like?
ReplyDeleteIts yellow! My oldest once said that it tasted like sunshine.
ReplyDeleteAs I have had the world's most insufferable sinus infection, I don't taste much. But I remember it tasting a lot like a dandelion smells, with a slight lemon undertone (from the two tablespoons of lemon juice in the recipe). The first time I made this jelly, I steeped the dandelion tea too long and it looked more honey colored than a true yellow. I followed the advice of the recipe and coyly added a drop of yellow food coloring. This recent batch didn't require any additions.