Growing Chefs! Ontario Dandelion Jelly

Dandelion Jelly

Dandelions make a great floral jelly, that tastes very similar to honey! They are fun to pick, and hard to mistake for any other flowers, making this a great recipe if you are interested in foraging your own foods!
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
1 Litre
Ingredients
4 cups dandelion heads, green bottoms removed4 cups sugar2 tablespoons lemon juice1 package powdered pectin
Equipment
Large stock potCandy thermometerMedium potScissorsMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsBowls various sizesFine mesh strainerWooden spoon2 500ml mason jars, sterilizedFunnelLadleDish towel

Get Organized!

Gather your mis en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

To prepare the dandelions, cut the petals off of the green stems and discard them, collecting all of the petals. This can be done by hand or with scissors.

In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to boil over high heat. Pour overtop of the dandelions in a heatproof bowl. Stir, cover with a clean dish towel and allow to steep on the counter for about 12 hours, or overnight.

Measure out sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice.

Get Cooking!

Pour the dandelion mixture through a fine mesh strainer into your stock pot, and squeeze as much juice out of the mixture as possible (there should be 3 – 4 cups of liquid. Discard any of the dandelion petals.

Add sugar, pectin, and lemon juice to the stock pot. Stir together with a wooden spoon and add candy thermometer to the edge of the pot to monitor the temperature as the jelly cooks. Turn the jelly on medium high heat.

Watch the jelly as it comes to a boil and be careful that it does not boil over in the pot (it is very important to choose a large enough pot). Do not stir the jelly as it is cooking, it will be very hot! Once the temperature reaches 218°F, take the jelly off the heat.

Pour the jelly into sterilized mason jars with a ladle and funnel. If canning for long term preservation, consult your local health departments guide for safe canning procedures. If not canned, jelly can be kept in the fridge.