We live in the middle of farmland with acres and acres of open fields surrounding us. Right now, the fields are dotted with beautiful yellow dandelions. I’ve heard about the health benefits of dandelions before, but haven’t made anything from them. But they are so beautiful and vibrant right now, so I decided to try something new…dandelion jelly!
First, Rachel gathered dandelions. We needed quite a bit as the recipe needed 2 cups of just the dandelion petals.
Next, I started cutting the heads off the stems and separating the green part from the petals. If I’m being honest, this took forever. I probably worked 2 hours on just those 2 cups of petals. I read that leaving some green will make it bitter, so I worked carefully to make sure as much green was off as possible. That left us with 2 cups of just petals.
Next, I poured 4 cups of boiling water over the petals and put them in the fridge to steep for 24 hours. This is where the flavor from the dandelions really gets infused into the water. It looks pretty unappetizing at this point.
After steeping, I was ready to make the jelly today. First, I strained the liquid through a cheesecloth and squeezed as much liquid as possible out of the petals. I was worried at this point because the liquid did not look pretty and yellow like I expected. I knew that the end product was supposed to be yellow, but mine was a yellow-brown tint. I just trusted the process.
At this point, it’s a pretty standard jelly process. Put 3.5 to 4 cups of the dandelion liquid in a pot and then add 2 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 pouch powdered pectin.
Bring to a boil and after it is boiling, add 4 cups sugar. Stir well and return to a boil. Boil it for 1 to 2 minutes (I did 2), stirring constantly. Then remove from heat.
Pour liquid in jelly jars with 1/4 inch headspace and clean the rims of the jars. Then place lids and rings on. Water bath for 10 minutes and then set on your countertop to let them seal. I love hearing the pop of the seals after you are done!
The product was a beautiful, vibrant yellow jelly! I was pleasantly surprised by the taste! It tastes like a lemony honey. I think it will be good on some toast or on a biscuit. There were a few little stray particles and tiny pieces of petals that made it into the jelly, even through the strainer, but those don’t bother me at all.
This was a fun project and something different to try! I may do another batch while we are surrounded by these beautiful dandelions!
I thought this article was interesting as it highlighted the nutritious benefits of dandelions: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dandelion-benefits
The Gephardts 