Making Dandelion Jelly?

05.24.2013 // blog, YAP Danby // Juanita Burch-Clay // No Comments

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“You’re making what…?”  When we mentioned that we were making dandelion jelly, everybody wanted to know more:  What part of the plant do you use?  How do you make it?  What does it taste like?

For the curious, here’s the process in a nutshell:

We pick the open flowers, pulling off the petals and avoiding the green “bracts” and stems.  Then we pour boiling water over the petals to make an infusion or “dandelion tea”, letting it sit for “ten minutes to overnight”, as our recipe directs.

After it steeps, we strain the tea and use the clear liquid, with a touch of lemon juice, to make jelly, adding pectin and sugar.

Finally, we process the jelly jars in a canner for a safe and professional product.