Dandelion jelly is one of my favorite childhood memories.

Wait, let me correct that… eating dandelion jelly is one of my favorite childhood memories. Picking all the dandelion heads so Ma could make the jelly is one of my least favorite memories.

If pressed for a realistic description, I’d say that this unique jelly tastes a lot like honey. My favorite way to describe the flavor is “honey and sunshine.”

This jelly is labor-intensive and it is imperative that you make sure the dandelions you pick have not been sprayed with any chemicals. The last time I made this recipe was over a decade ago when we came across a mountain meadow covered in flowers. I’m always on the hunt for more, but have failed miserably. I always encourage the kids to make as many wishes as they can on the dandelions out here (in the hopes of cultivating enough to make jelly). Despite this, I have had no luck…

If pressed for a realistic description, I’d say that this unique jelly tastes a lot like honey. My favorite way to describe the flavor is “honey and sunshine.”

So, I was shocked when I noticed yesterday that a huge amount of our field was covered with beautiful blooming dandelions! As soon as we arrived home from school I sent all the kids out with plastic bags to fill with dandelion heads. I then spent the rest of the evening and a bit of time this morning making the jelly.

There are tons of different recipes out there, but this simple one below yields results just like Ma used to make.

You can follow this link to learn more about canning, or you can simply jar your jelly and keep it in the fridge.

RECIPE DANDELION JELLY
Photo by Marija M. on Unsplash
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Dandelion Jelly

Prep and Cook Time: 8 billion hours… Okay, actually 4-5 hours. Serves: 13 cups OR 13 1/2 pint jars

INGREDIENTS

  • 10 cups dandelion heads
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 boxes of Powdered Pectin (3/4 cup)
  • 4 Tbs lemon juice
  • 9 cups of sugar
  • Canning jars (I use a mixture of 4 oz. and 8 oz. so I can have bigger jars to keep and smaller ones to give away)
  • Strainer with fine holes

STEPS

  1. Pick approx. 10 cups of dandelion heads.
  2. Using sharp scissors cut the yellow petals off (avoiding as much of the green as you can) into a heat safe covered container.
  3. Boil 6 cups of water.
  4. Pour boiling water over yellow petals, cover, and let seep over night to form “dandelion tea”
  5. Strain “dandelion tea” into a large pot. If the liquid doesn’t equal 6 cups, add water. I quickly pour the strained “dandelion tea” into a large glass measuring cup to check!
  6. Add lemon juice and pectin to strained “dandelion tea” and stir occasionally until it boils.
  7. Add sugar and bring to a boil for an additional 2 minutes while stirring constantly.
  8. Pour mixture into jars and can according to your preferred method.

Check out these shots from my Instagram. I find seeing visuals helps me to feel more confident when trying a new recipe!

 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cathy Holman is a 30-something mother of five. Originally born in Milwaukee, this city girl went country all for the love of a Cowboy. Her blog, PrairieWifeInHeels.com is the place to go for heartfelt humorous posts about parenting, health and wellness (including her preventive mastectomy), fashion and beauty tips, product reviews and giveaways. Read more about her adventures in Wyoming and learn how you can live a life of grit and grace at PrairieWifeInHeels.com.

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