Eat flowers? Oh yes, my friend and not only does this Dandelion Jelly recipe taste amazing, but 
it’s good for you, too!
it’s good for you, too!Happy Monday – I hope you’re doing great! It’s been a few weeks since I lasted posted, because I’ve been obsessively busy with the shop.
I’m so grateful for all the support lately!
But, luckily, I had some time this past week to try out this Dandelion Jelly recipe because you are going to love it!
I know, I know…the idea of eating flowers might seem a bit…well, weird to some of you.
It’s okay…the husband thinks I’ve lost my mind, too.
He’s all like “You’re cooking flowers? For real?”
But, I grew up in a family that made Dandelion Wine.
I’ve been studying herbalism for years.
So, it’s really not all that surprising to me that I would head to the kitchen with a bowl full of yard flowers for cooking.
I don’t know why it surprised him…weirdo!
I’ve never had Dandelion Jelly before I made it the other day, either.
But, I’ve read over and over that it tastes like honey, so I thought, why not give it try?!
And since my yard is full of dandelions at this time of year…
Picking was easy!
In just a few minutes time, I had plenty to get started.
And the recipe is just as simple as the picking!
Making Homemade Dandelion Jelly
All you have to do is put the petals in boiling water and then refrigerate overnight.
Strain the petals out in the morning…making sure to keep all the “tea” to make your jelly!
Add some pectin and lemon juice and heat it all up.
Then, you throw in a whole bunch of sugar, because what would jelly be without sugar? And cook it until boiling.
After it’s boiling again, you just turn off the temperature, ladle into jars and water bath for about 10 minutes.
That’s it! It’s really so simple!
But, I’m about to share a secret that no one else tells you on their Dandelion Jelly recipes…
Getting all the green off is HARD!
In fact, it took more time to pick all the green off the petals than it took to make the whole stinking batch of jelly.
And, I’ll be honest…I left a whole lotta tiny green leaves in there…way more than recommended.
Everyone says to remove the greens because they taste bitter, but there’s no bitterness in this jelly…at all!
And you can eat the greens anyway, so there’s no hurt in leaving a few in there!
Would I do it again?
Yes! Because the jelly tastes so good!
I think it is very reminiscent of tea with honey and lemon. And in the dead of winter here in Vermont, I would imagine, it’s a bit like tasting the sunshine on a cold, winter day.
Plus, consuming dandelion can actually be healthy for you!
The Health Benefits of Dandelion
Dandelions have been used throughout history to treat a wide variety of ailments and illnesses from boils to heartburn to diabetes.
dandelions are in fact “a natural first-aid kit”
And they claim that dandelions can protect weak bones, increase liver function, prevent UTIs and some studies even show benefits for breast cancer and leukemia!
Does it get any better?!
Yes, it truly does!
In a 2011 study, it was suggested that treating skin cancer cells with dandelion root extract showed improvement in just 2 days!
Here’s a study from 2017, which showed the possible suppression of gastric cancer cells when treated with dandelion root extract!
And yet another study from 2016, suggests that taking dandelion root extract orally, could reduce the growth of colon cancer cells by up to 90%!
Just to be clear, these are studies published on the US National Library of Medicine…
I am not a doctor and I am not claiming to treat, cure or otherwise heal anything using this Dandelion Jelly. I’m simply sharing my recipe, along with the research I have found pertaining to the health benefits of the dandelion.
So, are you ready to eat your flowers, yet?
Yes?
Awesome!
You’re going to love this Dandelion Jelly!
Here’s the recipe:
Before you get started: Be sure to read instructions here for safe canning methods and find your appropriate canning time in the table shown here.
Yield: 6 half-pint jars
Prep Time12 hours
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time12 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups dandelion petals
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons pectin, powdered
- 4 cups sugar
Instructions
- Trim all the greens off the dandelion. Place the flower petals into a large bowl.
- Pour boiling water over the dandelion flowers. Cool and refrigerate for 10 to 12 hours or overnight.
- Strain the dandelion "tea" mixture through a fine mesh strainer, over a large pot, to remove all of the petals from the liquid. Compost the remaining petals.
- Add lemon juice and pectin to the liquid. Bring to a boil at high temperature.
- Stir in the sugar and return to a boil. Continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and ladle into sterilized half-pint jars. Cover with clean lids and add screw tops, finger tight.
- Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Notes
I've also seen suggestions to add a cinnamon stick to the "tea" while it's steeping!
Original recipe found on Homestead Acres.
Enjoy!
You might also like these jelly recipes:
- Apple Scrap Jelly Recipe
- Sweet and Spicy Apple Jelly
- Homemade Strawberry Preserves: Just 3 Ingredients!
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Have a Spectacular Day!
Vanessa Hamlin
Vanessa Hamlin is the owner and founder of Food Life Design and VLHamlinDesign. With her passion for frugal living and homesteading, Vanessa loves to write about easy recipes, making money, gardening, home remedies and everything else that a good life entails! When she’s not writing for Food Life Design or creating products for VLHamlinDesign, you’ll find Vanessa reading, drawing, gardening, cooking or spending time with her family.
