It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street,
to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion,
shining in the grass, like a spark dropped from the sun.
~ Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)
With our very cool, wet and late spring, we have been blessed (in my opinion) with a later bountiful crop of those lovely, smiling yellow dandelions. I was surprised to hear from my friend in Alabama that they do not have dandelions growing in their grass. Perhaps we take them for granted! And while my husband does not find them appealing scattered throughout our yard, they are a fantastic and useful plant to have around the home.
This spring, we were able to harvest some dandelions and make a few fun items with them – a dandelion salve and dandelion jelly. I thought it would be nice to share the recipe of the “Dandy Jelly”, which tastes just like honey and so pretty to give as gifts or line up in your pantry.
After you have gathered your blossoms, the first step in making your dandelion jelly is to make dandelion tea. Fill a mason jar with freshly washed dandelion heads and cover with boiling water. Let it sit overnight.
In the morning, we strained the tea and put the soggy dandelion flowers into the compost. The tea will now be used for our Dandy Jelly! You will need about four cups of the dandelion tea for this recipe. [You can add a little bit of water to the tea if it does not reach four cups.]
You will now need the following:
* 8 cups of sugar (I reduced it the first time and it did not set -so, if you feel like there is too much sugar, go ahead and reduce, but do so with caution! It may be very runny or too liquid.)
* Place sugar and dandelion liquid into a big pot. Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice and stir well.
Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for a few minutes.
Add two packages of liquid certo and boil for another few minutes.
Ladle into clean mason jars (small ones make prettier gifts) and seal. I water bathed for 20 minutes.
by Gigi
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