Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Dandelion jelly tastes a bit like honey. It is true. My youngest took a taste and proclaimed the "honey" good.

This was a fun project to try out. I was a little leery as to how it would taste so I only made one batch the first time. I didn't want to use all that sugar and find we really didn't like it.

I had no reason to fear. It is delicious. I made another 2 batches to have for Christmas gifts this year. (Uhm..... if you are a relative of mine pretend you didn't read that.)

Be sure and pick your dandelions where you know they have not been sprayed. When we asked our neighbor farmer if we could go out in the field and pick dandelions. He said sure. Then looked at me a little funny! I gave him a little jar of dandelion jelly as a thank you.

I sent my sons and a visiting friend out picking with a gallon drink pitcher and they were back in a jiffy. I think their friend probably though I was a little kooky too! I think I'm getting a reputation!

Pick at least 10 cups of dandelion blossoms. Just blossoms no stems. (they are bitter)

Snip off base of each flower until you have just yellow petals. You need to end up with 4 cups petals.

I tried several methods of getting the petals. I finally settled on pinching the flower and using a scissors to cut off the base.

dandelion jelly

This is a little tedious... ok it is a lot tedious. But it is worth it! dandelio jelly

Then I used my fingers to pull off any green parts that were left. It is ok if there are little bits of green.

Next pour boiling water over the petals. Let this sit until room temperature or overnight if possible. When this has brewed you will have a darkish yellow dandelion "tea".

Now you are ready to make the dandelion jelly.

Gather your canning supplies

water bath canner
canning jars
canning lids and rings
jar lifter
canning funnel
bowls
large pot
large spoons
towels and dish cloths
scissors

Ingredients

Boiling water
4 Cups dandelion petals
4 1/2 Cups sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 box powdered pectin

Fill your canner 2/3 full of water and begin heating the water as you make your jelly. This only makes 4 cups of jelly so you can use any pot that will cover whatever jars you choose to use. The pot needs to hold enough water to cover your jars by 2 inches of water and have a rack to keep the jars off the bottom.

Strain the "dandelion tea" through a coffee filter or or jelly bag to remove all petals. Add additional water if needed to measure 3 Cups liquid.

Add "tea", lemon juice, 1 box of pectin and sugar into large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling 1-2 minutes.