I Made Dandelion Jelly

And it’s Good!

You know how some things just tick your curiosity and won’t leave you alone? I’ve been looking at recipes for dandelion jelly for months. With time on my hands because of this quarantine, I decided…why not? This blog post definitely belongs in the “trash to treasure” category!

So I took a basket, traipsed around our 9/10 of an acre yard and picked the largest of the dandelion blossoms. It took me about 1/2 hour to pick a quart. I made a small dent in the dandelion population…which lasted about 24 hours and then they were back, of course.

On the bright side, there will be an endless supply for future dandelion products…I have my sights on some dandelion wine recipes!

Dandelion Jelly Recipes

There are several recipes online, most are similar in their ingredients. I used this basic recipe from Homestead Acres. Some recipes add lemon juice, some add vanilla, and some don’t add any flavoring.

They all say that dandelion jelly has an underlying taste of honey. How wonderful! So, I decided to add orange juice and orange zest. It turned out like orange marmelade, which my family likes, mostly due to a deep love for Paddington Bear.

On a side note…there is a Flickr photography group dedicated to the Paddington Bear Trail, with pictures of statues all over London. So cute!

Dandelion Jelly Supplies

Dandelion Tea, sugar, lemon juice, pectin. That’s the basic recipe, but you can rif on it all you want.

First gather your dandelion flowers and carefully cut off as much of the green part as you can, leaving the yellow petals. The fewer green outer petals you have, the less bitter your jelly.

When you have two cups of petals, put them in a quart jar and cover them with four cups of boiling water. Cover and let your “dandelion tea” cool on the counter. Then place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours to continue steeping.

Strain your tea. I used a colander and a coffee filter.

Boil the tea with four cups of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (I used the juice of one orange and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.) Lemon or orange zest is optional.

Add a box of pectin to a small amount of water and add to boiling water while whisking, so it doesn’t clump. (much like a corn starch slurry) Boil for 1 to 2 minutes.

Let it cool a little then pour it into prepared containers. Most recipes call for canning the jelly when done, but I gave mine away as gifts, so I just poured it into plastic containers and refrigerated it.

The next day I had it on toast. It was just like orange marmalade! It had the underlying honey taste that I’ve been reading about. I think the next time I make it I will add a vanilla bean.

Stay tuned for my Dandelion Wine adventures!