This dandelion jelly is a low-sugar or made with honey spring treat in a jar, filled with sunshine to keep in your life year-round! This recipe makes about 5 half pint jars of jelly.
Pick the dandelion petals to remove them from the greens. Fill about 2 cups full of packed petals or 4 cups of loose packed petals.
Place the dandelion petals into a heat-safe quart jar.
Once you have filled a quart jar with loosely packed fresh dandelion petals, pour the boiling water over them to make the tea infusion.
Let it steep for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
Dandelion Jelly
First, prepare the calcium water by combining ½ tsp of calcium powder (from the Pomona's Pectin package) with ½ cup water in a small jar. Shake well. Any extra calcium water can be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
Place the jars in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat and keep the jars in the hot water until it is time to use them.
Place the lids in a small pot and heat to a low boil, then turn the heat off and keep them in the hot water until ready to use.
Using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain the dandelion tea and compost the spent petals.
Pour 4 cups of dandelion tea into a medium saucepan. If necessary, add a small amount of water to bring the tea up to meet this measurement.
Add 4 teaspoons of the calcium water and lemon juice, and mix well.
In a small bowl, mix the honey or sugar and pectin together until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Heat the jelly in a pot until it comes to a full boil. Add the pectin-honey mixture and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes until the jelly comes back up to a boil.
Once the jelly returns to a boil, remove it from the heat.
Fill the hot jars with the jelly leaving ¼ inch of space at the top. Wipe the rims clean, and pop any bubbles as necessary. Cover the jars with a lid and ring.
To can, place the filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil for 10 minutes (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level).
Remove from the water and let the jars cool, then check to make sure they are sealed.
Eat within a year. Once opened, the jelly lasts 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
Note that Pomona's Universal Pectin comes with the calcium powder needed to make this low-sugar dandelion jelly. This recipe calls for only the yellow dandelion petals and not the greens. The green parts are bitter so it’s best to minimize that in this recipe if possible.The petals can be frozen for later use if necessary, or if they aren't collected all at once.