How to Make and Can Dandelion Jelly

Basic Steps for Making Dandelion Jelly

• Pick the dandelions
• Separate the yellow petals from the rest of the flower
• Make dandelion tea, by adding boiling water to the petals
• Let tea sit overnight
• Strain the flowers from the liquid
• Add the liquid/tea to pot
• Add lemon juice and powdered pectin
• Bring to a boil
• Add sugar
• Bring to a boil and boil 1 to 2 minutes
• Skim off foam
• Put in jars
• Water bath can for 10 minutes

I am going to tell you how to turn those pesky dandelions into a tasty, sweet dandelion jelly with a honey-like taste. Plus also how to can the dandelion jelly recipe so it can be stored on your shelf for a long time. Homemade dandelion jelly also makes a great gift!

I said dandelions are pesky, but I have never really thought so. I never understood the issue with them and people’s fight to wipe them out of their yards. They are pretty little yellow flowers! Plus the fight is pretty useless and it involves putting harmful chemicals on your lawn! Dandelion season does not last that long. I have plenty of dandelions for many dandelion recipes and am happy about that!

Health Benefits of Dandelions

Dandelions are so good for you in many ways, all parts of the dandelion! The dandelion roots, dandelion greens, and dandelion flowers all provide health benefits and are abundant in vitamins and minerals. All through history dandelions have been used for medical purposes, and have been used to treat cysts, inflammation, swollen lymph nodes and can help toxify the liver and kidneys. They can help liver disorders, aid in digestion, help control diabetes, improve bone heath, blood pressure and immune benefits, the list is endless.

This article from Medical News Today discusses the many health benefits of dandelions.

I plan to explore the many uses of dandelions in the future. This post will show you how to make beautiful, tasty dandelion jelly from the fresh dandelion flowers.

Detailed Instructions on How to Make Dandelion Jelly

The first step is to pick dandelions. My yard has a plethora of dandelions and I don’t use any type of pesticides or herbicides on my lawn. That is one thing you need to be aware of, of course.

Also need to watch our for these little buggers!

I picked quite a few dandelion blossoms, you will need at least 2 cups of the actual yellow flower petals to make a batch of the jelly, which is 5 to 6 half pints.

Separate the dandelion flower petals from the rest of the dandelion heads. You can use scissors to separate the yellow flower petals or do this by hand. I did it by hand, by twisting the green part off. Try to get as little of the green parts in there as possible, but it does not matter if you have some green in with the petals. The recipe needs as least two cups of dandelion petals.

Next step is to pour 4 cups of boiling water over the yellow petals of the dandelion flowers.

Place the dandelion/water mixture in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, strain the petals from the liquid by pouring through a fine mesh sieve, cheese cloth, or coffee filter. Squeeze out any remaining water. I added some yellow food coloring to make my jelly more yellow.

Add the dandelion tea to a large saucepan and add lemon juice and powdered pectin.

Adding powdered pectin.

Bring to a boil and then add 4 cups of sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 to 2 minutes, a foam will occur on the top.

Skim foam from the top.

Detailed Instructions for Canning the Dandelion Jelly

Add the dandelion mixture to canning jars. I used half pint jars. It is best to use a canning funnel so the mixture will not spill or get on the rims of the jars.

Fill the jars to 1/4 inch headspace.

Wipe the rims of the jar with a damp cloth or wet paper towel and remove the air bubbles. Add the jars to the canning pot and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes at a full rolling boil. Remove the hot jars and let sit for 24 hours without disturbing. Note: Sometimes it takes at least a day or more for the jelly to completely set up. Most of the time they are not quite set when you remove them from the canner.

Enjoy!

Enjoy this yummy sweet jelly with the honey-like taste. Another awesome thing about dandelion jelly is that is it a great kid activity.

For more of my canning recipes and other favorite great recipes, plus posts about other homestead-type activities, such as gardening and raising chickens, go to my website at www.HawkPointHomestead.com. For updates, please follow my Facebook page at Hawk Point Hobby Homestead.

My website also includes additional floral jellies, including my redbud jelly recipe, lilac jelly recipe and apple blossom jelly recipe.

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Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Yield: 5 pints

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A fun recipe to make honey like jelly from dandelions out of your yard!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of dandelion petals
• 4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pkg powdered pectin
• 4 cups of sugar

Instructions

1. Remove the yellow petals from the rest of the dandelion
2. Add 4 cups of boiling water to the dandelion petals
3. Let steep overnight in the refrigerator for 24 hours
4. Strain the petals from the liquid using a fine sieve or cheesecloth
5. Add the liquid to a large pot
6. Add lemon juice and pectin
7. Bring to a boil
8. Add sugar and boil for 1 to 2 minutes
9. Skim the foam from the top
10. Add the jelly mixture to half pint or 4 oz canning jars
11. Process in water bath for 10 minutes at a full rolling boil
12. Remove the jars and let sit for 24 hours.

Notes

Note: Sometimes it takes at least a day or more for the jelly to completely set up. Most of the time they are not quite set when you remove them from the canner.