What do you get when you blend sugar + spring? Yummy goodness!
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| foraging along sidewalks |
Violet Jam
I adapted this recipe to suit my low-maintenance purposes. Here's what I did:
3/4 cup to 1 cup loosely packed violet blossoms
1 cup water
3 T lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 package liquid pectin
Blend violets, 1/2 cup water, and lemon juice. Heat 1/2 cup water, cinnamon, honey, and sugar in a saucepan. When warm, add pectin and stir until mixed well. Add violet mixture, then bring to a boil. Stir constantly for about two minutes. Pour into prepared jars to set. Don't have to bother canning - just eat, refrigerate, or freeze. Eat with soft goat cheese or cream cheese on good crackers, like these ones. Makes 3-4 125 ml jars of jam.
Dandelion Jelly
4 cups whole dandelion flowers (not stems)
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups sugar
3 oz / 85 ml liquid pectin
yellow food colouring (optional)
Pick open, yellow flowers, snipping off the stems. Collect about 4 cups whole dandelion flowers. Snip off the yellow parts into a bowl (you'll get a bit of green - that's ok). Pour 2 cups boiling water over the yellow snips and let it steep for 1 hour or overnight. Strain through a fine sieve or coffee filter, reserving the dandelion infusion. Pour the infusion into a large pot, then stir in lemon juice and sugar. Cook on high; bring to a full rolling boil. Add liquid pectin and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Skim any foam that rises to the surface. Add food colouring to make it look more yellow. I used 15 drops because 15 seemed like a nice number. Ladle quickly into prepared hot jars. Place warm lids and bands on before filling the next jar. Screw band on tightly, then flip jar upside down for 5 to 10 minutes to seal. If any jars don't seal, process them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes, eat right away, or put in fridge or freezer. Makes 9 small 125 ml jars of goodness. Yummy on bagels.
Happy spring to you!
Oh my goodness - that's a creative breakfast (or lunch :P?) plate!! Yummy jelly recipe. I'd never even HEARD of dandelion jelly until my neighbor introduced the idea a couple of years ago. Growing up on a farm, dandelions were "weeds" and that was it. Nothing more ;). Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteYes - they can be pests! I saw the dandelion jelly in a bakery near us - Old Order Mennonite - and thought it would be fun to try our own this year. One benefit is the cheap ingredients!
ReplyDelete