RELATED STORY: THE DANDY DANDELION
MAKES 6–8 HALF-PINT MASON JARS
3–4 cups loosely packed freshly picked dandelion petals*
4 cups boiling water
¼ cup lemon juice
1¾ ounces powdered fruit pectin
1¾ cups honey
Place petals into a large bowl or a quart-sized mason jar. Pour boiling water over the petals and steep for about 4 or 5 hours. At this point, the dandelion tea can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
When ready to make the jam, strain the petals in a colander lined with a coffee filter, which should yield between 3 and 4 cups of dandelion tea. Add the dandelion tea, lemon juice, and pectin to a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add honey and bring it back to boil. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, skim off the white film, and divide into prepared half-pint mason jars. At this point, the jam may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. To make shelf-stable jam that lasts up to a year, the jars must be processed for canning. Don’t forget to label the jars.
*The petals must be removed from the flower’s green base.
