#granny core

DANDELION JELLY:

Ingredients

* 2 cups dandelion petals, lightly packed * 4 cups water * 4 cups sugar * 2 Tbs. lemon juice * 1 box powdered pectin

Instructions

1. Three or four big heaping cups of heads yields about two flat cups of petals. Big open blooms are better than little or half-open ones. Use your thumbnail to cut open the green base of flower and peel out the petals just above the undeveloped seeds. It will take about an hour to get two cups of petals, once you get the hang of it. Pick out any stray green bits: too many left in the mix will make the jelly yellow-green instead of gold. 2. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the flower petals. Allow them to cool and then place into the fridge for at least 24 hours. Up to 48 hours is okay. 3. Strain the flowers well and squeeze out as much dandelion tea as possible. Make sure no petals remain in the juice, as they could decay in the jelly and shorten the shelf life. 4. Place into a large pot your 4 cups of dandelion tea, lemon juice, and pectin. Bring it to a boil while stirring the pectin. 5. Add sugar and return to a boil while stirring it smooth. Boil the jelly for 1 to 2 minutes. 6. Remove from the heat and pour into canning jars. Let cool on windowsill if possible and pop into fridge. Unless properly sealed with professional canning techniques, do not ever leave homemade jelly at room temperature, and consume fridge jelly in one or two months. Jelly can be frozen if it’s set right, but only thawed once, so several small jars are better than one big jar.