Weekend with Dandelion “Honey” (Jelly)

I promised in the last post Friday at the Écomusée d’Alsace, that I would share a recipe.  I had to first try this recipe before I shared it with you and that is what I did this weekend.   Now that I have made it once, I am ready to share the recipe and it is kind of a weird one… it features dandelion flower petals…  Dandelion Jelly!

Here is some back story:

While at the museum we noticed a young lady picking dandelions and when we visited the “home” she worked out we found out why she was picking them.  She was making a jelly out of the flowers.  She told us that her grandmother use to make this recipe and it was a great substitute for honey.  She put some on a piece of bread and asked us to taste..

Umm… YA… I am not a big “weed” eater… first I hesitated (offering it to the kids… who didn’t gag or spit it out…) next with a bit of skepticism I tasted this  “weed juice”.  I was instantly surprised with the taste.  It was eerily similar to honey… (that is the second time in a week I have has used the word eerily… maybe I should have stated uncannily… don’t want to be too repetitive).

I think all of you should give it a try… so here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 50 grams of dandelion flower pedals (just the yellow pedals)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 kg of sugar
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine

I grabbed this bottle of Gewurztraminer (that is hard to say) from my mother in-laws “stash”.  It is an “off-dry” wine instead of a “dry” wine but it seemed to have worked fine.

Steps:

Step 1:  Pick the flowers.. make sure they are open… dry and not already sprayed with weed killer

Step 2:  Put the flowers  (entier… don’t pluck the yellow pedals yet) into vinegar water to wash and hopefully remove all of the bugs.

Step 3:  Pluck all of the yellow pedals into a bowl.   I had more than 50 grams… I don’t think that the amount has to be that precise.

Step 4:  Mix sugar, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of white wine, and the juice of two lemons.   Heat mixture using a “low” heat… you don’t want to make caramel.

Step 5:  Add dandelion pedals and let cook under low heat for 15 minutes.

Step 6:  Pass through colander (to separate the liquid from the pedals… press the pedals to remove liquid).

Step 7:  In a new pot add 1 cup of water and the drained pedals and bring to a boil.  Pass through the same colander and add the new liquid to the previous liquid.

Step 8:   Cook liquid (weed juice) for about 20 minutes… again under low heat.

Step 9:  Place dandelion jelly into jars.

This is how it originally looked.   I thought the dandelion “honey” was to “liquid-y”…. so I cooked it for another hour until it became the consistency of thick honey.  It also darkened and I liked the flavor better… very much like honey.

While this tastes like honey… I am not sure that it is as good for you as honey… In any case, It is fun to make.  Give it a try… great springtime recipe.