Dandelion, violet and lavender jelly...

Hey friends! If you are like me, you now have an abundance of dandelions and violets in your yard.  DO NOT KILL THEM WITH CHEMICALS OR RUN OVER THEM WITH YOUR MOWER!!!!    :)

There are so many things you can with those babies. I chose to make jelly today! I combined the dandelions and violets and added some lavender from last year's garden. YUM!

Here it is!

One quart dandelions/violets/lavender mixture.
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice with some zest
6 cups sugar ( I use vanilla sugar)
Vanilla bean
pectin
water


Now I am not giving instructions on canning so I assume you can do that on your own...if not, do your research first!

Boil your flowers in about 5-6 cups of water for about 15 minutes to make a very strong tea. Strain and use that liquid to mix with your lemon juice and zest and vanilla bean and pectin  (I used about 43 grams of powdered pectin) and bring to boil. Add your sugar and boil for about 5-10 minutes stirring frequently. Make sure you get your gel stage by doing a spoon test.

Remember to remove the vanilla bean before canning.


Once you've taken your cans from the water bath, waiting for the pings is the most satisfying thing to a canner! :)


I have also included a picture of dandelions infusing in olive and sunflower oils. Wonderful summertime moisturizer!

There you go!  Enjoy!