Using Flowers in Jams & Jellies
 

I made some jelly last week and got a little creative. It was a mixed jelly, made up of plums, blackberries, aronia berries, elderberries, blueberries and strawberries. I put them all together cooked them a little on the stove and mashed them up. I then added some lavender sprigs, rose geranium leaves, a few sprigs of mint, some lemon peel and juice, a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves. I let that sit over night and strained it all a couple of times, so that my juice would be nice and clear. From there, I just followed the recipe on the back of my Pomona Pectin box.

They jelly turned out really good! It's very bright and cheerful. You couldn't really taste the flowers, spices, or mint, but they all added another dimension...something you can't quite put your finger on, but super tasty, almost like adding a splash of wine to a sauce. I'm calling it my, "Christmas Jelly."

~ C

I make dandelion jelly every spring...tastes like honey. If I can get to enough of them at the right time, I also make violet jelly. It tastes a lot like the generic 'mixed berry' or 'wild berry' filling in pop tarts and other storebought treats. I never make very much, maybe 6-10 half-cup jars of each kind. Just enough to keep a few for us and give the rest out as novelty treats.

I also want to try rose petal, lilac, and peony, it's just a matter of remembering I want to make them when they're in bloom.