Dandelion jam

What do you do when you have a keen dandelion picker in the family and a lawn that hasn't been mown in two weeks?



Make dandelion jam. Of course.

I had seen this recipe in the first issue of Homegrown magazine some time ago and was intrigued. You know dandelions are supposed to be very good for you.

So when we came back from Australia to a lawn covered in dandelion flowers, I seized the opportunity and set my dandelion picking pro to work. He was very committed to the job, he picked every dandelion on the lawn (and a few buttercups too).
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Here is the recipe if anyone else wants to try it.
Warning, you need to have lots of patience or hire a dandelion picking pro. It takes a lot of dandelion petals to fill 2 cups.

:: Dandelion jam ::

2 cups dandelion petals
juice and zest of one lemon
2 cups boiling water
3 cups sugar
1/2 packet of powdered pectin

Pick off the dandelion petals, avoiding the green bits of the stalk as they are bitter. Steep along with the lemon zest in the boiling water overnight. Strain through muslin cloth to squeeze out as much of the flavour as possible. Discard the zest and petals.



Boil up the dandelion infusion with the lemon juice and sugar, then add the pectin and boil for 10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and pour into sterilised jars and store in the fridge for up to a month.

I tested mine after 10 minutes to see if it would set but it still seemed quite runny so I added a bit more pectin and boiled a bit more. In the end I think I over cooked it as the sugar started to caramalise. If I'd waited much longer I think I could have had dandelion toffee - which doesn't actually sound too bad.

Look at this crazy dandelion we found.



By the way, in response to your comments. It tastes yummy. Just slightly floral and lemony, not at all bitter.

15 comments

Heart Felt said...

Thats fantastic, let us know how it turns out. xx

Anonymous said...

Hmmm.... not sure if Im sold on this one.
When I think of dandelions I think of dandelion coffee which I drank alot of when I was pregnant with Taleb, I can still taste the bitterness in my mouth, come to think of it Im not sure why I did drink so much of it, hmmm, again.
Anyway Im sure this must taste alot better, save some for us for when we next visit.
oxoxoxo

turehutinker said...

If it's bitter it's even better for you. Lots of iron.
Thats a fascinating jam and good on your little helper.The strange dandelion looks like a mini sunflower. :)

sweetp said...

Omg, really? Will have to try one day. I think our lawn just has daisies though

Our Green Nest said...

That looks/ sound good! (and interesting)...

Anonymous said...

I shall be giving Liam the title of 'D.P.P' (Dandelion Pro Picker).
Granma :)

speckled egg said...

What a fabtastic and unusal recepie. I'm going to try it for sure-just got to find some dandelions!

Anonymous said...

I live in france and a french friend and I have so many dandelions we just had to find something to do with them. We both have to use what we find in our gardens so this sounds ok. But don't worry, we shall soon let you know either way.

The comments that i see all seem to be written round Dec, did you all really have dandelions growing at that time of year? "smillin"

hanna said...

Hello over there in France, yes do let me know how it goes.
December is the start of summer for us down here, hence all the dandelions. We also have a very mild climate, no snow where I live so dandelions grow most the year.
x
Hanna

Yorkshire Foragers said...

I have made my own version of this one, its really really lovely on toast for breakfast on a warm spring sunday morning (like today)

Anonymous said...

lovely, thanks for helping me find a recipe! BYW, buttercups are toxic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus

Anonymous said...

I just had some delicious dandelion jam, only it had orange juice in it instead of lemon juice. It was delicious and had a beautiful golden yellow color.

pharmacy said...

I will do it, in my case, I hadn't heard anything about it but dandelion jam sounds really interesting to make at home.

Anonymous said...

Hi!
"1/2 a package" of powdered pectin is pretty vague, as pectin comes in many different quantities. I buy it in bulk.
Could you be more specific please?

THANKS! Excited to make this.

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