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.
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