How to Make Redbud and Lilac Jellies
Last year about this time, I made a peach pie with redbuds and wrote a piece for Dearest Nature exhorting the amazing goodness of redbuds as little edible garnishes. About that same time, I really wanted to make a redbud jelly, but alas, I waited too long. The redbuds had already started falling from the branches and there were not enough left to can. I determined that redbud jelly would be on the list FOR SURE this spring and today I bring you the result!
Canning Jars
Fresh Canning Lids
Boiling Water
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Unflavored Pectin (This is what makes jelly JELLY!)
*Highlighted products are linked to Amazon for your perusal
It honestly is just as simple as making Jello, so if you have mastered Jello, you can master any floral jellies! (...and pst....don't tell the canning aficionados but these are SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than fruit jellies where you have to pit, clean, hull and smash the fruit! Go flowers!)
Want to see how I top these jars of jelly off for gifting? (Psst -- it costs just a few pennies!) CLICK HERE for my secrets!
Supplies:
Redbuds (and Lilacs -- see below!)Canning Jars
Fresh Canning Lids
Boiling Water
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Unflavored Pectin (This is what makes jelly JELLY!)
*Highlighted products are linked to Amazon for your perusal
Step #1
The process is simple really. Pick the flower buds from the branches when they are in bloom (Zone 5, you have about another week to get them I presume!) and simply place them into a jar. Rinse once to get rid of dirt, but do this quickly and only once as the color leaches quickly!Step #2
Poor boiling water over the buds in the canning jar. Let the can sit for 24 hours. (PS - USE a canning jar as they are made for super high heat!)
Notice how the color starts leaching almost immediately out of the buds. It is kind of amazing!
See that purple can hiding back there behind the redbuds? Those would be lilac buds. While I was out gathering redbuds, I saw the lilacs were in bloom and thought I would go ahead and make both. The process is the same -- just different flowers!
Surprisingly, my variety of lilacs gave me almost the exact same color as the redbuds. Shocking how it went from bright and deep purple to saturated PINK! Maybe it knew we were celebrating news of a new baby GIRL!! ;)
Moving on in the process though....
Step #3
Once the buds have sat for 24 hours, simply strain the liquids into a fresh jar, squeezing the buds to get out all the color and flavor you can! Isn't it a beautiful color??
Step #4
Once you have your flavored floral liquids, you will choose between an instant pectin and a classic pectin. You are supposed to be able to stir the instant pectin and sugar in, stir for 3 minutes then chill, but it did not work that well for me. I had much better luck with the CLASSIC pectin. The process is still very simple. The classic just needs heating.
Step #5
For classic pectin, add your liquid to a pot, add sugar, pectin (it looks like the powder in Jello!) and enough water to get up to the ratios listed on the pectin packaging. Also add in 1 T of lemon juice to add a little bite to the floral flavor. Heat to a boil, constantly stirring, turn heat down and stir for 3 minutes. Decant into a jar, chill and voila! You are done!
Update from comments:
I left the recipe a bit vague because:
#1 Each brand a pectin is slightly different. Check the back of the packaging for exact measurements.
#2 You will want to add SLIGHTLY more pectin than normal since you are dealing with floral liquid instead of fruit (which has naturally occurring pectin).
#3 I used 3.5 Tablespoons per ball jar to get these to set, using the hot method, not the instant.
It honestly is just as simple as making Jello, so if you have mastered Jello, you can master any floral jellies! (...and pst....don't tell the canning aficionados but these are SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than fruit jellies where you have to pit, clean, hull and smash the fruit! Go flowers!)
Want to see how I top these jars of jelly off for gifting? (Psst -- it costs just a few pennies!) CLICK HERE for my secrets!
If you liked this tutorial, then you might enjoy the BOOK!
Make your own coconut oil.
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Give gifts naturally grown and crafted from your backyard garden.
Each chapter focuses on a plant or groups of plants and how to grow them in your home garden. Then, gather up those natural ingredients and get crafting! From lavender wreaths and hypertufa planters to lambsear angels and pickled tomatoes, there are projects for beginners on up!
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If your library does NOT have it yet, this is why you should talk to your librarian!
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