# Making Dandelion Syrup or Jelly



## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Start out with a yard full of these:










End up with a bunch of these:










First, pick the flowers. Ideally you want ones like the one on the left (large and open):










Or the one on the right (opened) as opposed to the one on the left with the tight center:










Of course the flowers should come from untreated, non herbicide/pesticide sprayed areas. Once you've got a good bowl full (3-4 cups or so) you nedd to remove the green parts. The easist is to squeeze and twirl. As you do the yellow petals mostly pop right out.














































Place the petals into a measuring cup. You need 2 cups of petals which come from 3-4 cups of flowers.










Put 2 cups of petals in a pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer 10 minutes. Strain out the petals and return the liquid to the pot. Add 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and boil for a few minutes.










Finally, add the pectin. The original recipe called for 1 ¼ teaspoons pectin but I used a liquid packet version instead. In my case it thickened but never set into jelly so I treated it as syrup instead. If you want jelly, add the pectin and cook as described on your package of pectin. Perhaps i didn't cook it down enough or something.










Pour into jars (I used 4 half pints here) and follow the standard water bath canning practices, although if you will use it almost immediately (say within a few days) then you should be able to forgo the canning process.










I also doubled everything and made a larger batch that I was able to fill pint and quart jars with. The flavor varies but can fairly reasonably be described as a cross between honey and green tea, at least for the flowers in my area.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

What a great post! Pictures,measurements, and specific instructions....That's my kind of recipe.

Thanks!


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks! I nearly dug up a dandelion today, but then I remembered this thread. We will be trying this out this summer. Can you freeze the flowers if you don't have a ton of dandelions or do they all have to be fresh?


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## cooksarah78 (Mar 23, 2013)

Thank you can't wait to try this. Ill also be doing blackberry jelly this fall.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Toffee said:


> Thanks! I nearly dug up a dandelion today, but then I remembered this thread. We will be trying this out this summer. Can you freeze the flowers if you don't have a ton of dandelions or do they all have to be fresh?


Never tried freezing them. Getting 3-4 cups of flowers really isn't that difficult. If I picked nearly all in our yard (roughly a 1/3rd acre) I'd probably end up with a dozen cups and a week later I could get another dozen.

I find May-June to be the best time frame depending on the weather. By late june they're mostly done flowering. Sometimes we get another round in the fall, but last year there wasn't enough to make it worth it. Once they start here, you have 30-45 days or so until they're mostly done flowering.

If I have one in my garden beds I pluck the flower, then pull the rest out, otherwise the ones everywhere else I just leave.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Great instructions and photos! You make the process clear as can be.

How are some of the ways you're using the syrup? Just curious and always looking for ideas...


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

goshengirl said:


> Great instructions and photos! You make the process clear as can be.
> 
> *How are some of the ways you're using the syrup?* Just curious and always looking for ideas...


Took the words right out of my mouth (er, fingers?), GG...


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Ya know I'm gonna have ta try this. I've always used em fer wine. Will have ta make a small batch, can't have to much jelly, but when I do I like somethin different.

Nice work buddy!


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Thanks for the post and the great pics! I have so many dandelions in my yard that a couple of summers ago a city friend's daughter asked my daughter if we had planted them. I've heard of using the leaves, but never heard of making jelly out of the petals. Sounds like something new to try. Thanks!


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## GroovyMike (Feb 25, 2010)

And as a side not if you are hungry in summer I once ate the petals from 40 dandelion blossoms just to see what would happen to my digestive system. There were no ill effects at all.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Ya know I'm gonna have ta try this. I've always used em fer wine. Will have ta make a small batch, can't have to much jelly, but when I do I like somethin different.
> 
> Nice work buddy!


I have a batch of standard "grape" wine brewing in my basement that has an expected bottling date of April 13 2013 ... that would be around the right time-frame for me to start plucking in order to make dandelion wine / jelly / syrup.

Do you have a step-by-step process that I can follow for wine before I start making my next batch of grape-wine (and then the fall could be crab-apple wine / jelly and cherry jam / jelly / wine) ...

Hmm .. <hick> ... I might becomin' an alkie .. :beercheer:


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Here be a perty good site:
http://trustyguides.com/wine-making.html
I ain't no expert at makin wine really. I make some what don't taste to bad (well I don't thin so anywho). Now raisin jack on the other hand...........:cheers:


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Just made this today. It's cooling now, then I will try it. I only made about 1/2 a cup or so, but if we like it, it will become a staple quite quickly, I'm sure.


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## cedarguy (Nov 19, 2012)

Love this idea but what is the purpose of straining the petals?


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

I think it is just so you don't have a bunch of fuzzies in your final product, but it could have something to do with flavor, too.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

The original recipe I found listed it this way. By boiling you've extracted much of what you want from the petals (flavor) and since syrup or jelly isn't usually chunky or textured... there is no reason to keep them in there.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Toffee said:


> Just made this today. It's cooling now, then I will try it. I only made about 1/2 a cup or so, but if we like it, it will become a staple quite quickly, I'm sure.


So... it's been 2 days already.... haven't you tried it yet!?!


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## debbluu (Dec 16, 2012)

I can't keep this here. Everyone loves the jelly. It takes me about 4 days to pick enough blossoms but its worth it ( I only pick my yard). Tastes a lot like honey.


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

CulexPipiens said:


> So... it's been 2 days already.... haven't you tried it yet!?!


Sorry, I have been trying to wait until my husband tries it, because I'm fairly convinced he will be able to give a really good flavor profile, but we are both working a ton this week and have opposite schedules. I love the stuff and I will be making more in the next few days for sure, even if he somehow doesn't like it.


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

I really enjoyed the jelly, but my husband was not as convinced. It didn't have enough flavor for him. So, I will try again sometime.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

I ended up with just shy of two gallons. I had a pint jar break in the water bath or I would have had a full two gallons. A couple should have come out as Jelly (although I didn't check yet), the rest were done as syrup. For almost two weeks my fingers were black from sqeezing the dandelion stems! Now all I have is a yard full of white puff balls... or as I think of it, next year's seed stock!


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