Dandelion Jelly

So, my pictures aren't exactly in order, but this new lap top is making things a little difficult right now. There's nothing like trying to get the feel of a new lap top, especially when everything seems to be backwards from the way it was on your previous!
Alright, so I decided that I really really really wanted to make Dandelion Jelly. I've been thinking about it for years. The other morning when I went outside, and saw hundreds of them in my yard all at once, I knew it was time. Now, if I saw bees busy at certain patches of them, I left those for the bees, because its still cold out, and dandelions are indeed their first food of the spring, which is what makes me cringe when people poison theirs because they are an eyesore to them. Dandelions are food that are enjoyable to everyone.

Anyways! Back to the jelly...so it really helps if you have a helper, which I didn't until closer to the end, because mine works night shift. The first thing you have to do is pick 10 cups of Dandelion flowers. Try to just get the head, because its going to make it look like you have more than you need. Once you have your flowers picked, get yourself a pair of scissors and a comfortable place to sit, because this next part takes a while. You need to cut all of the green away from and off of the flower, you are only using the petals for this. You will need 4 cups of these petals, which feels like forever to get to.
Once you get your petals all cut, put them into a big glass bowl, and cover with boiling water. I wasn't really given an amount, on the directions that I got, so I just filled a pan and boiled some water.
Then once you cover them with the boiling water, place a lid or a towel over top of this, and let it sit over night.  The next morning strain the flowers out of the tea that you will have made. One of those hanging jelly bags would be perfect for this in all honesty. (I'm planning on purchasing one in the near future after this). You can also run them through a coffee filter, or a very clean towel.
Now for the Jelly making recipe since we are at this point.
you will need
4 cups of Dandelion tea,
1 pack of powdered pectin,
4 and 1/2 cups of sugar,
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Put your tea, pectin and lemon juice in the pan, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, and your sugar and bring back to a second boil, the kind of boil that doesn't stir down, once you've reached that point, boil for 1 minute, and keep stirring.
At the end of that minute, ladle into clean sanitized jars. I used multiple sized jars as you can see in my picture, so just wash extra. Put on lid, and water bath it for 10 minutes. Allow to sit over night and once its cool store in a cool dark place. This jelly will take up to 2 days to completely jell.

Yes its a lot of work, and I will probably never make it again, but it was most certainly an experience worth sharing with all of you, and if you do make it, please let me and my readers know what you all thought of it!!!

This spring/summer, I'm planning on trying some other types of jelly. I'm going to make corn cob jelly, because my sweet mother in law keeps bringing it up, and I think that means she wants some, and then I'm planning on making lilac jelly. I'm very interested in how that's going to turn out and look.

I did discover yesterday though, that I'm going to have to buy some more jelly jars. I seem to have lots more jelly to make, and not so very many jelly jars.