Dandelion Jelly

Pull the yellow blossoms apart from the green parts. Get lots and lots of blossoms.. While you are collecting them, you can freeze what you already have. Make sure there are no green parts since the green parts have a bitter flavor. I pack the blossoms into a 4 cup measure. More blossoms mean more flavor for the jelly.

Bring the water to a boil and fill the water with dandelion blossom shreds. Simmer over very gentle heat about 10 minutes. Pour the water and blossoms through a strainer. Press the blossoms as dry as possible to extract the maximum amount of water. Add more blossoms to the strained water and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Continue simmering and straining until all the blossoms are used up. Add more water to make up 3 cups. You lose some water because it is caught in the blossoms. Strain the water very well. I use a coffee filter. Combine water with lemon juice, sugar and pectin. Bring to roiling boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Boil hard for one minute. Skim. Pour into hot jars and seal. I haven't used food coloring but I have seen this jelly lightly tinted and it looks prettier.