The Truth About Dandelions + My Low Sugar Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Dandelion jelly is a delicious way to bottle the taste of sunshine and spring to enjoy all year long. Dandelions are one of the most common weeds found in yards, ditches, and sidewalk cracks across the country. You might be surprised to find out that from root to flower, every part of a dandelion is edible, and it actually has powerful health benefits.

Edible Parts of a Dandelion

Years ago, I was helping my friend in her garden. She is the one who sparked my love of gardening so many years ago. She pulled some weeds and left some “prettier” ones. When I asked why she left some, she told me “They’re only weeds if you don’t want them and they don’t serve a purpose.” That sentiment always stuck with me, and as I have learned more about gardening and foraging, those words have always come back to me. Our generation has lost so much knowledge that was common to our ancestors about the uses of various plants that grow wild, and have instead decided that they’re weeds because they don’t match our perfectly manicured lawns. Thankfully, that mindset seems to be shifting. At least within my circle of influence, and I’m so excited to relearn the things that other generations knew.

Health Benefits of Dandelion Plant

Flowers

For this dandelion jelly recipe, we will be using the flower portion of the plant. They have a light, floral, honey-like flavor that just epitomizes spring to me. Besides being delicious, dandelion flowers also have a wide array of health benefits. They are packed with vitamins and minerals and are highly nutritious. They are antioxidant-rich and high in polyphenols which decrease inflammation in the body, and may help boost the immune system.

Roots

The roots of dandelions are often made into tea. This tea has strong diuretic properties which some studies suggest can lead to a decrease in blood pressure. In French, the word for dandelion is “pissenlit”, which translates to “wet the bed”.

Leaves

The greens of a dandelion can be eaten raw, or cooked, and are high in vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain folate and vitamin E. They provide a great deal of iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. They make a delicious spring salad, can be sauteed, and can even be used to make a dandelion green pesto., The greens and roots are a great source of fiber too!

How to Make Dandelion Jelly

This is a super simple recipe, and can be applied to a variety of edible spring flowers. The first step is to pick a quart of flowers. This is a great chance to enlist the help of your little people. My helper was all too happy to be picking flowers! 

Ingredients

• 4 cups of dandelion tea
• 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 4T pectin + 4T calcium (This is my favorite natural, low-sugar brand!)*affiliate link*
• 1/2 to 1 cup honey (sweeten to your liking)

Directions

You first want to make tea from the dandelion flowers. Do this by submerging the flower heads in water, then draining and rinsing several times to make sure they are clean.

How to Make Dandelion Petal Tea

1. Remove the petals from the green part of the flower heads. This part is a bit tedious. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to get the kids involved in this job too. I just used scissors to speed up the process, but pulling them out works just as well.
2. Fill a quart jar with the flower petals.
3. Cover the petals with 4 cups of boiling water.
4. Allow this to steep for at least one hour, but up to 24 before staining.

How to Make Dandelion Jelly

1. Follow the instructions on your pectin packet for preparing your calcium water mixture. With the Pamona’s Universal Pectin that I use, you create your calcium water mixture according to the instructions and set it aside.
2. Add dandelion tea, lemon juice, and calcium water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. While that is warming, measure out your sugar or room-temperature honey, and add your pectin to your sweetener.
4. When your dandelion mixture is at a full boil, add the pectin/sweetener mixture, and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the mixture comes back to a full boil, then remove from heat.
5. Fill your jars to 1/4″ from the top, clean the rim, and put on your lids and jars. I use the hot pack method mentioned below, so at this point, I turn my jars upside down on a towel on my countertop for a day. As the jelly cools, it creates a suction that seals the lids.

Notes

• I use a method that my great-grandmother used to can my jelly called “hot packing”. This is an old technique that is completely safe as long as you are using sterilized jars and your jelly is hot. I wash my lids and rings and set them aside, then place my jelly jars in a warm oven to sterilize them and warm them for the jelly pouring. After the jelly is poured I turn my jars upside down on a towel on my countertop for a day. As the jelly cools, it creates a suction that seals the lids.
• If you chose to use the water bath canning method, put your filled jars into enough boiling water to cover them completely, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and allow the jars to cool.
• You can skip the canning process completely and store this jelly in your refrigerator for up to a month.
• When picking dandelions, you want to be sure you’re harvesting them from an area that hasn’t been sprayed, and isn’t along any major roadways where they can be contaminated by runoff.
• Dandelions are one of the first foods in spring for pollinators. So, as in all things, be mindful when harvesting them.
• While dandelions do have many health benefits, this jelly is in such a diluted form that I wouldn’t consider it to have “therapeutic” levels of dandelion extract.

Other Spring Flowers To Use In This Recipe

There are a variety of flowers and buds this time of year that are edible and delicious. Some other options that you can use in place of dandelion flowers are:

• Wild Violet
• Red Bud Blossoms
• Forsythia
• Lilac
• Clover Blossoms
• Elderflower
• Daylilies
• Honeysuckle
• Lavender

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