Honeysuckle Jelly!

 

Spring is in full force here and the air smells sweet with honeysuckle. From backyards to roadsides it is everywhere in full bloom. But besides just looking pretty and smelling fragrant, it makes a fantastic jelly! I decided to take the day and pick some flowers, and cook up a batch! It took a little longer than I expected to pick the full four cups of flowers that I needed but it was a beautiful day to be outside! For those of you interested in making this tasty jelly, I thought I'd share the recipe and a few pics of my process.

                                                
 4 cups honeysuckle flowers
4 cups boiling water
1/4 c. lemon juice
4 cups sugar
1 package liquid pectin 
First you need to make an infusion to draw the flavor out of the flowers. It’s very simple. Prepare the flowers by removing the tiny green tip at the base of the petals.

Next, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, turn the heat off, then add the honeysuckle flowers you’ve gathered and allow them to steep for about 45 min., stirring occasionally.

 

While you are waiting for your flowers to steep, take the time to thoroughly wash and sterilize your jars and lids.






Strain the flowers from the liquid using a cheesecloth. You need two cups of the infusion for this recipe.

In the same saucepan, stir together 2 cups flower infusion, the lemon juice, and the sugar; bring to a hard boil that won’t stir down. Add the pectin and boil for 2 min; reduce heat if necessary to avoid boiling over. 

Carefully ladle your jelly into your jars, making sure to gently wipe the jar lids clean before you place the lids on.

  
Place your jars into your canning pot, and once you have a rolling boil going, let then boil for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Take your jars out and place them on a cooling rack. Let sit and cool overnight, and they are ready to store!

This jelly is really great! Its sweet and light with a touch of citrus!
There are a lot of different flowers you can use to make a tasty Jelly, but this is usually the first one of the season. So, go pick some flowers and get to cooking!
Until next time, happy hunting!!