Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Our dandelions have been thriving, and I have embraced the so-called ‘weed’, that so eagerly wants to grow in my back yard. What about you? Have you been curious to try to make Jelly out of the yellow petals scattered across your yard?I gave it a try! Check out this recipe, and how we are learning about Dandelions with hands-on activities this summer with our kids 6 to 9!

Dandelion Jelly Recipe

2 cups of Dandelion Petals
4 cups of Boiling Water
2 teaspoons of Lemon Juice
1 box of pectin
4 cups of sugar

Steps:To start, you will need to find as many dandelion heads as you can, in the areas that are free from any chemical sprays, and low pet traffic. Cut them off, and collect them in a basket or bowl.Next, you need to removed the yellow petals from the stem and avoid the green parts, as they are bitter. I have to admit, this is a tedious job, but with the birds chirping, and the warm summer breeze, this was so enjoyable! To help this progress and encourage the kids to get involved, I had the kids going around the yard one evening and cutting off as many as they could, for something fun to do, but also for me to harvest! During the time of all our Dandelions, we were learning about them in our homeschool too, with books, coloring pages, and life cycle stages in our Dandelion Learning Pack, which you can find in our shop.I actually to create a learning pack for our kids to enjoy all about Dandelions this summer while we watch the lovely life cycle of them in our own backyard, and I also wanted to try my hand and making Dandelion Jelly.Next, I boiled the petals. And then strained the water. Then I boiled it more with the pectin, sugar and lemon juice.It was my first time doing this, and honestly by the end of the process I was a bit tired, and not sure I did it all correctly - as most things do with the first batch of anything different. I think the next time I try it, I will get it more accurate.The Jelly was a little more runny then I first thought it would be, but as I researched this more, it seems that is also common. I did enjoy the taste, and was really happy to have done this!

Watch this fun video while trying to make your own Dandelion Jelly:

https://youtu.be/h-lvKQ1zehU

And if you want to try something that looks really fun, fried Dandelion Flowers looks really cool:

https://youtu.be/ejjZLk2iUcQAnd I couldn't help myself, and wanted to share another fabulous video about how you can make a healthy, delicious salad out of Dandelion Leaves, which are rich in calcium!

Dandelion Salad:

https://youtu.be/51VhG8MKxJY

Pair this up with a great Children's book about Dandelions:

We always read the children’s Book “Dandy" by Ame Dykman and illustrated by Charles Santoso every year around this time, when the dandelions bloom!They are our kids favorite flower to see bloom, and this book is one of my kids favorite books to read, anytime of year, but especially when the Dandelions start to grow!You can find this book title, and many more book titles about Dandelions and worksheets and learning resources too, in our Dandelion Learning Pack in our Masterpiece Studio’s Shop. The children’s Book “Dandy" by Ame Dykman and illustrated by Charles Santoso is one of my kids favorite books to read, anytime of year, but especially when the Dandelions start to grow! Thanks for reading today!If you make your own Dandelion Jelly, tag me on instagram @build_your_masterpiece_class!Enjoy building your masterpiece with scissors and glue and dandelions too!Alexandra