Sweet Lilac Jelly

This sweet lilac jelly has a light floral taste that lets you to enjoy those heavenly springtime blooms any time of year.

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The lilac blooms don’t last for long, but for about two weeks out of the year our yard smells like absolute heaven.

I like cutting off a few bunches to bring that heavenly smell into the kitchen.

This year though, I learned that those beautiful little flowers are actually edible!

I really wanted to make dandelion jelly this year, but missed the boat on that one.

So I figured I’d take this opportunity to try my hand at some lilac jelly.

The jelly came out so delicious and sweet with a light floral taste and the perfect jelly texture.

It was my first time making jelly so I must say I was pretty impressed with myself.

Note: The color lilacs you use will affect the color of the jelly. Purple lilacs will give you the pink color you see in the above picture while white flowers will result in a yellow/tan color. If using white lilacs, you can add a few crushed blackberries during the infusion if you wish to obtain the pink color.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 cups lilac flowers
• 4 cups of boiling water
• 4 cups of sugar
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 package of Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin

Here’s what you do:

Start by separating the lilac flowers from the stems and sepals (the green parts). The flowers should pull off easily, if they don’t you can use a pair of scissors to cut them free from the sepal.

Give the petals a quick rinse to wash away any dirt or bugs.

Place the flowers into a glass jar and pour boiling water over them. It’s very important that the water is boiling so the flowers will release their color and flavor into the water.

Let the flowers seep for 30 minutes. You’ll notice the water start to change color from the lilacs infusing the water.

(If you’re using white lilacs, you can now add a few crushed blackberries to the mixture if you wish to achieve a pinkish colored jelly. You can skip this step if you don’t care about the color or if you’re using purple lilacs.)

Pour the mixture through a mesh sieve over a medium sized saucepan. Squeeze any remaining water from the blossoms and compost them.

Mix in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. You’ll notice the color start to change!

Place the saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil.

After boiling for 1 minute, stir in the pectin.

Bring back to a boil. After 1 minute of boiling, stir in the sugar until it is dissolved.

Bring back to a boil and boil for at least 1 minute.

Ladle the jelly into clean and sterilized 1/2 pint mason jars.

You can store these in the fridge for one month or you can extend the shelf life by freezing them or canning them using a water bath canner.

Enjoy your jelly on some warm homemade bread. Or give as a beautiful homemade gift.

Happy making! until next time –

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