Jelly is one of the best ways we can think of to preserve the distinctively delicate, sweet and floral flavor of elderflowers, and you often have a surplus of elderflowers in the garden in early June. That's one of the reasons why you make jelly out of them. This easy jelly recipe can be made as a chilled jelly that will stay edible for a few weeks - discover how to make elderflower jelly below!
You can use elderflower jelly in a variety of ways, but your favorite way to use it is to add a generous dollopon the still warm pancakes, French toast or on a muffin that has just come out of the oven. This jelly is a beautiful ray of sunshine on a cloudy day and also makes a wonderful and unique gift for relatives and friends.
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 cups elderflowers, de-stemmed
- 1 liter of water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 350 – 400 g sugar
- 50 g of pectin
Prepare elderflower jelly
- Carefully separate the elderflowers from the stems, making sure to get rid of any green parts of the plant. Then put the flowers in a heat-resistant container, pour 1 liter of boiling water over them and let the tea steep for about 10 minutes.
- Use a fine-mesh sieve and carefully filter the elderflower tea into a saucepan. Then bring the elderflower infusion to the boil, add the lemon juice to the mixture and stir everything.
- Add the pectin and stir the mixture to dissolve. After the liquid has boiled for a minute and has been removed from the heat, stir in the sugar with a whisk. Since the jelly will not set if pectin and sugar are added at the same time, you should make sure to add the pectin and sugar one minute apart. Bring the mixture back to a boil and continue cooking for another minute.
- Pour the elderflower mixture into jars, making sure to leave a space of about 6 – 7 mm. If the elderflower jelly is to be canned, close the jars with lids until they are hand tight and then place them in a hot water bath. The canning process should take 10 minutes. If you don't want to can the elderflower jelly, you should just close the jars with lids and let the jelly cool at room temperature. It will last up to a month in the refrigerator and up to six months in the freezer.
