Dandelions are not just beautiful spring flowers, but also an extremely healthy plant. It is not for nothing that it is widely used in traditional medicine. But that's not all. What is not prepared from dandelions: vitamin salads, wine, soups, balms, liqueurs, tinctures, rolls and even coffee. But the most popular dish is dandelion jam.
You need to collect dandelion in dry weather, when the flowers open well. Away from the noisy metropolis, factories and not near roads.
There are different color options available. They can be rinsed and soaked to get rid of the bitterness, or they can not be washed and retain the good pollen. But in any case, dandelions must be freed from the green receptacle. This can be done with ordinary scissors, cutting off the yellow cap.
1. Common dandelion jam
You will need: 900 ml of sugar, 900 ml of water, well, directly, the dandelions themselves in the amount of 350 pcs.
Flowers need to be filled with water and left alone for 5-6 hours. Then we drain the water, get rid of the green part of the flower, add water again and send it to the fire for 10-15 minutes. Next, you need to strain the broth through cheesecloth, mix with sugar and cook over low heat for 40-50 minutes from the moment of boiling. Pour hot jam into jars and close with lids.
2. Dandelion jam with lemon
For this recipe you need to take: 800 ml of water, 300 dandelions, 1 lemon, 1 kg of sugar.
We wash the flowers, soak, free them from the receptacle, as in the previous recipe. Next, they need to be poured with water, add pitted lemon cut into slices, but with zest. Cook for 40-45 minutes over low heat. Cool and let it brew for 12-14 hours. After the time has elapsed, filter the broth, add sugar and cook again for 10 minutes. Cool again and boil for 6-8 minutes until the desired thickness.
3. Jam with lemon wedges
The ingredients are the same as in the previous recipe. The difference is that the lemon, completely pitted and peeled, is cut into slices and added to the dandelion syrup during the second boil.
4. Dandelion jam with citrus notes
You will need: 350 dandelions, 1 liter of water, 1 orange or grapefruit, a few currant leaves, 1 kg of sugar.
We prepare dandelions: cut off the green part, fill with water. Next, you need to peel the orange, separate the seeds, cut it into slices and send it to the dandelions. We also add the washed currant leaves to the pan. We set to cook for 15 minutes, cool and let it brew for at least 10 hours.
Strain the infusion, add sugar to it and cook, stirring for about an hour.
5. Jam without cooking
Ingredients: 350 dandelions, honey (at the rate of 2 tablespoons per half liter of flower puree).
Dry well washed flowers with a paper towel, remove the receptacle and grind with a blender. It remains only to mix the resulting mass with honey and the jam is ready.
