How to Make Flower Petal Jelly Safely
— By Kate McCarty
UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Volunteers recently attended Flowering in the North, a conference for flower growers in New England. We shared a rose petal jelly made from dried rose petals with attendees and it was a hit! The resulting jelly smelled very floral, like you’d expect, and had a subtle sweet-tart flavor from the lemon juice and sugar. It was a beautiful rose color, with no artificial food coloring added.
The general process of making rose petal jelly is to soak dried rose petals in hot water, strain the petals, and then gel the rose-infused water into jelly by boiling it with sugar, pectin, and lemon juice. We followed this recipe from Pomona’s Pectin. We could have used fresh petals, but since it’s winter in Maine, they aren’t in season. The recipe calls for 3 cups of fresh petals or 1 cup of dried petals.
How to Add Flowers to Fruit Jam or Marmalade
Next time I make a flower jelly, I think I will either add fruit or another flavor element to make sure it tastes as good as it smells—the flavor of the rose jelly was very subtle. It smelled great, but could use a little “oompf” to punch up the flavor. I could see rose petals or other dried flowers being a nice addition to raspberry or rhubarb jam or a lemon marmalade. That way, you’d have the nice floral scent with more flavor from the fruit.
To use dried flowers in your favorite fruit jam or jelly recipe, add 2 tablespoons of dried edible flowers to 6 cups of fruit when boiling the fruit mixture. If you’re making jelly, the flower pieces will get strained out when you strain the fruit mixture, but if you’re making jam, put the dried flowers into a spice bag or small piece of cheesecloth and boil it with the fruit. Remove the spice bag from the jam before canning.
Canning Flower Jellies Safely
A note on food safety and flower jellies: flower petals are not very acidic, meaning they require the addition of lemon juice to make the jelly safe for canning. If you are looking to preserve your jellies by canning them, it’s important to use a research-based, tested recipe so that you make sure your jellies are safe for long-term storage at room temperature. If you can’t find a recipe for the flowers you want to use, it’s best to freeze the jelly or just make a small batch, store it in the refrigerator, and use it within two weeks.
Different Types of Flower Jellies
I’ve found recipes from Pomona’s Pectin for rose petal jelly, violet jelly, and dandelion jelly (included at the end of this post). Unfortunately, it is not safe to substitute a different flower type into one of these recipes. There is no way of telling at home if a jelly made using other flowers is safe for canning. But good news: we’ve heard that Newell Brands (the parent company of Ball) is working on developing several other floral jelly recipes. So stay tuned!
In the meantime, here’s the dandelion jelly recipe from UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Allison Carroll Duffy:
Dandelion Jelly
Ingredients:
- 4 cups loosely packed fresh dandelion heads
- 4-1/2 cups medium-hot water
- 1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
- 4-1/4 teaspoons calcium water (included with Pomona’s Pectin)
- 1 cup sugar
- 4-1/4 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder
To ensure you are using current canning recommendations, refer to the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning or the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Clean the kitchen area and wash your hands with soap and water. Wash and rinse standard mason-style canning jars; keep warm until ready to use. Wash two-piece screw bands and lids.
Separate the yellow flower petals from the green bases. Try not to get any green part in with the yellow flowers, as it will impart a bitter flavor. Place the yellow flowers in a large bowl and pour the water over the flower petals. Cover and steep for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not over-steep.
Strain the flowers from the water using a jelly bag or colander lined with cheesecloth and save the infused water. Measure 4 cups of infused water into a saucepan. If necessary, add more water to make 4 cups. Add lemon juice and calcium water and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and pectin powder. Mix well and set aside.
Bring infused water mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat. Add the sugar-pectin mixture and stir well to combine. Return the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the jelly returns to a full rolling boil, remove it from the heat.
Ladle hot jelly into 8-ounce jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids until fingertip tight.
Place the jar into a preheated (180˚F) boiling water bath canner with a rack. Repeat until all jars are filled. Check that the water level in the canner is at least 1inch over the jars.
Once the water in the canner has come to a vigorous boil, process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars stand for 5 minutes. Remove jars from the canner and let cool, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours.
Check that vacuum seals have formed. Label and date jars; remove screw bands; store in a clean, cool, dark, dry place and use within 1 year for best quality. Refrigerate after opening and use within 2 weeks.
Yield: 4 to 5 half-pint (8 ounce) jars
Adapted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy
No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
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Author
Kate McCarty has been the Food Systems Professional at University of Maine Cooperative Extension since 2009, after serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA. She has completed the Master Food Preserver program, an intensive, hands-on training in all aspects of home food preservation. Kate manages the volunteer efforts of the 60+ Master Food Preserver volunteers and teaches food preservation programs in 6 Maine counties.