Dandelion Jelly

Yield: 5 half pints. Pick bright, fresh dandelion blossoms and pack the quart container pretty tightly. This is going to require a lot of dandelion blossoms! Rinse quickly in cold water to remove any insects/dirt on the petals. Don't leave the blossoms in the water for very long though, as they will be a little the worse for wear. Next, pull up a chair somewhere comfortable, as this part is going to take awhile...Snip off the stem and green collar under each blossom, so that only the petals are left. This takes about four hours! In an enamel saucepan, boil the dandelion petals in water for 3 minutes, or a little longer, until the water takes on their color. (I boiled the petals for 4 minutes until I liked the color better.) Cool and strain, pressing against the petals with your fingers to extract all of the dandelion juice. (Or you can cheat and line a sieve with moistened cheesecloth and strain it that way.) Measure out 3 cups of dandelion liquid. Add the lemon juice and fruit pectin. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, using a large kettle. Add the sugar, stirring to mix well. Continue stirring and boil the mixture for 2 and 1/2 minutes. Pour into hot sterilized jelly jars and seal. Process for five minutes in a boiling water bath. Yield: Five 1/2 pint jars.