Folks in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying the last few weeks of making their own delicious jelly by using wildflowers in their own backyards! Fireweeds are bright purple flowers found in areas near streams, meadows, and forest edges that grow in Canada, Alaska, and parts of Great Britain.
In an interesting turn of events, these little flowers can be made into a deliciously sweet jelly.
It’s a tedious job to pick the little bulbs apart to make enough for a small jar, but many say that it’s worth it to have a tasty treat that they can make themselves.
Each bulb only makes so much, so a lot of time and energy goes into carefully plucking the petals to make sure you have enough!
First, you boil the leaves in a pot of water and lemon juice and strain it. This also makes a delicious tea (that’s not as sweet as you’d think!), so you could stop there if you’re just looking for some tea.
Once you put the tea back into the pot, you add pectin and tons of sugar and continue to boil it. Then, you seal up the jelly and process it in hot water! There you have it, your very own flower jelly.
Put the resulting jelly into sealer jars and process in a hot water bath. What you end up with is a beautiful and delicious #fireweed jelly. Great on biscuits or toast or ice cream. #wildedibles pic.twitter.com/NhzP0OxjvF
— Heather Hinam (@SecondNatureMB) August 3, 2018