Goldenrod Bloom season is upon us!
Imagine this: Eating a Goldenrod Whole-Wheat Honey Muffin, with a dollop of butter, topped with spoonful of Goldenrod Jelly while sipping on Goldenrod leaf Tea…Mmmmmm…🌼😋
It’s mid August and if you haven’t noticed yet, up here in Northern BC, the Goldenrod is in full bloom. The most common Goldenrod variety around Prince George is the Solidago canadensis, known as Canada goldenrod or the Canadian goldenrod.
The blooms make a unique, beautiful, golden-colored jelly!
This can be done with other varieties of Goldenrod. I heard the Solidago odora variety (anisescented goldenrod or Sweet goldenrod), makes a lovely fragrant jelly as well.
GOLDENROD JELLY
YIELD: Eight 8 ounce jars (8 x 250ml jars)
INGREDIENTS:
-5 cups Goldenrod bloom ‘tea’
-4 teaspoons lemon juice
-2 package pectin powder
-6 cups sugar
-For Goldenrod bloom tea: Harvest about 8 packed cups of Goldenrod blooms.
– Put in a large stainless steel pot.
– Add just enough water to make water level just below top of packed flowers, approx 6-7 cups.
– Lightly boil flowers in water for 3-4 minutes.
-Allow to steep for 45min-60min.
– Pour ‘tea’ through cheesecloth, or a fine metal sieve, over a bowl to strain. Apply pressure to the Goldenrod to press out extra liquid from the flowers.
– Pour tea into a measuring cup/container that can hold 6-8 cups. If you do not have 5 cups of Goldenrod tea, add water until you reach 5 cups.
– Place Goldenrod tea back into pot and add lemon juice.
– Add pectin, stir, and bring to boil and boil until pectin is fully dissolved.
– Add sugar and bring to full boil for one minute.
– Turn to medium heat and continue to boil.
– After one minute, start doing a set test. For this, after one minute, take a spoon and grab some mixture from the pot and place it on a cool saucer. Place it in the fridge freezer and close the door. Time it for one minute. After one minute, take the saucer out and see if the mixture has gelled. If it has not, wipe the mixture off and repeat the process until it has achieved gelling (sheeting). This may only take 2-3 minutes! Do not remove the pot from the burner and let continue a soft boil while performing set test.
– Once the jelly starts to gel, remove from heat and pour off into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace from the rim.
– Spoon off any foam.
– Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel. Place sterilized lids on jars and rings to secure.
– Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
– Turn off the heat, remove the jars from the water, and let cool. Store any jars that did not seal in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
PS: Take the leaves of the Goldenrod and dry them for future use. They make a lovely Tea!
For the Goldenrod Whole-Wheat Honey muffin Recipe, click here:
https://moosemushroomsmud.com/2020/08/14/goldenrod-whole-wheat-honey-muffins/
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MOOSE, MUSHROOMS, and MUD 