I am not a big fan of Spring. I love the "newness" of life that comes with Spring, but not the ups and downs of the weather. I do however, get excited when I see Redbud trees in full bloom. If you have not tried Redbud Jelly you should! It is simple to make and it is a real treat. The hardest part of the entire process is collecting the flower buds! It is a little tedious! But please don't let that deter you from trying this! Let's get started!
This recipe is a small batch and makes just 2-8ounce jars of jelly.
First is the tedious job of collecting the flower buds. Try to select only open fresh blooms and not dry or on-opened buds. These flowers will be used to make the "tea" that we will use to make the jelly.
Place your washed, de-stemmed and cleaned buds ( about 2-3 cups ) in a mason jar.
Boil about 2 cups of water.
Pour the hot water into your mason jar covering your redbud flowers.
After the mixture has cooled (about 4 hours or so) transfer your jar into the fridge overnight.
The next morning- Remove your "tea" from the fridge and using a fine-mesh strainer pour your tea into a pot. (You may need to press the flower buds to ensure you collect as much "tea" as possible.) You may need to strain more than once.
You should have about 2 cups of tea in your pot. We now want to boil that tea.
Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice to your pot of tea and stir.
Add 3 Tablespoons of Pectin to your pot and stir.
Boil the mixture for at least one minute.
Add 2 cups (YES 2 CUPS!) of sugar all at once to your boiling pot of tea mixture.
Allow the mixture to return to a rolling boil
Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly
Remove the pot from the heat after 1 minute
QUICKLY, ladle the mixture into your sterilized canning jars. Leave 1/4" headspace at the top of each jar.
Wipe the lips of the jar clean and seal with lids and rings.
Let your jars cool and your jelly set before enjoying!
TIPS AND TRICKS -You can use alternative sweeteners but may need to experiment with amounts etc.
-You can water can your jelly to last longer. This method should last 3 weeks in the fridge. Ours never last that long because we eat it up quickly!
-If you are like me and sometimes do not get the jelly to set up right, don't fret! You can use the "runny" jelly for glaze or syrup for your pancakes, waffles, or even ice-cream!
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