Forsythia Jelly - A Spring Treat
After several years and a couple of failed attempts, I am finally sure I have a working floral jelly recipe, and I am so excited about it! As written, this is a recipe for Forsythia jelly because that's what I had access to this spring, but this could be used for any other type of edible flower. I've made violet, dandelion, and black locust jelly before and look forward to experimenting with more flowers!
Forsythia (Forsythia sp.) is one of the first flowers to bloom in Southern New England, filling the world with the most idyllic shades of yellow. Because of this, I associate its bright yellow color with the first flush of spring - the return of the light and the growing season. For this reason, I always enchant my forsythia to wake up all those that eat it - physically, mentally, and spiritually.
But what does it taste like?
I bet you've never put a forsythia flower in your mouth! Straight off of the tree, the flowers taste quite herbal and green. Not much to write home about, to be honest. But when cooked into jelly, they taste like honey and sunshine. It is quite exquisite; I've really never tasted anything else quite like it.
A Note on Safe Wild Harvesting
When picking wild edibles, you need to make sure that you have an accurate identification on the plant. There aren't any other bushes in my area that look anything like forsythia, but it pays to double check. Its the yellow petals on forsythia that are edible - pick those and leave the green bits behind (or separate them out when you get home).
Additionally, you want to be aware of the environment you are picking. Avoid the sides of roads that have been polluted by road salt and petrol. Remember that plants absorb chemicals from the ground, so avoid anything new industrial sites, immediately downhill from a cemetery, or in a polluted waterway. Watch out for areas that have been sprayed with pesticides or Round Up.
You want to pick open fresh blooms if at all possible as they will have the best flavor profile.
Forsythia is not native to the US and is considered invasive due to its rapid root growth, so take as much as you like!
Note: This recipe calls for a specific type of pectin. If you use a different type of pectin, your process and recipe may change. I cannot guarantee proper setting with this recipe if a different type of pectin is used.
4 Cups forsythia, flower petals only
4 Cups water
4 Cups white sugar
3 tbs. Ball Real Fruit Classic Pectic
2 tbs. lemon juice
Clean and sterilized Jars
Make a forsythia "tea" by steeping 4 cups of forsythia petals in 4 cups of boiling water - this should steep for at least 12 hours, a longer steep will create more flavor in the jelly
Combine the forsythia tea, pectin, and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a rolling boil
Boil for an additional 1 minute
Add in the sugar and bring back up to a rolling boil
Boil for an additional 1 minute
Take off the heat and transfer to jars
This can be canned using a water bath method, which involves putting the jelly into half-pint ball jars and processing for 15 minutes. However, it will also keep in the fridge indefinitely. Because of its high sugar and acid content, as long as it is not moldy, it should be safe to eat.
This jelly is exquisite and tastes good in every application we've used it in. It tastes amazing on toast and with every type of dairy we've had on hand - you can mix it into some plain yogurt to make forsythia yogurt or put it on top of some cheddar as part of a charcuterie. This year, we added some to fiddleheads as part of our May Day Dinner.
Fiddleheads with Butter and Forsythia Jelly
Note: if you can't get fiddleheads, this recipe would also work with asparagus or green beans as well, just skip the blanching step, which is explicitly needed to make the fiddles edible.
1 pound fiddleheads (or substitute)
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs forsythia jelly
Salt to taste
Slivered almonds, optional
Blanch the fiddleheads for 2 minutes - this is necessary to make them edible, skip for any other vegetable
Toast the slivered almonds while the fiddles are blanching, if using
Saute the fiddles in the oil and salt for about five minutes until they wilt
Mix in the jelly and let it melt over a low heat
Serve immediately (with almonds added back in, if using)
I hope this post inspires you to make jelly out of forsythia or other edible flowers in your area!
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