Grape Hyacinth Jelly
This grape hyacinth jelly recipe transforms the fresh, delicate flowers of Muscari armeniacum into a stunning, fragrant preserve that adds a unique touch to your morning toast or tea time biscuit. With its deep purple hue and subtle floral flavor, this jelly is a perfect way to capture the beauty and essence of spring in a jar.
Servings: 32 servings (4 half pint jars)
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 cups fresh grape hyacinth blossoms no stems or green parts
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 box powdered pectin 1.75 ounces, like Sure-Jell
- 4 cups granulated sugar or less if using low-sugar pectin
Instructions
- Harvest the Grape Hyacinth Blossoms: Begin by picking fresh grape hyacinth flowers. Choose blossoms that are vibrant and free of pesticides. You’ll need about 2 to 4 cups of flowers, depending on their size. Gently pull the flowers off the stems, ensuring you only use the petals, as the stems and green parts can be bitter.
- Steep the Flowers: Place the grape hyacinth petals in a heatproof jar or bowl. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the flowers and let them steep for 15 to 20 minutes. The water will transform into a lovely, deep purple color, and the fragrance of the grape hyacinths will infuse the liquid. Once the steeping time is up, strain out the petals, leaving you with the fragrant purple tea.
- Prepare the Jelly Base: Pour the strained grape hyacinth tea into a large pot. Add the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. The acidity of the lemon juice helps balance the sweetness of the sugar and ensures the jelly sets properly.
- Add Pectin and Boil: Stir in the powdered pectin and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Make sure the pectin is fully dissolved before proceeding. This step is crucial because the pectin helps the jelly to set properly.
- Add Sugar: Once the pectin has dissolved and the mixture is boiling, stir in the sugar. Use the standard 1:1 ratio of sugar to liquid for a traditional jelly, which means you’ll need 4 cups of sugar for every 4 cups of grape hyacinth tea. If you prefer a less sweet jelly, consider using a low-sugar pectin and reducing the sugar to 1/2 to 1 cup. Stir the sugar until it’s completely dissolved.
- Final Boil: Bring the mixture back to a full boil and let it boil for another 1 minute. This ensures the jelly thickens and reaches the proper consistency.
- Jar the Jelly: After the final boil, remove the pot from the heat. Ladle the hot jelly into sterilized jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Wipe the rims of the jars clean before sealing them with the jar lids.
- Canning (Optional): Get your water bath canner ready with enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Make sure your canning jars and lids are clean and ready to go.
- Seal and Process: After ladling the jelly into the jars, wipe the rims clean, place the lids on the jars, and screw on the rings. Process the jars in the water bath canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if you are above 6,000 feet in elevation).
- Cool and Store: Once the jars have been processed, carefully remove them from the canner and let them cool on a towel on the counter. If the jars have sealed properly, they will keep in a cool, dark pantry for 12 to 18 months. After opening, refrigerate the jelly.
Notes
Notes on Sugar and Pectin
- If you are using standard pectin (such as Sure-Jell), a 1:1 ratio of liquid to sugar is needed for the jelly to set. For 4 cups of grape hyacinth tea, this means you’ll need 4 cups of sugar. This will give you a sweet jelly. If you’d like to reduce the sweetness, you can use low-sugar pectin and lower the sugar to as little as 1/2 to 1 cup.
- With low-sugar pectin, you can use less sugar, but keep in mind that this will reduce the yield of jelly. Expect about 3 to 4 jars with a low-sugar version, compared to 5 half-pints with a full-sugar version.
- Pomona’s Universal Pectin is another option that works well for lower-sugar recipes. This two-part pectin allows for more flexibility with sugar, so be sure to follow the instructions that come with the box.
- Avoid Liquid Pectin: Liquid pectin requires a lot more sugar (about 7 cups of sugar for 4 cups of liquid) to set, so I recommend using powdered pectin instead for better flavor and consistency.
Nutrition
Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 0.005g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.001g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 0.05IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg