Nasturtium Jelly
Nasturtium jelly is a unique way to use these bright spicy flowers, and it makes an unforgettable floral jelly.
Ingredients
- 4 cups nasturtium flowers
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 to 4 cups sugar *see note
- 1 box 1.75 oz pectin (Regular or Low Sugar)
Instructions
- Pick 4 cups of fresh nasturtium flowers, making sure to inspect them carefully for any insects, then rinse them briefly under cold water.
- Place the flowers into a bowl and pour 4 cups of boiling water over them. Let the flowers steep for about 10 to 15 minutes, allowing the tea to fully infuse.
- Once the tea is ready, strain it into a saucepan or jam pot. Stir in the lemon juice, which not only helps bring out the vibrant color of the jelly but also balances the sweetness and aids in setting the pectin. Additionally, the acidity from the lemon juice helps preserve the jelly, so it’s essential not to skip this step.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the powdered pectin, ensuring it dissolves completely. Let the mixture boil for a full minute before adding the sugar. (Important: Do not add the sugar before the pectin or at the same time, as this will prevent the jelly from setting properly.)
- After the pectin has dissolved, add the sugar, stirring until fully dissolved (refer to the sugar quantity note for preferences). Bring the mixture back to a rolling boil and let it boil for another minute before transferring it into sterilized jelly jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace at the top.
- If you're canning the jelly, process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if you're over 6,000 feet in elevation). If not canning, allow the jars to cool completely on the counter before refrigerating them (for up to a month) or freezing them (for up to 6 months).
Notes
When using standard pectin, you need to maintain a 1:1 ratio of liquid to sugar. This means for every 4 cups of flower blossom tea, you’ll need at least 4 cups of sugar to get the jelly to set properly. This will give you a very sweet, traditional-style jelly. If you want to reduce the sugar content, switch to low-sugar pectin and follow the same process, but use less sugar. I recommend Sure-Jell Low Sugar Pectin, which has been reliable in my experience.
Keep in mind that reducing the sugar will also reduce the final yield, with a full-sugar recipe yielding about 5 half-pints.
If you’re using Pomona’s Universal Pectin, the method differs slightly. This two-part low-sugar pectin doesn't include citric acid like most other pectins, so you’ll need to increase the lemon juice to 1/2 cup (instead of the usual 2 tablespoons). Be sure to follow the specific instructions provided on the Pomona’s box for making mint jelly, as they work for other floral jellies too.
For liquid pectin, the process changes—add the sugar first, followed by the pectin. Liquid pectin also requires a significantly higher amount of sugar, usually 7 cups of sugar for 4 cups of liquid. While I personally don’t recommend liquid pectin due to the high sugar requirement, it will still work if that’s your preference.
Lastly, if you’re using Ball Flex Batch Pectin, you’ll need 6 tablespoons (equivalent to a 1.75 oz box of other pectin varieties). This amount works for both their regular and low-sugar pectin products.