Spring is here!" That's what the many dandelions cheerfully blooming in gardens and parks are announcing. A delight for the eyes, but also for the taste buds! Let's make the most of it by going foraging to make a delicious dandelion jelly! Also known as cramaillote or dandelion jam, this recipe from Franche-Comté with its golden colour and sweet flavour is reminiscent of honey, so much so that some call it "dandelion honey". Follow us, we'll explain everything you need to know to make a delicious dandelion jelly.

Dandelion jelly, also known as cramaillote

When, how and where to harvest dandelion flowers?

When to harvest?

Harvesting dandelion flowers takes place at the very beginning of spring, from late March to early April. Once this period is over, dandelion flowers will be much fewer and picking them will take longer. As preparing dandelion jelly requires a bit of time, it's best to go foraging in late morning or early afternoon on a beautiful sunny day.

How to harvest?

To make dandelion jelly, you'll only need the yellow dandelion flowers. Choose the most beautiful, fully open yellow flowers. You'll need to pick 365 flowers – easy to remember, as it's the same number as there are days in a year. For those who don't want to count, 365 dandelion flowers weigh between 120 and 180 grams.

Where to harvest dandelions?

Dandelion flowers can be picked in gardens, parks and green spaces. Personally, I find my bounty at my local football pitch, which is maintained naturally. Although cooking the dandelion jam destroys all bacteria and unwanted elements, it's still best to avoid harvesting in pastures to prevent contaminating your work surface with liver fluke transmitted by cattle. Also avoid polluted land or busy roadside areas.

Dandelion jelly recipe

Ingredients:

  • 365 dandelion flowers
  • 1.5 litres of water
  • 1.5 kilos of sugar with pectin
  • 1 organic lemon or 5cl of lemon juice
  • optional: you can also add 1 organic orange

Method:

  • 1/ Keep only the yellow part of the dandelion flowers. Remove the green part which is bitter.
  • 2/ Rinse the petals using a skimmer
  • 3/ Spread the petals on a tray, such as a baking sheet, and air the flowers for 1 hour preferably in the sun
  • 4/ Cut the lemon into slices keeping the peel.
  • 5/ In a large saucepan or pot, pour in 1.5 litres of water, the flower petals and the lemon slices.
  • 6/ Leave on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

  • 7/ Let cool for 1 to 2 hours. For more flavour, you can leave to macerate for several hours, or even overnight.
  • 8/ Strain using a skimmer or fine cloth to keep only the liquid.

  • 9/ Pour the liquid into a saucepan with the sugar, bring to the boil and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

  • 10/ Pot as you would jam

The benefits of dandelion jelly

Dandelion was considered a medicinal plant in ancient times, known as Taraxacum officinale. Dandelion apparently contains B and C vitamins, iron, calcium and potassium.

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