With continued determination i began again but my chefs brain was un-repentent in its mission to not peel off collary bits from dandelion and so again i infused flowers with water and orange segments and brought slowly to a simmer for one hour or more in the forlorn hope that this time it would work.
As i strained the now wilted and sad looking blossoms from there watery grave and disgarding them to my chicken/compost pot, the resulting liqour was a golden albeit slightly green looking ditch water.
Oh no not again………..!
Never one to admit failure i continued the operation and added a reduced amount of sugar to the sad looking ditch water and squirted in juice from a lemon. As the liquid reduced and began to clear leaving a yellow scum to lap at the edges of the pan i began to feel hopeful that although i had cheated i may have just achieved Dandelion Confiture aux fleurs de Pissenlits.
Alas no………..well not to my exacting standards any how. It has made a jam that tastes delicious but the colour is not that which i first imagined and it did not set quite how i imagined, a more syrupy honey drizzler kind of affair.
We shall continue this attempt at Dandelion jam and i will keep you posted as to its success.
There is a moral to this story i know and i need not remind myself. Chefs are not always right and should sometimes follow a recipe rather than make changes first.
Rosie Green if you are reading this i promise to follow to the letter next time.
Rosie here – glad to hear you didn’t give up after the first attempt. I have now made several batches and each has been different. Sometimes syruppy, sometimes more like a jelly but all with a definite honey taste, never bitter and always a golden colour. I’ll try and remember to take a photo of the next lot and post it up either on Downsizer or my blog. As I type I’m wondering if the texture is affected by when the flowers are picked – it was May last year when I made it. Just a thought.
Rosie
PS the Green bit refers to my way of life – not my name – pop into the blog/webpage if you want to find my surname
Hi Rosie,
Thanks for the comment. Have been out cockling today and managed to pick 20 kilos but my back is killing me now. Going off for a soak in a min.
Have made a cockle and wild garlic chowder with a little of my hand made chorizo will put pics up soon.
Hopefully should sell most of cockles at tomorrows farmers market. Also picked 8 kilos of sea beet to sell.