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black pansy flower jelly on a spoon

Black Pansy Flower Jelly

Learn how to turn black pansy flowers into a beautiful jelly. The flavor is light and mildly grape-like!
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Course: Jams & Jellies
Keyword: black pansy, flower jelly
Total Time: 1 day 2 hours
Servings: 4 half-pint jars

Equipment

  • a saucepan, to boil water for the flower tea
  • heatproof container, for infusing the flowers
  • a strainer, to strain the flower tea
  • set of measuring cups & spoons
  • heavy-duty 6-8 quart pot or stockpot
  • a bowl that will hold 2 1/2 cups of sugar
  • an equal sized or slightly smaller bowl, for the pectin
  • 4 half-pint jelly jars, with their lids and rings
  • ladle, or glass measuring cup - to spoon or pour hot jelly mixture into hot jars
  • water bath canner with rack, if you plan to can your jelly

Ingredients

For the Black Pansy Flower Tea

  • 3 cups black pansy flowers, very loosely packed (fresh or frozen)
  • 3 cups boiling water

For the Black Pansy Flower Jelly

  • 2 1/2 cups black pansy tea
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (about the juice contained in 1 medium-large lemon)
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 package Sure Jell low or no sugar powdered pectin (1.75 oz pink box)
  • Optional: 1/2 teaspoon butter (to reduce foaming: add at any point during the cooking process to reduce foam)

Instructions

To Make the Flower Tea:

  • Place the pansies in a heatproof container.
  • Pour 3 cups boiling water over the flowers.
  • Cover loosely with a saucer or plate.
  • Steep for 20 minutes.
  • Strain, using your fingers to press out any extra tea from the flowers. (Your fingers may turn purple at this point!)
  • You should end up with about 2 1/2 cups tea. If needed, add a little more water to make sure you end up with 2 1/2 cups liquid.
  • Make the jelly now, or freeze the tea to make jelly in the future.

To Make the Jelly:

  • If you plan to can your jelly, go ahead and heat up the water bath canner, so the water and the jars within will be nice and hot when you're ready for them.
  • Add the lemon juice to the flower tea and stir. This will slightly change the color; you should end up with a deep navy blue, purple-ish tea.
  • Pour the tea and lemon juice mixture into the stockpot.
  • Measure 2 1/2 cups sugar into a bowl. Then remove 1/4 cup of that sugar. (You'll now be left with 2 1/4 cups of sugar in the bowl. Set this bowl aside.)
  • Put the 1/4 cup sugar into a second bowl and add the box of pectin. Mix the pectin and 1/4 cup sugar together really well.
  • Add the pectin + 1/4 cup sugar mixture to the tea and lemon juice mixture that's in the stockpot.
  • Place the pot on a burner turned to high heat.
  • Stirring constantly with a spoon or whisk, bring to rolling boil.
  • Once it's boiling, add the remaining 2 1/4 cups sugar all at once to the pot.
  • The boiling will stop for a minute. Continue stirring and return the mixture to a full rolling boil.
  • Boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly.
  • If needed, add the butter at this point to reduce the amount of foaming.
  • After one minute, remove from heat and ladle into jars. You could alternatively pour the hot jelly mixture into a warm pyrex measuring cup and use that to pour the jelly into the half-pint jars.
  • Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp rag to remove any sticky jelly residue that could interfere with the seal.
  • If you don't want to can your jelly: leave the jars undisturbed for the next 12 to 24 hours to cool and rest. After that, move your jelly to your refrigerator, where it will keep for about 3 weeks.
  • If you want to can your jelly so it lasts longer, read on!

How to Can Black Pansy Jelly:

  • Carefully place the filled jars down into the hot water of the water bath canner.
  • Make sure that the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. If needed, add more hot or boiling water to cover the jars.
  • Cover the water bath canner and bring the water to a boil.
  • Once boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the canner and place on a towel.
  • Leave undisturbed for at least 12 hours, or preferably 24 hours.
  • Check the seals. Any jars that failed to seal should be placed in your fridge and used up within 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Remove rings from the jars that sealed properly, label, and store in a cool spot out of direct sunlight.
  • Shelf life of canned flower jellies is about 1 year. Once you open a jar, store it in the fridge and use it up within 2 to 3 weeks.