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Forsythia Jelly

Learn how to make tasty forsythia jelly with lower-sugar pectin! It has a sweet delicate taste and pretty yellow color.
5 from 2 votes
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Keyword: forsythia flowers, jelly, reduced sugar pectin
Total Time: 6 hours
Servings: 5.5 half-pints

Equipment

  • a saucepan for boiling 4 1/2 cups of water
  • heatproof pitcher or container, for infusing forsythia flowers
  • a strainer, to strain the flower infusion
  • heavy-duty 6-8 quart pot or stockpot
  • a bowl that will hold 3 cups of sugar
  • an equal sized or slightly smaller bowl
  • 6 half-pint jelly jars with lids and rings
  • ladle, for spooning hot jelly into hot jars
  • water bath canner with rack, if canning your jelly

Ingredients

For the Forsythia Tea

  • 2 cups forsythia flowers, with the green parts removed
  • 4 1/2 cups water

For the Forsythia Jelly

  • 4 cups forsythia tea
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 packet Sure-Jell no or low sugar needed pectin (1.75 oz pink box)
  • 1/2 tsp butter (optional, to add at any point during cooking to reduce foam in your jelly)

Instructions

To Make the Forsythia Tea

  • Bring 4 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.
  • While the water heats, place 2 cups of the prepared forsythia flowers into a heatproof container or pitcher.
  • Pour the boiling water over the forsythia flowers, cover the container loosely, and steep for around 4 hours. (A shorter steeping time produces a lighter color, while a longer steeping time makes a darker color.)
  • Strain, squeezing out extra water with your fingers.
  • You should end up with about 4 cups of forsythia tea. It will look orange at this point - that's okay!
  • If you aren't making your jelly right away, refrigerate the tea for 24 hours, or freeze for longer storage of several months.

To Make the Forsythia Jelly

  • If you're water bath canning, start heating the water in your canner.
  • Heat your jars by keeping them in the water bath canner, a pot of boiling water, or your dishwasher set to sanitize cycle. (You want them hot when pouring in hot jelly, or they could crack.)
  • Place the 4 cups of forsythia tea infusion in a heavy stockpot.
  • Add 2 tbsp lemon juice to the tea.
  • Measure 3 cups of sugar into a bowl.
  • Scoop 1/4 cup of that sugar and place it into a new bowl.
  • Add the pack of pectin to the smaller bowl of sugar (containing 1/4 cup) and stir well.
  • Add the pectin that's mixed with the 1/4 cup sugar, to the forsythia tea infusion and lemon juice that's already in the pot.
  • Turn the burner to high heat and stir constantly until the mixture reaches a full rolling boil.
  • Add the remaining sugar and return it to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
  • Boil for one minute, still stirring constantly. The jelly will boil up significantly at this point.
  • After one minute, remove the pot from the heat.
  • Working quickly but carefully, remove the hot jars onto a towel, and ladle or pour the hot jelly mixture into them.
  • If you plan to water bath can your jelly, leave a 1/4 inch headspace at the top of each jar.
  • Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel, to remove any sticky residue that might interfere with the seal.
  • Cover each jar with a lid and screw the ring on firmly.
  • Optionally: For longer storage, water bath can your jelly.

To Water Bath Can Forsythia Jelly

  • After filling the jars, and adding the lids/rings, carefully lower them into the hot water of a water bath canner. (Use a canning rack if available, or a canning jar lifter.)
  • Cover the canner with its lid.
  • Heat the water to a boil over medium high heat.
  • Boil the jars, with the lid on the canner, for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, remove the lid carefully (watch for steam!), and remove the jars.
  • Place the jars on a towel and leave them undisturbed for at least 12 to 24 hours.

Shelf Life of Forsythia Jelly

  • Store any jars that failed to seal in the refrigerator and use within 3 weeks. Successfully sealed jars are shelf-stable and can be stored for 1 year. Once opened, refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.

Notes

Recipe Notes – Variation without Lemon

We originally made this jelly with no lemon juice to better highlight the delicate flavor of the flowers. Without the lemon juice, it has a light sweet, almost honey-like taste. However, we were uncertain of its acidity level, so didn’t recommend water bath canning it.
If you’d like to make the original version, it’s made in the exact way as above, only strain the tea after just two hours infusing (to keep the color light) and the recipe you’ll use: 1 cup strained forsythia tea, 1 3/4 cup sugar, 1 oz of Sure-Jell low sugar pectin. This makes a small half batch that should not be canned, but instead stored in your refrigerator and used up within 3 weeks. (Or frozen for 3 to 4 months.)