I’m not really a jelly person. I love chewy jams full of whole fruit spread on toast or mixed in with yogurt. But jelly has its merits (including making an excellent gift), and is a great way to preserve the bright, summery orange-yellow flowers of gem marigolds that I don’t think I would otherwise use. I decided to use a recipe from Pomona’s Pectin, as jelly requires a lot of sugar. I’d been eyeing the herb jelly recipe for a while, overwhelmed by quantity of herbs that come in my CSA, but saw this violet jelly recipe and knew it was the one for these marigold flowers.
I combined it with their create-your-own-recipe recipe, because I only had a cup of flowers and wanted to be certain the math was right dividing everything into thirds. I ended up with 1 1/2 cups of flower liquid, so used their guide more than the violet recipe for measurements. I did add 3/4 cups of sugar, though my intention was to add 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup. I hope the jelly won’t too sweet, but a quick sampling didn’t hurt my teeth. I ended up with 3 full 4oz jars, and a little more than half of another.
Plucking the heads off of the marigolds, I was awash in a citrusy aroma much like tangerines. Clearly it isn’t just their color that gives them their name. It made a tedious task extremely pleasant. The canning process itself was incredibly low effort, allowing me to step out of the kitchen and into A/C frequently. And the jelly itself? Tart and sweet, like a citrus candy. The deep yellow hue (and the flavor, too) is reminiscent of marmalade. I think on a gray windy day in mid-winter, this jelly will be a happy reminder of sunnier days.
Rhubarb Season 