I went out this morning to see what came into season during the week I was gone. Imagine how thrilled I was to discover a new patch of milkweed in full bloom! Just an hour earlier, I’d read a question on FB asking if anyone had used the flowers to make jelly. Was it divine inspiration? Yes or no, I now have several lovely jars of milkweed flower jelly.
The milkweed flowers near me are a paler pink than others I’ve seen. I’m not a geneticist, but I’m guessing it’s an inherited trait within an isolated population. Anyway, I wanted my milkweed flower jelly to be as pink as possible WITHOUT adding coloring, so I decided to really load up on the flowers. This is a reduced sugar recipe that calls for commercial powdered pectin. If you have a favorite jelly making method, once you’ve made the decoction (as described below), you can substitute your preferred jelly making process.
What You’ll Need to Make Milkweed Flower Jelly
- 6 cups milkweed flowers
- 4 cups water
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 1/2 Tablespoons Ball Real Pectin
- 3 cups sugar
What You’ll Do to Make Milkweed Flower Jelly
Individual milkweed flowers are held on slim stems that radiate from a single, thicker stem. This is called an umbel, and it’s a gorgeous, big, round ball of flowers. Snip the individual flowers off the thick stem, and don’t worry if the individual thin stems come along for the ride.
Transfer the flowers to a sauce pan and cover them with four cups of water. Like I said, I loaded up on the flowers because I wanted a nice, vibrant color. And as you can see…I got it!
Bring the water to a boil over medium – high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let the water simmer for five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover the pan, and let the flowers steep for thirty minutes. Strain the flowers, thank them for their service, and throw them away.
Measure your milkweed flower decoction; you should have close to four cups. Combine it with the lemon juice in a clean sauce pan, then whisk in the powdered pectin, over high heat. Once the liquid has reached a boil that can’t be stirred down, add the sugar, whisking to dissolve. When the liquid returns to a rolling boil, stir for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
Skim off the foam, then pour into glass jars with lids, leaving 1/4″ headspace. This will keep as a refrigerator jelly for 3-4 weeks. For long term preservation, can the jelly in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
This gorgeous jelly is wonderful on crumpets, crackers, or butter cookies.
That is an incredible color. I have Asclepias speciosa and incarnata. Are they equally good for jelly? The incarnata is very big and full of buds.
I know! I was amazed at the color, especially considering how pale the flowers were. I probably could have used only 4 cups of flowers, but I wanted the color to be strong. I’ve never worked with A. incarnata so I can’t say how those flowers would work.
I thought milkweed was poisonous. Are the flowers not poisonous?
Terry! Milkweed is one of my favorite edibles with numerous edible parts. (https://backyardforage.wpengine.com/milkweed-asclepias-syriaca/) When properly prepared it’s a delicious vegetable. Don’t be put off by the “properly prepared” part. Even potatoes are toxic if not properly prepared, but no one fears the potato.
This one reminded me of the day we went to Brighton Beach to the Russian food place and then walked towards Coney Island. Suddenly, you let out a scream of excitement and pointed towards an empty lot full of weeds and exclaimed, “Milkweed”. You were already climbing the chain link fence when I pointed to the rat poison sign. What a roller coaster of emotions for you.
John
Those were the days. One of the few things I miss about NYC is our food-based excursions. Wait. That’s more than one thing.
i’ve been making milkweed jelly for years. i have also made wine in the past with the blossoms
This looks delightful! What does it taste like?
It’s always difficult to describe new flavors in terms of familiar ones. To me, it tastes like milkweed! but I don’t know how to put that in terms that will make sense to someone who doesn’t know what milkweed tastes like. It’s sweet (because it’s jelly), it’s floral (because it’s a flower), but more than that I cannot say. If you have some nearby, take a deep whiff and that will give you an idea of the flavor. Or better yet…make yourself some jelly! You won’t be sorry.
Oh I am sooo trying this this summer when I spot a large bunch! I just made wild violet jelly and it set!! I was scared because it has some strange moments whilst boiling and I have only made fruit jellies/jams in the past so I wasn’t sure if it would. It came out that amazing hot pink and it shaking around in the jar but not sliding around if you know what I mean. I am about to try it now. I also made lilac syrup which will be a spring tradition from now on. This will be summer! Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like you’re on a roll with the flowers!