RECIPES
Method
1
Separate the flowers from the stalks outdoors
so you can shake off any critters that came
home with them. Discard any brown flowers
(I keep the wilted ones that still have colour)
and give each stalk a shake to give the bugs a
chance to escape.
2
I don’t wash the flowers, but if you choose to,
I suggest that you gently rinse them in a bowl
of water since some of the flowers will drop off.
3
Strip the flowers and buds from the stalks (a few
seed pods is fine) by running the stalk through
your fingers, and place them in a measuring
cup. You’ll want 2 cups of firmly packed fireweed flowers and buds. My first batch wasn’t
quite 2 cups when firmly packed and it was
still lovely, so don’t panic if what you collected
seems a tad short. The important thing is to use
them while they’re fresh.
4
Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a rapid boil and
pour it over the 2 cups of firmly packed flowers
and buds. Let it cool down, cover with plastic
wrap and refrigerate 24 hours (up to 72 hours).
5
Strain the liquid through two layers of cheesecloth in a colander and then pull the corners of
the cloth up and twist to squeeze out as much
liquid as possible. I like to get all the goodness
out! My jelly was still nice and clear. If the water
is just a pale violet, don’t despair – you will be
pleasantly surprised when you make the jelly!
The colour intensifies when you add the lemon
(acid) and then again when you add the pectin, resulting in a truly stunning finished product. The more firmly packed the flowers are,
the darker the colour and the more distinct the
flavour.
6
When you’re ready to make the jelly, combine
the liquid with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 3
tablespoons of powdered pectin, and 1/2 teaspoon of butter or margarine. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
7
Add 3 cups of sugar and boil hard for another
minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the
heat, scrape off any foam and then pour the hot
jelly into hot sterile jars and process with snap
lids in boiling water for 5 minutes (this is the
water-bath canning method).
Note: If you don’t have any canning equipment you can pour the hot jelly into hot sterile jars (to sterilize leave in boiling
water for 10 minutes) and seal them up with sterile lids and call it a day. I would recommend that you keep the jars in the
fridge, though. I like to know I can safely store my preserves long-term, so I prefer the reassurance that processing gives
me. Discovering a jar of something yummy a couple of years later and tasting flavour as fresh as the day it was made is
some kind of homesteader magic!
SPRING/SUMMER 2016
59