Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly with Currants
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While gathering this year’s currant harvest, I had a vision. What if I combined Queen Anne’s lace jelly with currants for a unique seasonal treat? I could picture the clear jelly with bright red berries suspended in it for a pop of color and flavor. All I needed to do was figure out a way to make it happen.
Luckily, I had one of my dearest friends visiting and a cool summer day. We started canning and cooking and made a day of it. The results of the experiment were delicious.
Queen Anne’s lace jelly is delicate and floral with a hint of peach flavor. The bright acidity of the currants is a perfect compliment. The tricky part is getting the berries suspended in the jelly instead of floating at the top, which is accomplished by cooling the jelly until it just starts to set.
If you’re in a hurry and don’t care too much about appearance, you can add the currants right away and stir them in at serving time. If you don’t have currants, I suspect red raspberries would also work well, or you can make the jelly without added berries.
This jelly is made with Queen Anne’s Lace flowers, not roots or leaves. Make sure you have Queen Anne’s lace (wild carrot) and not a poisonous lookalike, such as poison hemlock. Avoid getting queen Anne’s lace sap on your skin, as it may cause phytophotodermatitis.
For more information on identifying the flowers, see “Queen Anne’s Lace – Weekly Weeder #6“.
Check out “Currants – Growing, Harvesting, and Uses” for currant tips.
CAUTION: Pregnant women should not consume Queen Anne’s lace in any form, as it may cause uterine contractions.
Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly Recipe with Currants
Delicate and floral with a pop of tartness from the currants, this jelly is a unique treat.
Ingredients
- 20 large, fresh Queen Anne’s lace heads
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice – fresh is great if you have it
- 1 package powdered pectin, such as Sure-Jell
- 3 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh currants per cup jar (10-12 tablespoons), cleaned and dried
Directions
Bring water to boil. Remove from heat. Add flower heads and push them down into the water. Cover and steep 30 mins.
Strain through cheese cloth or flour sack towel. (The flower heads are loaded with pollen, so a kitchen strainer won’t do.) The flower “tea” will be light green/brown. At this point, the resulting brew smells like a combination of carrots and fish. Don’t panic!
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Measure 3 cups of the liquid into 4-6 quart pan. Add the lemon juice and pectin.
The liquid will change from green/brown to light pink when the lemon is added, and the aroma changes from fishy to floral. It’s strange, but true. I’ve never had a jelly change so dramatically during processing.
Bring mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Maintain boil for one minute, and then remove from heat. Skim foam, if desired.
If you don’t have currants and want to make plain Queen Anne’s lace jam:
Pour jelly into jars leaving 1/4″ head space. Wipe rims and seat two piece lids. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
If you want to include the currants:
Allow jelly to cool to the point where it begins to set up. (Pour into another container and place into the refrigerator to speed this up.)
Once jelly has started to set, pour about a half inch into the bottom of each jar, add a tablespoon of currants, repeat. Give jelly a gentle stir to suspect the currants.
Top of jars with jelly, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims and seat two piece lids. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
Note: The addition of the unprocessed currants will cause some weeping in the jam, so skip the currants for long term storage. With currants, use within 6 months.
Makes 5-6 8-oz jars.
More Homemade Jam, Jelly and Fresh Baked Bread…
Almost everyone in the house loved this jelly – except my husband, who thought it was too floral. (He doesn’t like pineapple on his pizza, either, silly guy. 😉 ) I thought the flavor was AMAZING, and the jars look beautiful. Best of all, I have another use for my wildflowers and currants.
If you like homemade jams and jellies, check our full listing of over 20 Homemade Jam, Jelly and Spread recipes. We also have a great assortment of homemade bread recipes.
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Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly with Currants
Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly with Currants – The bright acidity of currants is a perfect compliment to the delicate floral flavor of Queen Anne’s lace jelly.
- Yield: 5–6 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 20 large, fresh Queen Anne’s lace heads
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice – fresh is great if you have it
- 1 package powdered pectin, such as Sure-Jell
- 3 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh currants per cup jar (10–12 tablespoons), cleaned and dried
Instructions
Bring water to boil. Remove from heat. Add flower heads and push them down into the water. Cover and steep 30 mins. Strain through cheese cloth or flour sack towel.
Measure 3 cups of the liquid into 4-6 quart pan. Add the lemon juice and pectin.
Bring mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Maintain boil for one minute, and then remove from heat. Skim foam, if desired.
If you don’t have currants and want to make plain Queen Anne’s lace jam:
Pour jelly into jars leaving 1/4″ head space. Wipe rims and seat two piece lids. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
If you want to include the currants:
Allow jelly to cool to the point where it begins to set up. (Pour into another container and place into the refrigerator to speed this up.) Once jelly has started to set, pour about a half inch into the bottom of each jar, add a tablespoon of currants, repeat. Give jelly a gentle stir to suspect the currants. Top of jars with jelly, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims and seat two piece lids. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
Notes
The addition of the unprocessed currants will cause some weeping in the jam, so skipping the currants is better for long term storage.