Harvest some of those sweet clover blooms and make a delicious blossom-infused jelly. It makes a great homemade gift idea too. #TexasHomesteader
To make an infusion, prepare 4 cups of clover blossoms by trimming away any green portions. If desired rinse blossoms in a colander & shake off any remaining water.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, turn the heat off, then add the clover blossoms, covering the pan after blooms are placed in water. Allow them to steep for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Strain the flowers from the liquid. Measure four cups of the infusion and return it to the saucepan – the mixture will rise quite a bit when it’s boiling so it’s best to use an over-sized pan.
Add lemon juice and sugar and turn heat to medium high, stirring constantly. Bring the infusion to a hard boil that won’t stir down. (220 degrees)
Add the pectin and boil for two minutes. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid boiling over.
Ladle jelly into hot, sanitized jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Screw on 2-part canning lids. Place jars in boiling water of a water-bath canner for 5 minutes.
Remove jars and place on a towel, out of drafts and allow to cool for 24 hours. Test the lids to make sure the jars are properly sealed after that time.
I’ve refrigerated the cooled infusion with the blossoms overnight, and although the infusion was dark when I strained it, the jelly ended up amber-yellow and even more intensely flavored.