Taste of Summer Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly
Lush and juicy, we’ve made what tastes to us like summer in a jar. Our Queen Anne’s Lace jelly uses foraged flowers to capture the season. For added acidity and flavor, lemon juice is joined with lemon zest, bumping up the fruitiness. With just a handful of ingredients, this jelly is a unique and delightful flavor you can enjoy all year long.
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Summer Plant Magic
Those summer days, where it’s so hot the world seems to sit still. In those quiet moments the air closes in, coating your body with a shimmer of sweat. Take a few steps out of the shade anyway, and walk to where the long grasses boarder the yard. There, large lacy flowers add to the wild perimeter, and if you lean in the silence is broken. The buzz of insect activity weaves in and out of these dainty blooms. I learned the buzz of Queen Anne’s Lace long ago, when I was a little girl (probably avoiding nap time). I would use them as a canopy for flower fairies, while playing with my great-aunt. They would decorate my hair and serve as a backdrop to my summers, their floral and carroty scents wafting through the long, hot days and the cooling nights. Queen Anne’s Lace holds a soft spot in my heart, and this jelly brings some of those memories of summer magic back.
How to Identify Queen Anne’s Lace
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without. Because Queen Anne’s Lace has poisonous look-alikes, it is not recommended for beginning foragers.
Queen Anne’s Lace, also known as wild carrots, are native to Europe and Asia, but can also be found through large parts of North America and Australia. It is an ancestor of our domesticated carrots, and you can see similarities in the feathery leaves- it also can have a very carrot-like smell. Queen Anne’s Lace is most identifiable by their large, lace-like blossoms. They are actually a collection of smaller flowers tightly clustered together in a dense disk, about 5 inches across. They often have a central flower that is a reddish-purple color. Queen Anne’s Lace can be found in dry, sunny areas, often where the ground has been disturbed. You can find it on the edges of fields, roads, and forests, as well as in open meadows.
Caution is needed when foraging for Queen Anne’s Lace because it does have a couple poisonous look-alikes (such as poisonous hemlock and water hemlock). Poisonous hemlock in particular can be fatal, so make sure you know your way around these plants before putting anything in your mouth. One way to rule out those doppelgangers is to check out the stems- QAL should have stems that are solid (not hollow) green (not spotted with purple) and covered in hairs (not smooth). Poisonous hemlock also grows a good bit taller than QAL. The flowers also have differences- Queen Anne’s Lace flower grow up to form a single, flat-topped cluster, whereas poisonous hemlock also has little white flowers, but the clusters are smaller and less grouped, more like a firework than a lace doily. The final thing I look for is 3-pronged stiff green bracts that grow at the base of each flower- this is absent in poisonous hemlock.
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How to Make Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly
Making Queen Anne’s Lace jelly is easy, and a great side benefit is you can use this same method for other floral jellies- lilac, lavender, violets, dandelions, daylilies, and clover are a few edible flowers you could try. The basic idea is we are going to make a tea out of the Queen Anne’s Lace flowers by pouring boiling water over the blooms and letting it steep. After half an hour, your tea will be slightly green and might smell a bit like carrots- you might find yourself questioning why you decided to try this in the first place. Don’t give up and stick with it- this step is temporary, and your tea won’t taste like carrots I promise! Next strain the solids from the liquids and add the tea to a saucepan, along with one 1.75 oz. package of no-sugar needed pectin. It is important that we use no-sugar needed pectin for our jelly to set- although we certainly are adding sugar to this recipe! Instead, no-sugar needed pectin means we don’t need to worry about balancing the pectin with the correct amounts of sugar and acid. I used one of those pink boxes of Sure-Jell Light, since they are what’s most easily available to me. Whisk in the powder, and bring to a boil. Add your sugar, stir again, and boil again. You only need to boil your jelly for 1-2 minutes, but it’s a bit tricky as it has the tendency to boil over- try to use an extra-large pot if you can! After boiling, add lemon juice and lemon zest. The zest is optional, and you can leave it out if you want a perfectly clear jelly, but I like the added lemon flavor it gives. After that, you can stick it in the fridge if you plan to eat it quickly, or process it using a hot water bath canning method. I give some basic instructions for that in the recipe, but if you’re new to canning or looking for more detailed instructions and information, I suggest you check out this article.
At this point your jelly is done! It makes wonderful gifts, and is super tasty and unique. My absolute favorite way to eat it is simply on a piece of toast with butter- the sweet, fruity, floral nature with that bit of salt and fat from the vegan butter is phenomenal and so perfectly summery.
Taste of Summer Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly
Ingredients
- 20-30 large queen Anne’s lace head (about 2 cups packed)
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 box low-sugar pectin
- 2 large lemons
Instructions
- Remove the stems and green bits from the queen Anne’s lace flowers. Place them in a heat-safe bowl. Boil 5 cups of water and pour it over the flowers. Cover with a plate, and allow to steep for about half an hour. While you are waiting, zest and juice your lemons, reserving both.
- After 30 minutes, use a cheesecloth or nut-milk bag to remove all the solids from the tea. Transfer to a saucepan with the pectin, and whisk well until the pectin is dissolved. Bring the tea to a boil, and once you’ve reached a boil add the sugar. Bring the mixture back to a boil and boil for 1-2 minutes before taking off the heat. Add the lemon juice and zest, stir, and remove any foam from the top.
- If you want to stop now, you can transfer the jelly to jars and place in the fridge. To make it shelf-stable, you can use a hot water bath canner. Pour the jelly into sterilized jars, leaving a quarter inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean, and place new canning lids with rims on your jars. Place the jars in a pot of water tall enough to cover the jars, working in batches if necessary. Bring the water to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. After 24 hours, your jars should be sealed and your jelly set.
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