A few weeks ago, I posted on NGTimes facebook a drawing I did of lilacs and included it in my daily morning weather reports which most often never are quite accurate. I got quite a few responses, but the one that intrigued me the most was from Jeremy Parker, an instructor at Bhodi Tree. He said he could not wait to make his yearly lilac jelly. Lilac jelly????
I grew up on a farm, and we made all kinds of jams and jellies. I thought I knew it all. We had lilac trees, and every spring we looked forward to the scent and filling the house with the aroma, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think you could make jelly with the petals. Until I met Jeremy. He invited me for a test taste and I was pleasantly surprised by my sample. Jeremy also makes his own pectin, adding sugar after the flowers have been boiled. And Voilà! I am not sure if it was his home-made pectin that made it so delicious, or just the lilacs themselves.
Thank you Jeremy for the two jars!