Lilac flower spring jelly

Did you know that the blooming of lilac flowers heralds spring (and the end of winter frosts)? Granted, that’s just theory… Because as I look out the window on this grey and damp Sunday, I’m still wondering where we are with these frosts…

But not to be deterred, I grabbed a jar of lilac flower jelly (we’re back to that!) lovingly prepared by Mélanie – just last week, when the weather was almost summery – a joy to spread on your Sunday morning braid.

Lilac flowers come in bunches of lilac, white or pink, generous in size and highly fragrant. Not only are they beautiful, they also have amazing therapeutic properties. And what’s more, they’re edible!

You can use its flowers, once washed, to color your salads… but don’t use too much either, as lilac has laxative and anticoagulant qualities. Indicated in cases of constipation…

As an herbal tea, lilac flower helps reduce hypertension, detoxifies the liver and has soothing properties, ideal before going to bed… simply throw a few bunches into boiling water and leave to infuse.

In ice cubes, as they are once your flowers have been cleaned…

Or perfume your household vinegar by infusing a few bunches in a bottle of white vinegar, for 2 weeks in a dark place. Filter before using your vinegar to clean your home.

As for the lilac flower jelly, it has to be earned a little, but the result is truly incredible, fragrant and delicate. Picking remains the most fun part, but once the flowers are separated from the green, it’s actually quite simple!

As with dandelion jelly, pick flowers in the early afternoon on a sunny day.

Make sure the plant is untreated and do not pick flowers on roadsides.

Want to give it a try? Here’s the recipe:

You will need :

• 70g lilac flowers
• 1/2 liter water
• 2g agar-agar
• 200g light cane sugar
• juice of one lemon

Gently shake your bunches of flowers to remove any small insects. Rinse under running water before draining. Remove all the green by hand, until you have 70g of flowers.

Pour into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes before turning off the heat. Leave to macerate until completely cooled, then refrigerate for 12 hours.

Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove as much liquid as possible. Pour the liquid back onto the heat. Add the sugar (half the weight of the liquid) and agar-agar. Mix gently.

Transfer immediately into sterilized jam jars. Store in a cool, dry place and consume within one year.

PS: To vary the pleasures, try the syrup, by infusing your cleaned flowers for 2h in 8dl of just-boiled water, accompanied by an organic lemon. Once the liquid has been filtered, add the same weight of sugar, return to the boil and simmer for 10min… Bottle up! A little miracle in sparkling water or spring kir!