Bitsy: she made the jelly from the flowers. She would also know whether or not making a tea from the leaves holds any risk. She's our family horticultural expert. I just know they smell fabulous!
A horticultural expert in your family - how great is that! We used to pull the stamen from the flowers and suck the nectar off them but that is as bold as it gets for me. I would like to know more about the tea just for FMI. Another poster said he had loads of the stuff and I am sure they would enjoy recipes. Will she be posting here?
2 cups blossoms
2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sugar to taste
sugar-free pectin
(I use the sugar-free pectin because it lets me control the sweetness. It gels up fine with or without sugar. Also useful if you want to make a batch using artificial sweeteners.)
Simmer blossoms in water for 10 minutes. Strain. Add lemon juice and sugar and bring up to a boil until sugar dissolves. Add pectin and finish according to package directions.
This can be used with any type of edible blossoms. I’ve used it with dandelions before, but I haven’t experimented with any other blossoms yet, simply because we don’t eat a lot of jelly in our house.
(Side note: The liquid may go through a dramatic color change during the process. Don’t be alarmed if it’s dark evergreen before you add the lemon juice. It will change, trust me.)