First up, we have Kudzu Bloom Jelly from Mississippi. For those of y’all that live outside the South, kudzu is a vine native to Japan that was introduced to the Southeastern United States in the 50s to help control erosion. It did the exact opposite, and without any local predators, the stuff grows uncontrollably. I’ve heard of people doing useful things with kudzu, but until this past weekend, I’d never seen it with my own eyes. Hence my inability to pass up a jar of Kudzu Bloom Jelly.
I tried it on a toasted English muffin with a little butter. Good stuff, if a little hard to define. It’s somewhere between apple and white grape jelly, though some compare the flavor to crabapples. It’s tasty and has a lovely natural color to it. I’d love to surprise somebody with it, particularly if they’ve lived around here for a long time.
* 4 cups kudzu blossoms (make sure that they haven’t been sprayed with chemicals)
* 4 cups boiling water
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 (1 3/4 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin
* 5 cups sugar
I think I’ll find some kudzu jelly and give it a try. Just checked outside and there are no blooms yet.
Kudzu also has medicinal and other uses. I’ve never used it as an herb, but:
http://www.maxshores.com/kudzu/
http://www.vitacost.com/productResults.aspx?Ntk=products&x=14&ss=1&y=7&Ntt=kudzu