![\"Redbud](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/redbud-jelly-vertical-1200x1800.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThis gorgeous floral jelly has notes of strawberry and grape with a flowery flavor that brings the beauty of the season straight to your taste buds. It\u2019s easy to make, will last all year, and is the perfect topper for toast, bagels, or your favorite homemade bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Is Redbud Jelly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Redbud jelly is an easy-to-make jelly that uses foraged redbud tree flowers. By soaking these flowers and creating a redbud tea, you can easily capture the delightful, slightly sweet, floral taste of the buds and enhance it with a little sugar and lemon juice for a tasty spring spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making redbud jelly requires access to redbud trees. If you live in the southeastern quadrant of the United States, finding these trees is generally very easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastern redbud trees grow plentifully in deciduous forests and along the edges of brushy wildlands. In the spring, they are easily identifiable by their magnificent deep pink blooms. <\/p>\n\n\n There is a western redbud tree found in California and southern Utah that also produces pink edible flowers. While it\u2019s possible to make jelly out of these buds, they have a different flavor\u2014more like peas or legumes\u2014and don\u2019t work quite as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flower jellies take a lot more prep time than your typical fruit jelly, so be sure to plan ahead. In this case, you\u2019ll need to let the redbud blooms soak for 12 to 24 hours before you can start making your delicious jelly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, we\u2019ll take a quick look at the steps to make this recipe. For the full printable version, check out the recipe card at the end of the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To begin, you\u2019ll need to make redbud tea out of the blooms you\u2019ve foraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Gather your redbud flowers. Aim for open, fresh blooms. You\u2019ll need about 2 to 3 cups straight off the tree. This takes a little time, but it’s an enjoyable activity on a beautiful spring day.<\/p>\n\n\n De-stem your flowers by carefully pulling the thin woody step away from the bud. This can take some time but is key to capturing the floral flavor without introducing any added bitterness. You should have around 2 cups of redbud blossoms left after this step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boil 2 1\/4 cups of water. Place your flowers in a large heat-safe container or pot. Pour the boiling water over the flowers to create a hot water bath, then stir gently and allow the mixture to sit.<\/p>\n\n\n After about 4 hours, transfer the mix to the refrigerator to set for an additional 8 to 20 hours. The longer you allow the redbud tea to set, the more flavorful your jelly will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the mixture has set, use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the flowers out of the tea. Take some time to press the brewed blooms to extract as much liquid as possible. Your final tea should be a deep pink color free from floating bud material and equal about 2 cups of liquid (that extra 1\/4 cup of water is to help account for the flowers absorbing some of it). In the end, you’ll want to have a close to a 1:1 mixture of liquid and sugar for your jelly to set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you have your redbud flower tea, you can make your redbud jelly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pour 2 cups of redbud tea into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and stir, then add 3 tablespoons of pectin and stir. Boil the mixture for one minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After boiling the tea and pectin mixture for a minute, add 2 cups of sugar all at once. Allow the mixture to return to a rolling boil, then boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.<\/p>\n\n\n Remove the pot from heat after 1 minute and work quickly but carefully to ladle the mixture into your sterilized canning jars. Leave \u00bc inch headspace at the top of each jar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wipe the lips of the jars clean, place the lids on top, and secure with rings. If you’re going to eat the jelly within the next few weeks, you can just allow the jars to cool to room temperature and then put them in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Optionally, you can preserve your jars by water bath canning. Place the sealed jars in your hot water bath canner or deep pot and boil for 10 minutes (Important: Ensure there’s a wire rack or something that keeps your jars elevated since they’ll likely crack if placed directly on the bottom). Remove carefully and allow to cool for 12 to 24 hours. Remove the rings and test the seals before storing the jars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your jars have cooled fully, take the rings off and check the seal. All jars that are sealed fully can be stored in the cupboard or pantry for up to one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open jars should be stored in the fridge. As long as they remain cold, they will be good for up to 3 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Redbud jelly has a delicate floral flavor with slight hints of strawberry and grape. The lemon juice adds tartness and brightness to the finish. The buds themselves are not sweet, but the sugar in the jelly recipe brings some sweetness to the final product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canned redbud jelly, like other flower jellies, will keep in your pantry or cellar for up to one year without issue. Once a jar is opened, it should be placed in the fridge. Opened redbud jelly will last about three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it is possible to freeze redbud jelly, this isn\u2019t the best way to store it. The texture of the jelly will break down once thawed, making it more of a gooey, liquidy spread than a smooth gelatinous spread. Additionally, the delicate flavor of the jelly will be ruined by long freeze times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have more flowers than you have canning tools, then you can use freezing to your advantage, however. But, instead of freezing the product after you\u2019ve already made the jelly, we recommend freezing the redbud tea or the flowers themselves. Once you are ready to make more jelly, you can easily thaw either one of these items and pick up where you left off with the above recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making redbud tea is the first step to making redbud jelly, but this isn\u2019t the only thing you can do with this brew. Redbud tea can also be mixed with other teas for a tasty drink or enjoyed by itself with a touch of honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make tea for drinking, simply follow the first half of the directions above. Or for hot tea, you can dry some redbud flowers and then steep them in boiled water as you would any traditional dried tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Redbud trees have some great uses in the kitchen, but are they a good tree to have in your yard? <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources<\/a>, yes, redbud trees are valuable native trees to plant and propagate throughout the Eastern US. This value comes largely from those same great flowers humans like to use. These blooms provide an important source of nectar to honeybees and other pollinators early in the season when other sources are not yet in bloom.<\/p>\n\n\n Like all flower jellies, redbud is great on toast, bagels, and English muffins. But there are a lot more ways you can use this springtime delicacy. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to pair with redbud jelly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-jelly-top.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Hand](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-tree.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nKey Ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Ingredients](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-jelly-ingredients.jpg\")
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How to Make Redbud Jelly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Make Redbud Tea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-flowers.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Pouring](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-tea.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow to Make Redbud Jelly from Tea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Boiling](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-jelly-boiling.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nRecipe Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Redbud](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-jelly-toast-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow to Store Redbud Jelly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Redbud Jelly FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What does redbud jelly taste like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How long does redbud jelly store?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Can you freeze redbud jelly?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you make redbud tea?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is a redbud tree a good tree?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Closeup](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-jelly-close.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nServing Suggestions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Redbud](\"https:\/\/www.healthygreenkitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/redbud-jelly-recipe-246x246.jpg\")
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