Ingredients:
- 4 cups (packed) dandelion flowers, petals only (approximately 100g)
- 4 cups (950ml) water
- 4 cups (800g) granulated sugar
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons or 30ml)
Instructions:
- Gently rinse the dandelion flowers and separate the petals from the green parts (calyx and stem).
- Place the dandelion petals in the large pot and cover with water.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to release the dandelion flavor.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to extract the flavor.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth-lined colander to remove the petals. Squeeze the petals to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Pour the strained liquid back into the pot. Add the sugar and lemon juice.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Continue to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the syrup has slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Don't overcook – it will thicken more as it cools.
- Allow the syrup to cool slightly before pouring into sterilized glass jars or bottles.