Lilacs; the essence of spring

Lilac Jelly



4 cups lilac blossoms, green parts removed

4 cups boiling water

8 tablespoons lemon juice

2 packages powdered pectin

8 cups sugar



Rinse lilacs and place in a large glass or stainless steal container. Cover with boiling water, cover with a lid and let sit for 24 hours. This will make a nice lilac infusion which smells nice but doesn’t look anything like you would expect. It is murky and either greenish or brownish.



Strain the lilacs, squeezing out the excess water, and discard. Add lemon juice to the infusion, stir in pectin and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.



Add the sugar all at once and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, skim and pour into jelly jars.



Lilac Muffins


ingredients

2 cups lilac buds and blossoms (no green part of flower)

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder









directions

Rinse lilac buds in water and let them soak. Beat eggs, mix in oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.



Pour excess water off lilacs. Stir into batter. Pour in prepared muffin tray. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Lilac Sugar

Make lilac sugar: This is the simplest thing to do, and flavored sugars are always a fancy little treat. Pick some lilac blossoms, clean and not buggy, and sprinkle them in a jar of white sugar, making a few layers, then cap the jar and forget about it for a couple of weeks. For a fancy tea party make little open face sandwiches with a sprinkle of lilac sugar and a few blossoms chopped into cream cheese, and a few petals for garnish, or use the sugar to make shortbread cookies. Heat up some milk, add vanilla and a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with lilac sugar for a little treat to surprise your little ones.


You can find more information about using Lilac at:
http://seedsofkindness.blogspot.com/2009/04/lilacs-bloomd.html