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Title: Kudzu Blossom Jelly
Categories: Fruit Jam Southern Game
Yield: 6 Half-pints
| 4 | c | Kudzu blossoms |
| 4 | c | ;Boiling water |
| 1 | tb | Lemon juice |
| 1 3/4 | oz | Package powdered pectin |
| 5 | c | Sugar |
Wash kudzu blossoms with cold water and place in a large bowl. Pour 4 cups boiling water over blossoms; cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Pour blossoms and liquid through a colander into a Dutch oven, discarding blossoms. Add lemon juice and pectin; bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam with a metal spoon.
Quickly pour jelly into hot, sterilized jars, filling to 1/4" from top. Wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Note: Blossom liquid is gray until lemon juice is added.
Spoon over cream cheese, or melt and serve over waffles and ice cream.
The editors write: "This time of year in the South, kudzu jokes and festivals spring up as quickly as the vine. However, the persistent plant that devours trees and cover fields is spreading in another direction. Kudzu is creeping into the kitchen.
"The roots, flowers and young leaves are edible. Try the tender leaves in recipes that call for spinach. Fragrant blossoms, the vine's hidden treasure, make a terrific jelly. Use kudzu root powder as a cornstarch replacement and [as] a coating for frying. And deep-fried leaves are much like potato chips.
"The leaves and flowers are yours for the price of an afternoon walk. Harvest in areas where no spraying has been done to control growth. Kudzu root powder, also called kuzu, and capsules are sold at health food stores."
From _Southern Living 1995 Annual Recipes_. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-8487-1453-9. July section, pg. 198. Electronic format by Cathy Harned.
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