How to Make Homemade Kudzu Jelly 2

This summer I’ve been preserving all kinds of yummy homegrown goodness around here – that’s one of the many joy about living in the country. Check out some of the recipes here. Today I’m sharing the secrets of making homemade kudzu jelly. Yes you read that right, kudzu jelly.

It sounds crazy right? That’s what I thought too. My father-in-law tried kudzu years ago and the lady who use to make it for him passed away several years ago, so I wanted to try my hand at it. I didn’t know you could eat Kudzu – or even that it blossoms! A few neat things I learned about Kudzu through this process that I wanted to share:

1 – Kudzu is treasured by the Japanese, they use it for cooking and medicine.
2 – The government introduced Kudzu in the south to help improve the soil after the boil weevil forced farmers to abandon their farms in the 1930’s. They quickly realized, this was a mistake.
3 – Kudzu flowers in the late summer, early fall and the blooms smell sweet.
4 – It’s nicknamed “the vine that ate the south”, and it grows at a whopping 1 inch PER day!!

To be completely honest, I was a little skeptical of making Kudzu jelly. I thought, how good could it really taste? I’m going back on my word… it’s actually sweet and smoother than grape jelly. I plan on making it again soon!

Preparing

First thing before you begin making Kudzu Jelly you’ll want to have everything ready. I had my flowers picked and I sterilized my jars, lids, and rings. I like to do this in the dishwasher because I know it’s sterilized, but you can also boil water and sterilize them that way for about 10-15 minutes.

When you pick the flowers, you’ll want only the blossoms, 4 cups to be exact. I took a small bag and filled it. A word to the wise – these flowers will have tiny bugs all in them. My husband had a great idea to put the bag inside of a grocery bag, tie it up, and put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This killed off almost all the bugs. Next you’ll want to wash those flowers VERY well. I washed them in a strainer for about 10 minutes, and I filled up the sink with water and washed them that way.

Materials – I linked everything below, just click on the name of the item.

• Jars. I used 8oz canning jars. 4oz and 8 oz work the best for jelly and jams. I like to use the 4oz so I have more to give out as gifts.
• Preserving Canning Pot – The one I linked is similar to the one I used. I linked a set because you’ll need the rack and jar lifters.
• Large sauce pan or boiling pot
• Cheesecloth

Ingredients

–          6 cups of kudzu blossoms

–          1 packet PINK powdered pectin. This pectin is low sugar. If you use the yellow packet I would suggest adjusting the amount of sugar to 5 cups.

–          3 cups of white sugar

–          Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions

1. Boil 4 cups of water. Place kudzu blossoms in a large boil and pour the boiled water over them. Refrigerate for 8 hours – or overnight.
2. Strain the liquid through 3-4 layers of cheesecloth. You can also squeeze the juice from the flowers and discard the flowers. The boiled water will remove the coloring. 
3. Stir in lemon juice and pectin and add to your saucepan and heat on high heat. 
4. Bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop when stirred) and stir constantly.
5. Stir in sugar and bring back to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and skim foam off the top.
7. Fill your jars with a ladle leave about ¼” headspace. Once filled, wipe the rims with a paper towel and screw on the lids and bands.
8. place the jars in a hot water bath according to your altitude below.
9. Altitude chart:
   1. 1,000-3,000 – 10 minutes canning time
   2. 3,001-6,000 – 15 minutes canning time
   3. 6,001-8,000 – 20 minutes canning time
   4. 8,001-10,000- 25 minutes canning time
10. When canning is complete remove jars and place on a towel to cool. Once cooled, check for any jars that didn’t seal. Refrigeration is required if any jars didn’t seal properly.

Yields about 5-6 half pints

I hope you have a good turn out and everyone loves your kudzu jelly!

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