Fireweed Jelly is a unique treat and simple to make. What a great way to forage and prepare something wonderful!
Fireweed is a beautiful wild flower that grows all over Alaska, as well as many states in the Pacific Northwest. You can find all sorts of things made from fireweed, even fireweed honey!
If you are lucky enough to have these flowers growing in your area, might I suggest you try making this simple jelly?
I have actually brought fireweed seeds with me to Alabama. I don’t know that I’ll get them to grow, but I’m going to try!
Don’t Have Fireweed Where You Live?
Check out my recipe for Clover Blossom Jelly (with Canning Video)
How to Make Fireweed Jelly
This jelly uses only a few simple ingredients. Fireweed blossoms for one. I started with 8 cups of clean blossoms and 8 cups of water in a saucepan.
The poor flowers! I simmered them until they had created a strong fireweed “tea.” It takes about 5 minutes for the brown liquid to develop.
Strain the tea and combine the liquid with 4 packages powder pectin and 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a large pot. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. Add in 8 cups of sugar and boil it for another minute.
When you add the lemon juice to the liquid, the color magically becomes pretty again!
Ladle it into sterilized jars, leaving a half inch of head space and process them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. I usually can these in half pint (8 oz) jars.
Article: How to Use a Steam Canner
Let the jars cool on a counter where there are no drafts and they can be left undisturbed. Jennifer watching the lids go “Pop!”
12 beautiful half-pints of fireweed jelly!
I’ll forever be grateful to my Alaska friend, Melissa, for sharing this wonderful recipe with me. And we will be very sad when the last jar is gone!
If you enjoy making your own preserves, you should check out my Strawberry Jalapeño Jam or Peach Habanero Jam recipes.
Did you Make this Recipe? I’d love for you to give me a 5 star rating in the recipe card below. If you share it on Instagram, please tag me! You can also post it to my Facebook Page.
Fireweed Jelly
Ingredients
- 8-10 c fireweed flowers
- 8 c water
- 4 packages powder pectin, 1.75 oz. each
- 1/4 c lemon juice
- 8 c sugar
Instructions
- To begin, boil the blossoms and water together in a large sauce pan for 5 minutes, creating a brown "tea."
- Strain the liquid through some cheese cloth and add the liquid to a large stock pot.
- Add the pectin and lemon juice and bring it to a boil, boiling for 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, stirring continually, and boil for another minute.
- Ladle the jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
- Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove to a hard surface, away from drafts, where the jars can cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
- Listen for the "pop" of success!
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
I tried boiling the flowers and the water turned bright green…what did I do wrong?
I have lived in interior Alaska for over 60 years. Have made this jelly so many times I can’t count. My recipe makes a smaller batch and I use many more fireweed blossoms than you do, but it is one of my most favorite jellies. There is no way to explain what it tastes like because it has a flavor all it’s own. I pick the blossoms and freeze them during the summer and make the jelly later after it snows. Beautiful photo, and thanks for posting your recipe.
Is your pectin the 4 × 2oz packets?
They are the 1.75 oz. packages.
Prior to moving to Alaska in August 2015, I had never heard of fireweed, let alone knew you could make jelly with it. But after trying Midnight Sun Farms fireweed jelly after discovering the brand at an art show at the Girdwood School last December, I can definitely say it is a great jelly flavor. Pair this flavor of jelly with peanut butter and banana slices on your favorite bread, and you will have your taste buds on a field day, for they will have tasted the greatest homemade sandwich you have ever had to eat.
Thank you so much for adding pictures with your directions! I live in Koyuk, Alaska where we have tons of fireweed, but I was stuck making the jelly. I’ve found other recipes without pictures and I didn’t know if I was supposed to pick just the fireweed petals or the entire blossom. Now that I know what to pick I can get started on my first batch of fireweed jelly. Thanks again!
For my first time making jelly I followed your recipe, I’m super excited to try it tomorrow after they’ve sat!
Thank you for sharing and thank you so much for also including pictures💖😊
I hope you loved it!
Hi, looks yummy. Were yo successful in getting fireweed to grow in Alabama. I am an Alaskan that now lives in Alabama and my daughter just brought me back some seeds from there and I haven't tried it yet. I am hoping though.
There are no fireweeds in Boston and I've never heard of them before, but they are incredibly pretty!
Made fireweed jelly following your instructions last night… It turned out so good!! Definitely gonna have to figure out a way to get some fireweed once we leave Alaska!!
Thank you for letting me know! I\’m glad you liked it!
I have never heard of fireweed but wish I could give it a try. We have elderflowers that grow here that make an incredible jelly.
I've never heard of this before, Constance. I'm so amazed that you can get clear gorgeous jelly from all those flowers! As you can tell, I have zero experience with canning and preserving, lol. Thanks for posting all the photos of the process – making jam scares me because I'm always afraid I won't properly sterilize jars or cook the jam right. This is very cool!
I've never heard of fireweed but it is gorgeous! And the jelly is such a pretty color, as well, and looks delicious!
What a wonderful idea! I have never heard of fireweed, but I love the idea of edible flowers!
What beautiful flowers, Constance! I love that you can take a weed and make something delicious out of it. I hope your seeds grow so you can enjoy this treat every year.
Those are some gorgeous flowers. I love that you made jelly out of flowers. How creative!
So beautiful. I can't even think of what it would taste like, I'm so intrigued.
I love reading about interesting recipes like this! It sounds and looks amazing, and let me know how it works in Alabama… and I might give it a try in NC :-)
What does fireweed taste like? I've had the honey but not the plant!
OH, you’re in for a real treat. Fireweed jelly is amazing. It can easily rival more common flavors like grape, strawberry, raspberry, etc. in the taste department. And it pairs up brilliantly with peanut butter on a sandwich. Add some banana slices and you’ve got the best homemade lunch you have ever had in your life.
Oh my goodness, I think I need some fireweed! This looks fabulous and I'm dying to try the flavor!
Making a batch soon…
What an interesting jelly! Very cool.
Those flowers are SO gorgeous! I'm so interested in what this would taste like!
Wow this is amazing! I bever heard of fireweed before. I am quite intrigued by your recipe!!
Those purple fireweed flowers are so pretty! I don't think I've ever seen them before but they make a lovely colored jelly.
I couldn't wait to read about this jelly. I've never heard of fireweed. It's very beautiful and awesome that it's an edible flower. Good luck with growing it in Alabama.
I didn't make fireweed jelly last year so it is definitely on my to do list for next week. Thankful you are a blogger so I can keep up with you.