VIOLET JELLY

8 cups fresh violet blossoms

3 ½ cups boiling water

1 pkg. (1 ¾ oz.) powdered fruit pectin

½ cup fresh lemon juice

4 cups sugar

Rinse and drain blossoms; place in a large heat-resistant bowl. Pour boiling water over blossoms and let stand for 2 hours; stirring occasionally. Strain and reserve violet liquid, pressing with a spatula to extract all possible color. Discard blossoms. Measure liquid; add water to equal 3½ cups (liquid will be blue-green). Stir in pectin and lemon juice (liquid will turn a violet color). Pour into a large stainless steel kettle; bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Ladle into hot jars, leaving ¼” headspace. Cover with lids. Process in a boiling-water bath for 5 min. Yield about 5 half-pints. *Pick flowers from chemical-free areas. Do not use African Violet houseplant.