Dandelion Jam - Detailed Version

Given that a few people have expressed interest in trying to make dandelion jam, here is a more detailed version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 packed cups of yellow dandelion florets (green brackets removed)
juice of 2 lemons (approx. 1/2 cup)
3 cups water
1 tbsp grated wild ginger*
1 package pectin
(use certo pectin crystals, liquid pectin does not work -- at least not when we used it)
5 cups sugar

Preparation:

Prep all your canning hardware (sterilize jars, lids, etc).
Make sure your canning pot is ready with boiling water.
Prep all the ingredients (juice lemons, grate ginger, measure out sugar, etc)
In a large pot combine dandelion florets, lemon juice, water, and wild ginger.
Add pectin and bring to a boil.
Add sugar and once it is back to boiling, boil hard for 1 full minute.
Pour mixture into jars, leaving a bit of headspace.
Make sure rims are clean and put on the lids (no need to twist too tightly).
Gently place jars of jam into boiling water in canning pot and boil for 10 minutes.
Gently remove jars and place on a tea towel upright.
Let jars cool.

*you can use the asian ginger from the store but it gives a more medicinal taste than the milder wild version. Pick lots as the wild roots don't yield much once you peel the outer layer off, but practice responsible harvesting (don't take all the ginger in one area or it won't grow back). We transplanted some in our garden and the roots grow much bigger in a garden requiring less picking and peeling! It's a great groundcover for shady areas!

Notes:

wild ginger is medicinal. For our own purposes we still use it but when I make the jam for outside our family I substitute a smaller amount of commercial ginger instead.
Boiling the jam in a canner is required to make the jam set.
You can omit boiling the jam in a canner but you'll end up with runny jam (it still tastes good though!)
Don't try and double the recipe; make only single batches at a time.
Make sure everything is prepped ahead of time.
One time we had all the ingredients including the pectin mixed in the pot before the ginger was grated and by the time the ginger was ready the pectin had caused the mixture to turn into big globs which virtually ruined the batch.
Removing the brackets off the dandelion can be time consuming... we generally trim the end just enough so that you can roll the rest of the bracket right off.
This takes some practice to get the hang of it.
If a bit of the greenery ends up the jam it's ok... you're jam just won't turn out quite as golden.
Dandelion jam tastes especially good when shared at a picnic outdoors with some light rye bread. Mmmmm!