Dandelion Honey - Vegan Alternative

A homemade vegan alternative for honey. No bees involved! By definition, not a honey

I'm not overly keen on bee honey at the best of times and this smells and tastes almost the same.

As my daughter-in-law is vegan, I've made this for her and she loves it.

I'm a vegetarian and not a vegan, so I hope this meets with the approval of vegans out there.

• 200 large dandelion heads or
• 300 smaller dandelion heads
• 1ltr of distilled water (about 1 3/4 pints)
• 4 cups of sugar (about 900g)
• 1 whole lemon (or 2 if you want to add to the jars later - optional)
• A good, heavy 'jam' pan
• Wooden spoon
• Glass jars - sterilised

Do not use dandelions from the road sides and always collect from a number of sustainable sources.

My neighbour allows me to use the ones that grow in her garden, so I take all I need before she mows her lawn

1. Separate the yellow heads from any green bits. A laborious task but worth the effort
2. Rinse the heads and place in a mixing bowl (not plastic)
3. Drain heads then boil the distilled water, then pour over the petals and soak them for a minimum of 12 hours. You can also grate the rind of one lemon and add to the mix (this is the lemon you will use the juice of later)
4. Sieve and strain - keep the water, add the dandelion heads to the compost heap
5. Squeeze the lemon
6. Add sugar and lemon juice to the water
7. On a low heat, bring to the boil, stirring gently all the time with a wooden spoon
8. When the spoon starts pulling 'strings' and the mixture become slightly tacky, take off the heat
9. Transfer to your sterilised glass jars*

* If you wish to use a second lemon, ensure it has been cleaned and pipped, then slice it and share the slices between your jars. Put the lemon slices in the jars before you fill them with the 'honey' mixture.

Can be used once cooled

=== The following is an addition following useful and constructive feedback in comments ===

With grateful thanks to the feedback below, here is a note on the water and bees

A note about water: My original recipe stated distilled water, this is a personal choice as I find "over boiled" water unpleasant due to the additions following filtration at the water plant.

It is possible to use straight or filtered tap water or even spring water. The decision is yours.

A note about the bees: In my original post, I failed to mention to take care and be vigilant in case you damage a lurking bee or in case you are stung

Please read the useful and constructive feedback on this Instructable below