Begin by collecting 2 cups of fresh, yellow dandelion petals from a clean area free of pesticides. Use scissors to snip the flowers from the base.

In a measuring cup, pour 2 cups of boiling water over the harvested dandelion petals. Allow this mixture to steep for up to 24 hours.

After the steeping period, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large saucepan, discarding the solid petals.

With the strained tea in the saucepan, add 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 4 cups of sugar. Stir well over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Add the fruit pectin and cook for an additional 2 minutes while stirring constantly.

Optional: Add a few drops of yellow food coloring if a brighter jelly is desired. Stir gently until achieving the desired hue.

Prepare jars by heating them in a hot water bath or oven. Ladle hot dandelion jelly into the jars, leaving about 1/4 inch headspace.

For long-term preservation, process sealed jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.