Spring is here, and with it comes the beautiful flowers that line the hedgerows. Every year I get overly excited planning all sorts of amazing forages, and some years I even manage to do some of them!
This year was time for a new one: wild rose jelly. I’ve long been tempted to use these sweet smelling flowers, and the opportunity to make something for a Christmas Hamper that nobody else will have did spur me on somewhat!
The recipe I used was as follows:
- As many rose petals as I could pick (about a pint). I tried to pick ones that were due to fall soon, so as not to reduce the number of rosehips in autumn!
- 500g of preserving sugar with added pectin
- A tiny bit of lemon juice
- Water (500mls)
I put them all together in the pan, reserving just a couple of petals for later, and heated gently until the sugar had dissolved, and then hard until a rolling boil was reached. This is when the bubbles on the top are too thick to be broken with a spoon- they just carry on going!
Test the jelly on a cold plate- if you can run your finger through it and it crinkles, it is ready!
Stir in the reserved petals and pour into warm sterilised jam jars. I used baby sterilising tablets AND heated them in the oven, just to be sure.
Seal, label, and leave!
The result is a sweet jelly favoured by the Turkish, and can be eaten with yoghurt. Personally, I’m going to give some away, and the rest can be made into my own Turkish delights!