by Susan Penny
Quantity: 4 jars
Ingredients
450g (1lb) rosehips
910g (2lbs) apples (windfall apples are ok)
570ml (1 pint) water
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Method
1 Chop apples and put in a preserving pan or large heavy-based saucepan with 285ml (1/2 pint) water – there is no need to remove the pips. Simmer until the fruit is pulped. Strain through a jelly bag for several hours or overnight.
2 Put the rosehips in the pan with 285ml (1/2 pint) water, simmer until soft; strain through a jelly bag.
3 Combine both juices, put in the pan with the juice of 1 lemon and 800g of sugar per litre of juice. Heat slowly until the sugar is dissolved.
4 Turn up the heat, and bring to a full rolling boil for 10 mins without stirring – until setting point of 105C is reached on a preserving thermometer. Alternatively, to check for set, spoon a little jelly onto a cold saucer (cooled in the freezer), leave for 30 secs, then push the jelly with your finger; if it wrinkles, it is ready. If not, boil the jelly for another 2 mins, turn off the heat and repeat the test. Continue in this way until the jelly reaches the setting point.
4 Remove from the heat. Pour into warm sterilised jars, seal and label. Fill just below the rim. Place a wax disc on top of the jelly (this will prevent mildew forming), then cover with a lid or cellophane circle. Label, and store in a cool, dry place for 1 year. Opened jars should always be stored in the refrigerator. Checkout our downloadable jam pot labels and pot toppers to finish the jars.
“This jelly can be made using just rosehips, which makes a clearer more refined preserve, golden in colour and simply glowing with summer goodness. Just leave out the apples and reduce the water to just 285ml (1/2 pint).
Download the free recipe PDF here
From the Handmade Blog
I have always liked the idea of food for free: so this summer whilst on holiday in Cornwall, I couldn’t resist foraging for hips from the heavily- laden rose bushes in the woods around the property where we were staying. Rose hips are the cherry-sized red fruit of the rose bush, stuffed with vitamin C, and left behind when the bloom dies away. Nearly all rose bushes produce hips, but the wild variety, without pesticides and left to ripen in the summer sun, undoubtedly have the best flavour. I like to pick the fruit when it is fully-red but not over-ripe. Although as I only had a small time window in Cornwall, the hips I used for this batch of jelly were not the darkest red I have ever used, but the jelly tasted just as good and set really well. Be warned: the pips in the hips are covered in small hairs which can cause irritation, so for this reason I prefer to make jelly rather than jam, where the pips are strained out of the final preserve.
