Ai Ana wanted to do another round of jelly making. It was a beautiful day, so the whole family went out a gravel road and stood on the edge of a sheep field plucking wild roses. Of course I forgot my camera for this part. But I did have my camera at home, so I recorded how we made the jelly.
Rose Petal Jelly
3 C packed rose petals (ensure they are free from pesticides)
6 C water
1 large lemon
1 packet pectin
3 C sugar
Begin by carefully sorting through your petals. Return all caterpillars, ladybirds, spiders, etc. to the garden, discard any brown petals or leaves. Some recipes call for removing the white tip of the petal as it may be bitter. I tasted our petals, decided it wasn't bitter, and left it at that.
Measure your petals (ours equaled three fairly packed cups) into a saucepan with double the amount of water (in our case-- six cups). Set the saucepan on the stove and bring it to a boil. Turn it down and let it simmer for fifteen minutes.
After boiling, the water becomes a dingy brown, and the petals sadly lose their colour. Do not despair! Strain the petals out and place the liquid into a bowl to cool slightly.
This is when the magic happens! Juice one large lemon into the rose water, and watch as the acid causes it to turn a beautiful red.
Return the liquid to the saucepan, and add the pectin, stirring thoroughly. Place the saucepan back on the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
Once the liquid is boiling, add 3 cups of sugar and continue to let it boil for an additional two minutes. Pour the liquid into prepared jelly jars (we passed it through an additional strainer to get rid of any remaining particles and reduce the bubbles). Let it sit to cool and set on the counter overnight. There you are-- rose petal jelly.
We have eaten it on baked french toast with blackberries, and as a glaze on Bella's lemon tea cakes. It is quite fragrant, and I don't think I would want to eat it everyday on my toast. But as a treat once in a while, it is divine!
Beautiful photos. I love the first one especially. Enjoy the jelly!
Posted by: melissa m | 17 June 2011 at 20:56
Beautiful! Thank you!
Posted by: Kris | 17 June 2011 at 21:07
now i want to make some !!
we have several large wild-type rosebushes in the yard, but they were in full bloom last month and the roses are gone now :(
thank you for sharing. your photos are candy for the eyes.
Posted by: Valerie | 19 June 2011 at 06:14
these look so beautiful!
Posted by: [email protected] | 19 June 2011 at 16:22
I've never tried rose jelly. I have to make some! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Posted by: Julie | 20 June 2011 at 11:45
Magical and so beautiful .
Posted by: SmitoniusAndSonata | 03 July 2011 at 02:52