Rosehip jelly

ROSEHIP JELLY

There are still rosehips to be found in the hedgerows, so if you get the opportunity to pick some, have a  go at making this simple jelly.

I am lucky enough to have these in the back garden, but there are plenty in the hedgerows and parks.

This jelly's  great for so many things - we love it on Scotch pancakes for breakfast, stirred into rice pudding, on ice cream, with Greek yogurt, drizzled over bread and butter pudding and mixed with hot water to make a fabulously soothing drink, ideal when you have a cold.

Rosehips have a very high Vitamin C content - so this really does do some good as well as tasting delicious.  This is an extract from http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-rose-hip.html to whom I am grateful for the following information.

Rose hip Benefits

Contents

• Rose hip benefits
• Notes / side effects
• Where to buy Rose hip
• Rose hip reviews

A Rose hip is the fruit of a rose. The wild dog rose is the type of rose most often cultivated for their hips. This plant grows up to ten feet tall and bears a white, very fragrant flower. Once the flower has bloomed, and all the petals have fallen off, the hip is picked and used in a wide variety of preparations. Rose hips are the best source of vitamin C; they contain 50% more vitamin C than oranges. A single tablespoon of the pulp gives an adult more than the recommended daily allowance of 60 mg. They can be eaten raw, after being put through a blender, or soaked in water overnight and then cooked in the water for about half an hour. Because of the high vitamin C content they are an excellent immune system booster, and are often used as a supplement to prevent or treat a cold. The pulp from rose hips may be used in sauces or made into jelly.

Take your harvest of rosehips and rinse them well.  Then put them in a food processor and chop them coarsely.  Put the chopped fruit in a pan and cover with water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain through a jelly/muslin bag.  If you haven't got one a pair of (clean) tights works well!  Measure out the resulting liquid.

transfer this into a clean pan and add 1lb of preserving sugar for every pint of liquid.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat  and cook until you reach a "set" - we like ours quite runny, but be careful you don't overcook it or it will turn to glue.

Transfer to hot, clean jars and cover.

Enjoy!