Rosehip and apple jelly

simmering crab apple rosehip jam

This was a productive weekend of foraging and jam making

Rosehip and apple jelly have now been added to the growing collection of jams, chutneys, wines, vinegars and syrups in the cupboard. Still not sure if I like the taste as much as other fruit jellies. Also, it has not gelled as much as I would have liked – the consistency is similar to honey. I can definitely recommend eating it with pancakes and blueberry scones though!

I have never cooked rosehips before this, and apparently apples and roses are closely related. Except for the tiny, irritating hairs that make eating rosehips raw impossible. And the unappetising flesh/seed ratio. Also, when being cooked, they smelled odd. My partner described the kitchen smell that afternoon as ‘meaty’.

Use about 1/3 under-ripe fruit to help jam set completely.

Rosehip and apple jelly

Ingredients

1kg rosehips, washed, stems removed

1kg apples, peeled, cored and quartered

Juice of 1 lemon

1.7kg sugar

 

This is basically a variation of the Foraged Fruit Jelly I posted in August.

 

rosehip jam pulp
Cover this mix when you leave it overnight to deter fruit flies. Discard the pulp afterwards.
apple rosehip jam liquid
Glossy fruit liquid with an odd smell
sterilising jars water bath
Sterilising the jars (and removing clingy labels)
apple rosehip sugar boil
Adding the sugar and lemon juice
jam rosehip apple cooking
Bringing the mix to the boil
filtering apple rosehip jelly
Straining the jelly mix
rose hip apple jelly mix
Successful scum skimming
vacuum seal water bath jam jelly
Water bathing the jars as the final step

Happy with the final product to add to my shelf of bottled goodies. Next up, more chutneys and wines!

5 responses to “Rosehip and apple jelly”

  1. Thanks for the great recipe! I love the idea of foraging! Inspired. A lot of ‘non-native’ plants are removed by the council and they use sprays excessively here, but there is a cumquot tree in the local park that I get to harvest 😉