One of the sweetest smelling roses love to grow wild next to the ocean. They grow like wildfire and in September, they drop their petals to produce sun-ripened rose hips, filled with seeds cushioned by a flesh with a texture somewhere between papaya and squash. This unexpected ingredient makes for a tangy jam with hints of rose and is filled with some seriously high levels of vitamin C... in addition to:
Health Benefits of Rose Hips
- Vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and B-complex, calcium, iron, selenium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, silicon, and zinc.
- Organic compounds such as lycopene, pectin, lutein, beta-carotene.
- Anti-oxidants like flavonoids, phytochemicals, and carotenoids.
Ingredients
4 cups rose hips
6+ cups water
1 lemon, squeezed
2 packets pectin/7 tablespoons
3.5 cups sugar
1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil
Recipe
*To sterilize jars, boil in a large sauce pan of water for 5 minutes or place in oven at 250ºF for 10 minutes.
1. Harvest 4 cups rose hips. Remove leaves and stems and rinse.
2. Lightly simmer for 1 to 2 hours in a large saucepan with 6 cups water.
3. Use a spoon or potato masher to break apart the rose hips once softened. Continue simmering for a few minutes to further cook into a purée.
4. Strain mixture into a large bowl with a fine mesh strainer. Use a spoon to vigorously press the mixture against the sides of the strainer in order to separate the fruit from the seeds.
5. Some of the fruit won't pass through the strainer so in order to get the most out of your harvest, place unstrained fruit and seeds back into the saucepan and add 1 to 2 cups of water and continue boiling for a few minutes before straining a second time.
6. You should have about 4 cups of juice by this point, so add more water more water if necessary.
7. Pour rose hips into a saucepan and raise heat, add pectin and lemon juice and stir to dissolve.
8. Lower flame, add sugar and continue to gentle simmer for about 45 minutes or more, allowing the mixture to reduce slightly and thicken from a liquid into more of a caramelized texture.
* Make sure to check mixture and stir every so often to ensure the bottom doesn't burn. Even the slightest burning can destroy the flavor of the jam.
9. If the mixture is too runny (doesn't pass the spoon freezer test *see tips*), continue to let it bubble and reduce on a low flame.
10. Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and stir.
11. Carefully ladle hot mixture into sterilized jars, making sure not to touch any part of the jars or lids with fingers to avoid contamination.
