I've made rose petal jam. It's worth it for the fragrance in the house. If I ever do it again, though, I'll strain out the cooked petals for a clear jelly. They have a kind of odd chewy texture.

Carol

Do you use the hips as well?

kandm, I've never made jelly with the rose petals but I've used the rose hips for jelly. It tasted kind of like....sugar. (grin)

I tried again and used a recipe that used both rose hips and apple juice, that was better. It tasted like apple jelly. LOL

The rose does add a bit of flavor and aroma, just not enough to overcome the overwhelming sweetness of all that sugar, IMO. I understand, though, that rose hips are very high in vitamin C.

Annie

I've never used rose hips. I'd be more inclined to make tea from those (and derive the benefit of the vitamin C Annie mentioned).

I've made an old country English jam combining rhubarb and rose petals. Not my favorite. More of an intriguing experiment. One of those recipes where you go, "What was I thinking???"

Carol

Rose hips come in many sizes, from about 1/4" to about 7/8".

So far as I know, any can be used. But it's a lot easier if you can get the big ones, which are from Rosa rugosa, or salt spray rose. These grow wild around seashore areas, but are sometimes used in landscaping elsewhere.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Rosa rugosa

BTW, how is that baby? Growing like a weed, I'll bet!

Annie

My Greek grandmother & mom always made rose jam. When I was in college, I'd keep a small jar in my dorm room to spread on crackers as a midnight snack. My mom grew two dark red rose bushes specifically for jam making. I've got my mother's recipe, but I haven't made it myself. Maybe, someday in the future. It's a Middle Eastern treat and I can get jars at local specialty shops. I love the stuff and get a hankering for it from time to time. It has a lovely floral, almost perfume-like flavor -- very exotic. Adnama, I also love loukoumi (Turkish Delight), but only the rose flavor.

I have made rose petal jelly and this fall I made rose hip jelly. The rose petal jelly was an adaptation of a lemon herbal jelly recipe and wasn't that "rosy" because the rose petals I used were unscented. I think it makes a huge difference what species of rose you use. Rugosas are the standard ones, but I'll bet you could also use any strongly scented roses, especially those with a fruity or lemony scent. I'm not sure about specific varieties that fit that bill, my mind is kind of blank on that, even though at one time I grew some very fragrant roses and I especially loved the raspberry and lemony scented ones. Those are all japanese beetle magnets so I don't grow them now in my tiny PA yard.

The rose hip jelly I made, which had an apple juice base, was also a HUGE PITA because I used wild rose hips which were small, hard and fuzzy. So not worth it for the limited flavor they added. I'm sure it would have been fine if I had used rugosa hips. You have to strain the rose hip "tea" that you make for the jelly, because the hips are full of hairy seeds.

Actually, buying rose jam sounds great to me. I never thought I'd prefer to buy any preserve, but I'll make an exception in this case, LOL.

I have really enjoyed making apple jelly and putting in a scented geranium leaf or two. Apple jelly is so bland it really benefits from the addition and the range of scents and flavors is very broad.

Carol

Amazon sells several varieties of rose jam. Just in case you're interested...

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Petal Jam on Amazon

I bought a lavendar jelly last summer at the farmers market and thought it tasted more like honey than anything else. But I love rose Turkish Delight, so I'd splurge if I found some (made by an independent or local). No way I'd try making it myself. Canning intimidates me. Pesticides intimidate me even more, and I'm pretty sure any rose in the state has been sprayed within an inch of its life.

The best roses to use are the real old-fashioned kinds: Rosa canina, R. gallica officinale, R. rugosa, R. eglanteria. The redder the flowers, and the more heavily perfumed they are, the better. However, any rose can be used.

Rosehip Jam
2 cups rosehips
2 cups water
sugar

Cook hips in water until tender. Push pulp through a sieve. Add 1 cup of sugar to each cup of pulp. Cook until pulp thickens like jam consistency. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

Rosehip Leather
Use soft ripe rose hips. It takes about 4 cups of rose hips to make 2 cups of puree. Remove stalks and blossom ends. Rinse in cold water. Put them into a pan and add enough water to almost cover. Bring to the boil and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Press through a sieve or strainer. All that does not go through the sieve is placed in the pan again. Add a little water, enough to almost cover, if you want a thicker puree, add slightly less. This time heat but do not boil so vigorously. Press through a sieve again and then repeat the process one more time. Discard the seeds and skin. Line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap. Spread puree evenly over the plastic but do not push it completely to the sides. Leave in the hot sun to dry for about 6 8 hours.

Rosewater
Boil 1 cup red rose petals with 1 cup water for about 10 minutes. Cover and leave overnight. Strain, discarding petals. Will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge. It may be sweetened with a little honey before boiling if desired.

Here's my mom's recipe:

Triandafillo Glyko
(Rose Jam)

2 cups rose strips, firmly packed
1½ cups water
3 cups white sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
1 container liquid pectin (6 ounces)
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
Half pint canning jars w/2-piece self-sealing lids

Select fresh petals from bright, dark red roses. Cut away any white spots. Cut petals in small strips. Wash carefully and drain. Measure 2 cups rose petals, packed down firmly in cup. Do not use less than 1½ cups rose petals.

Place rose petals and water in large saucepan. Bring to boil, and continue boiling for about 10 minutes. Add the sugar to rose mixture. Bring to boil again. Quickly stir in the pectin and lemon juice, and stir until dissolved. Skim off foam, and stir for a few minutes to prevent petals from floating. If desired, tint with a few drops red food coloring.

Process and can as for fruit jam.

That sounds like a lovely recipe. By my calculation if I sold rose petal jam I'd have to charge $25.00 per jar. Including the picking and prepping of the rose petals, it is by far the most labor-intensive preserve I've ever made.

If I were a real glutton for punishment, my next project would be bar-le-duc preserves.

beanthere _ dunthat, please don't be intimidated by canning, especially jams. Nothing easier. Or if push comes to shove, just sterilize the jars, heat the lids, pour in the hot preserve, cap and call it good. The worst that would happen is a briefer shelf life; it's a bit more likely to oxidize or mold but otherwise a full-sugar preserve of this sort is perfectly safe.

I hadn't eaten an aplet (i.e. aplets and cotlets) since I was a child, when my palate was, let us say, less "developed" so it was quite a surprise a few weeks ago to have one and realize, "Of course, it's essence of rose." Turkish delight Americanized.

I love this British site for Turkish delight, particularly the slightly grumpy tone at having switched from gelatin to pectin.

[Sorry, I think I just hijacked.]

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: History of Lings Turkish Delight

Readinglady, I enjoyed reading the article. All this talk about rose jam & rose flavored loukoumi makes me want to purchase some more. I ordered a box of rose flavored Turkish Delight about a year ago. I loved it but was the only one in my family excited about it. I couldn't eat it fast enough and eventually it dried out & had to be tossed. I like the plain, rose flavored stuff -- no pistachios.

Annie, the baby is huge and beautiful and perfect, thanks for asking. I finals and major projects due all week, hence I am here, procrastinating.

~Amanda

LOL, no better place to procrastinate than here! Kiss that baby for me, will you?

Of course I knew he'd be beautiful and perfect, but how'd he get huge so fast? Sigh.

Annie