Rosehip and Apple Jam

I picked a few wild rosehips from the hedgerows. I was going to make a syrup but changed my mind and made jam instead.

Rosehips are quite sweet and full of little pips. There isn’t really that much flesh to them either so I find you need quite a few to make a decent amount of jam. I didn’t follow a traditional recipe. Straining with jelly bags etc is too fiddly for me and I think it’s a waste. I press mine through a sieve. Rather the cloudy jam than wasted in the bin! So here’s how I did it;

Rosehips, Cooking apples, Sugar, Lemon Juice, Butter

No weight is given for fruit because afterall you don’t weigh it as you pick it, so just wing it with whatever you have and work out the sugar after you have your pulp.

Ok,  so take off any stalks and cut off the hairy little ends. Get rid of any bad or nasty looking ones with holes in them.

Weigh then wash them and put into a pan. For each pound you have, you will probably need about 1/2 pint water, maybe a little more but that depends on how hard you boil them! Cover the pan with a lid and stew until they are a bit soft.

Squash them with a potato masher. Press through a sieve then throw the seeds away. For each pint of juice should be 1 pound of sugar as the general rule goes. I find this jam very sweet and you may want to reduce the sugar a little. It’s a matter of personal taste really.

For the apples. Again, use what you have to hand. I try to use similar amounts of both rosehip and apple but it doesn’t really matter. Peel and chop, stew them in a little water then mash with a masher.

Measure the pulp then add the rosehip juice and mushed apples to a large pan. Add a blob of butter and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice.

Put some clean jars and a heatproof jug in the oven to around 100 deg C.

Bring to the boil and reduce heat. Cook for about 5 mins then test. Pot as usual. 

This is usually a nice smooth jam and I think it’s rather nice in a sandwich cake. 

I love the winter when it’s all crispy outside and bringing out a pot of jam for the memories and tastes of summer. I hope you enjoy it the same way as I do

 

If you have questions or comments about anything I have made please do leave them or email me. I will always try to answer and help in any way I can. My name is dragon but that doesn’t mean that I am one!

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