wild rose petal jelly and syrup

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Tags

edible flowers, jelly, preserving rose petals, rose petal, syrup, wild rose, wild rose petal jelly

This post is a catch-up from last July when Brian carefully picked a bundle of wild rose petals for me- truly a labor of love! We dried some and made a batch of jelly with the rest.

I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website. I followed the advice of a reader and doubled the amount of pectin but my jelly still did not set and I had wild rose petal syrup instead. I look forward to trying again next year for the prized jelly. In the meantime, I have been enjoying this syrup mixed in fruit salads, as Nature Pop and drizzled over chocolate cake. The last four jars will be saved for the darkest days of winter when we can enjoy the scent of July wild rose blossoms and the promise of summer-to-come.

For medicinal and nutritional benefits of wild rose petals, click here to visit a previous cabinorganic post. In the meantime, here is Martha Stewart’s recipe:

Rose Petal Jelly

2 cups water

3 cups unsprayed pink rose petals, thicker tissue at base of petals removed

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 ounces liquid pectin (or double this)

1 tablespoon rose water

STEP 1 Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan; remove from heat. Add petals; cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain liquid into clean saucepan. Discard petals.

STEP 2 Add sugar and lemon juice to pan. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes; add pectin, and boil 2 minutes (for firmer jelly, boil up to 2 minutes more). Remove from heat, add rose water. Pour into sterilized jars, and let cool completely. Store in refrigerator up to 6 months.

I will let you know the results of next summer’s attempt in July!

enjoy a cold one on a hot late summer day… ‘Nature Pop’

13 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by Delena Rose in ancient grains, write

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Tags

apple syrup, chokecherry syrup, fizzy drinks, fruit syrups, Nature Pop, pancake, rosehip syrup, syrup, waffle

Great ideas for those batches of jelly that refuse to set.

Last summer, for some reason a number of my jelly recipes did not set. I was a bit disappointed as I normally give these colorful little jars of ‘sunshine’ away during the winter holidays and now here I was with over a hundred jars of what I considered ‘failed’ batches of jelly. Instead of jellies, I had two batches of chokecherry syrup (one from earlier berries and one from later berries), two batches of rosehip syrup (one sweetened and one unsweetened), apple syrup and highbush cranberry syrup. (My other jams and jellies did just fine.) I put the syrups away and did not even bother to label them. I wondered how on earth I was going to use up all of this syrup? Then I remembered visiting a jam shop on the way to Kelowna, British Columbia and all of the fruit syrups they had to offer. Of course, FRUIT SYRUPS! These could be served over pancakes and waffles! I could even pretend that I meant to make a syrup rather than a jelly.

Recently I have found a fun and refreshing way to use my fruit syrups. I call it ‘Nature Pop’ and it is based on the Italian Soda beverage. I use about three-to-four tablespoons of syrup in a large glass and fill the rest with soda water. Mix it up and you have a cold, fizzy, fruity beverage. You can also use tonic water instead and add an ounce of flavored vodka for a bit of a kick. Throw in a slice of lemon or orange, or a bit of frozen fruit to keep your drink cool and top with a cocktail umbrella (you can get those at the dollar store or some grocery stores) and you’ve got yourself a festive cocktail. I also mix some syrup into my fruit salads and recently poured a little over my Decadent Chocolate Cake just before serving. We have been enjoying some very hot late summer temperatures here in central Alberta and I have ‘discovered’ Nature Pop just in time! Cheers everyone!

chokecherry jelly

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by Delena Rose in cook, preserve

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

berry jelly, chokecherries, chokecherry jelly, chokecherry tree, jelly, preserves, syrup

I was rummaging though the pantry this afternoon and realized that I never did share my chokecherry recipe last fall! My apologies!

I remember eating chokecherries as a child as we had a bush in the backyard of one of the houses that we lived in. I could barely stand the intense tart flavor but they were addictive and I liked the way they made the inside of my mouth feel.

Last summer, while restoring the Zen deck, I heavily pruned a large bush that grows through the center of it and was delighted to discover that it was a chokecherry bush! B spent hours picking these berries from the roof in the late afternoons and I made jelly from them. One batch was picked and made in early August and the other in late August. It is interesting to note the difference in color, with the earlier batch a cherry red and the later batch almost a deep purple.

Both batches did not set properly but that is fine with me as I will be using these taste syrups for pancakes, waffles and crepes. They will also be nice added to soda water for a fruity bubbly Italian Soda.

Chokecherry Jelly

3 lbs chokecherries

3 cups water

3 cups prepared juice

6-½ cups sugar (or less if you like it less sweet)

6 ounces (170 grams) liquid pectin

Combine chokecherries and water in a large pot. Heat on medium-high until it comes to a boil/ Boil slowly for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour berries and juice into a jelly bag in a bowl. Tie the bag above bowl or place bag in food mill or large sieve so the juice will drain into the bowl.

Combine reserved juice and sugar in a large pot. Stir over fairlt high heat until it comes to a boil.

Stir in pectin, continuing to stir as it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off foam and pour quickly into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of the top. Seal. Makes 6 half pints. Enjoy!

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves. Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

the season for jams and jellies…

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons, cook, preserve, wild berries

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berries, canning, gooseberry, highbush cranberry, jams, jellies, jelly, preserves, raspberry, rosehip, syrup, wild berries

Since early August I have been been busy picking berries as they ripen in the wild and preserving them in jams and jellies. I love making preserves! I love the process of turning berries into little jars of sunshine, the satisfaction of a cupboard filled with preserves and the way the entire house smells like pie when the jams and jellies are cooking. I also love giving these jewels away as gifts as it is rare to enjoy wild berry preserves unless your lucky enough to find them at the farmers market or you pick and preserve them yourself.

Above is this year’s gooseberry jam. Click here for the recipe.

Here is this year’s rosehip jelly. One batch set beautifully and the other did not. I will simply label the watery one as ‘rosehip syrup’ and use it for pancakes and waffles. Click here for the recipe.

This raspberry jam is not from wild berries but from fruit from a dear friend’s backyard. Click here for the recipe.

Here is some high bush cranberry jelly in progress and below is the final jellies, just in time to serve with Thanksgiving turkey. Click here for the recipe.

I have also made apple butter, apple jelly and two batches of chokecherry jelly. I will post those soon with the recipes. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season!

a most decadent breakfast… banana bread french toast

01 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

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banana, banana bread, banana bread french toast, breakfast, dessert, french toast, recipe, syrup

What do we do with over-ripe bananas…? Make banana bread, of course. What should we do with all of that banana bread…? For something different, why not try this decadent recipe for breakfast or even as a dessert? A friend made this for me for breakfast just last weekend and I recreated it this morning so that I could share it with you.

Banana Bread French Toast

Slice banana bread into six 1/4-inch slices

Beat together 4 eggs, adding 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot enough, dip banana bread into the egg mixture, making sure to coat both sides. Fry in a skillet in a little butter and/or vegetable oil over medium-high heat, flipping over and cooking both sides until golden brown.

Serve with syrup, berry compote, jams or jellies. Enjoy!