Rose Petal Jelly
Rose petal jelly. Doesn't sound like that big of a deal, does it? Maybe it isn't, depending on the rose you make it with.
But WOW, when you make it with a 7-sisters rose, you know you've got something!
First - the 7-sisters rose...
Named in 1817, supposedly when it was brought over from an unknown country - some say China, some say England, it was an instant hit.
There is also great controversy regarding what type of rose it is. It has no fewer than 12 latin names that it can be called. That's confusion. LOL
Regardless, it's the hardiest rose I've ever seen. It rarely gets black spot - it may this year with all of the rain we're getting so early, but maybe not. It almost never gets aphids. They try, but they never succeed in infesting it. It tolerates significant drought, shade and poor soil. It's not quite a climber, so most will call it a rambling rose.
The name comes from its ability to have at least 7 different colors on a single stem or spray. This year we even have some white blooms - rare for her. As you can see, the shades might be subtle, but the blooms also might be striped as you can see from the bloom in the lower right side of the photo. They are anywhere from 1-3 inches across, double petals and wonderfully scented!
For this project, I decided to use old blooms where the petals were ready to fall from the bloom. I just can't sacrifice such beauty and incredible scent just to try something. And from the results, I don't need to! WOW!
As you can see from the color of the rose water, something chemical occurs to change the color of the petal to the rose water. Most likely acid in the pectin and lemon juice. The smell when making the rose water is just divine. Actually, the smell throughout the process is just divine. Just incredible.
The recipe I made was a 1:1 sugar to rose water ratio. Make it as you would any jelly, and you get about 4 half-pint jars. The pictures are from my first batch. Is this just the most gorgeous jelly you've ever seen? You can practically read through it! If it weren't for the distortion from the jar glass, you probably could!
One thing I've yet to master with this rose is propogating it. This year, just for grins, I stuck some of the prunings in the ground. Just shoved them in. I did nothing else to them. Whenever I have, it hasn't worked, so I figured I'd do it this way. It worked! At least thus far. They all have some roots, so I transferred them to a more ideal location with far better soil and that is more like the mother plant's location. So, we'll see.
Can you believe this jelly sells for over $1/oz, plus S+H? I'm not selling mine for nearly that much. It's not as little as my rhubarb, but it's not a buck an ounce either!
Tasting it is like truly capturing the smell of a rose. It lingers on your tongue the way you wish smelling one would. Just incredible. It's perfect for those days in december when you are holding to the hope that June truly will return again. Wow.
If you'd like to try some, please contact me. I'll be making at least 2 more batches. The smallest jar is 4 oz at 2.75. The 8 oz is 6. I'll figure out shipping individually. And if you live nearby, it just might be free!
BloomsBaker @ gmail.com
I broke the link, so take the spaces out to make it work right for you.
But WOW, when you make it with a 7-sisters rose, you know you've got something!
First - the 7-sisters rose...
Named in 1817, supposedly when it was brought over from an unknown country - some say China, some say England, it was an instant hit.
There is also great controversy regarding what type of rose it is. It has no fewer than 12 latin names that it can be called. That's confusion. LOL
Regardless, it's the hardiest rose I've ever seen. It rarely gets black spot - it may this year with all of the rain we're getting so early, but maybe not. It almost never gets aphids. They try, but they never succeed in infesting it. It tolerates significant drought, shade and poor soil. It's not quite a climber, so most will call it a rambling rose.
The name comes from its ability to have at least 7 different colors on a single stem or spray. This year we even have some white blooms - rare for her. As you can see, the shades might be subtle, but the blooms also might be striped as you can see from the bloom in the lower right side of the photo. They are anywhere from 1-3 inches across, double petals and wonderfully scented!
For this project, I decided to use old blooms where the petals were ready to fall from the bloom. I just can't sacrifice such beauty and incredible scent just to try something. And from the results, I don't need to! WOW!
As you can see from the color of the rose water, something chemical occurs to change the color of the petal to the rose water. Most likely acid in the pectin and lemon juice. The smell when making the rose water is just divine. Actually, the smell throughout the process is just divine. Just incredible.
The recipe I made was a 1:1 sugar to rose water ratio. Make it as you would any jelly, and you get about 4 half-pint jars. The pictures are from my first batch. Is this just the most gorgeous jelly you've ever seen? You can practically read through it! If it weren't for the distortion from the jar glass, you probably could!
One thing I've yet to master with this rose is propogating it. This year, just for grins, I stuck some of the prunings in the ground. Just shoved them in. I did nothing else to them. Whenever I have, it hasn't worked, so I figured I'd do it this way. It worked! At least thus far. They all have some roots, so I transferred them to a more ideal location with far better soil and that is more like the mother plant's location. So, we'll see.
Can you believe this jelly sells for over $1/oz, plus S+H? I'm not selling mine for nearly that much. It's not as little as my rhubarb, but it's not a buck an ounce either!
Tasting it is like truly capturing the smell of a rose. It lingers on your tongue the way you wish smelling one would. Just incredible. It's perfect for those days in december when you are holding to the hope that June truly will return again. Wow.
If you'd like to try some, please contact me. I'll be making at least 2 more batches. The smallest jar is 4 oz at 2.75. The 8 oz is 6. I'll figure out shipping individually. And if you live nearby, it just might be free!
BloomsBaker @ gmail.com
I broke the link, so take the spaces out to make it work right for you.
Labels: gardening, homesteading, jelly making
posted by Leslie at
5:22 PM
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