Perhaps surprisingly, the juice from these wild berries is rich in vitamin C and has a fantastic flavor. Since these fruits are stuffed full of tiny seeds and short itching hairs that are completely inedible, it is necessary first to extract the juice from the hips. This does make rose hips particularly well suited to jellymaking—cooking them first and pouring through a jelly bag leaves all the unwanted pulp behind.
MAKES: 1lb 10oz jelly
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups rose hips, stalks removed
- 2 pounds cooking or tart apples, roughly chopped
- 1 1/3 cup warmed sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place the rose hips and the apples in a preserving pan. Add enough water to cover them and simmer gently for around 45 minutes, until the fruit is soft and pulpy. Mash the fruit with the back of a spoon, then pour it into a jelly bag and leave undisturbed overnight, collecting the drips underneath in a measuring pitcher.
- Allow ¾ cup sugar to every 1 cup juice. Place the juice in a preserving pan, add the warmed sugar, and stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and boil rapidly to reach setting point. Skim if necessary.
- Pour the jelly into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
