Wildcrafting - Rose Hip Jelly

We live in an area resplendent with wild roses (Rosa Canina).  Every year, when the rose hips command attention with their varying hues of red, pink and orange, I promise myself that I am going to attempt rose hip jelly.   Year after year, as late summer turns into autumn, I watch the rose hips wither and die and vow that "next year I'll find the time to make jelly".

This was the year.  As I walked with  my children, gathering samples for their nature journals, I harvested a hand full of beautiful, plump rose hips.  We brought our treasures home, drew pictures and researched our various samples.  Reading article after article singing the praises of the humble rose hip spurred me into action.  Armed with baskets and rose scissors, the kids and I scoured our country road in search of the tart fruit of the dog roses.

After filling our baskets, we carefully picked through our rose hips, removing the stems and flower remnants.  At first I just plucked them off with my fingers, however I eventually resorted to a knife because my thumbs were complaining loudly.  I rinsed the hips, making sure to toss any rotten ones and cutting off any bad or wormy spots.  After putting them (about 5 cups worth) in a pot, I covered them with 4 cups of water, put a lid on the pot and gently brought the rose hips to a boil, stirring occasionally.  I simmered them, stirring from time to time for about 20 minutes, removed from the heat, covered and let them sit in the pot overnight.

Picked through and ready to boil

Having been boiled and allowed to sit overnight

The next day, I pulled out my trusty sieve with a wooden follower and poured about 1/2 of the rose hip/water combination through it.  The water, of course, zipped through the sieve, but I really had to work the rose hips to press the pulp through.  Occasionally, I would scrape the pulp off of the outside of the sieve, into my glass measuring bowl.  I continued working the rose hips until I couldn't get any more pulp out of them and then dumped what was left into my "chicken bucket".  I poured the second half of the rose hips/water into the sieve and finished working it into a pulp.

Jam making sieve

Pushing the pulp through the sieve

I ended up with about 2 cups of pulp/juice in my measuring bowl.  I added a cup of water to bring the amount up to 3 cups.  After stirring the pulp and water together, I poured it into a pot, added 3 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of lemon juice.  Using a whisk, I stirred and heated the pulp, water, sugar and juice until it became a lovely, smooth syrup.  On medium/high heat, I continued to stir and heat until the jelly reached 220 degrees (it took about 20 minutes).  After the jelly reached the desired temperature, I poured it into sterilized jars, capped them off and processed them in my water bath canner.

The pulp and the juice

Heating, after adding lemon juice and sugar

Rose hip jelly is beautiful!  And the taste is difficult to describe - very tangy and sweet, all at the same time.  Rose hips are extraordinarily high in Vitamin C - in fact they are one of the richest plant sources available.  During World War II, British citizens were encouraged to cultivate rose hip producing roses to supplement their Vitamin C sources.  Rose hips are also beneficial for treating rheumatoid arthritis due to both anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects.

Rose Hip Jelly

Because the yield from rose hips is rather small, I would be very tempted to add rose hips to another, abundant fruit to increase the jelly output.  Due to the high concentration of Vitamin C, rose hips could be an essential part of a healthy, post-TEOTWAWKI diet.  I can say with certainty that I will be indulging in rose hip jelly this year and for many years to come.

**I chose not to use pectin, heating the mixture to induce a jell.  However, you could use pectin to achieve the same jell.