I thought some of you might enjoy Bertha’s recipe for Rose Petal Jam.

Speaking of roses – I hope you’ll be joining me at The Everything Is Coming Up Roses Facebook Party tonight. We’ll be chatting about The Search, announcing the winner of the iPad, and you could even win ROSES delivered to your door for three months – for you AND a friend. Don’t miss the fun!

Rose petal jam is actually a jelly (it doesn’t contain fruit, so it will be clear). It has a delicate taste.  Try your rose petal jam with toast or scones or homemade biscuits.

Notes:

Use the rose petals from your garden—without any pesticides or spray. Bertha always thought the Old Fashioned varieties were best to use–dark red with a good scent.

Pick your roses after the morning dew has dried. Check they are fresh, clean and bug free. Pull the petals from the blooms and remove the bitter white (sometimes yellow) “pointy” base of each petal with a sharp knife.

credit: onceuponaplate.blogspot

You’ll need these:

A blender, a small saucepan, sterilized jars with sealing lids, a wooden spoon, a strainer and a ladle.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of water
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 box (packet) of pectin
petals from 6 roses or about 2 cups

DIRECTIONS

• In a blender, coarse chop the rose petals, slowly adding water.
• Pour mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat off to let the petals steep in the hot water.
• After 30 minutes, pour mixture through strainer to remove remaining pieces of the petals and place back onto the heat to simmer, covered for another 30 minutes.
• Add sugar, lemon juice and pectin and stir while simmering until sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to a boil for 10 minutes or until the mixture begins to set.
• Pour into hot sterilized jars, seal and refrigerate.

Additional notes…
You could add some edible or fresh petals to the mixture just before pouring into the jars. The color of the roses will change during the process. You might need to experiment with the recipe—depending on the water in your area, the roses, etc.

Have fun! Happy eating!