Rosehip and Apple Jelly Recipe
Comments(113)
Rosehips are ripening and perfect for picking now. Some people wait until after the first frost, when the rosehips will be soft. We start picking from the first week in September. They need to cook for longer but we know that they’re really fresh. They’re high in vitamin C and a great asset for the self sufficient smallholder. As a child, I remember my Mother giving us rosehip syrup (a dessert spoon daily). It was rather good. Nowadays, we make apple and rosehip jelly.
The rosehip flavour combines well with the apple. This is a delicate jelly with a fuller taste than plain apple jelly; good with toast for breakfast and excellent served with chicken, pork or a mild cheese.
Incidentally, I recently heard that rosehip concoctions are good for sore throats. Perhaps we should all toy with a spoonful when we’re next in bed with a bug.
Rosehip and Apple Jelly recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 lb/900g rosehips
- 4 lb/1800g of sweet eating apples. We use windfalls as they won’t keep
- Zest of half a lemon (add to the apples)
- Juice of half a lemon (strained). Half a medium lemon equates to one tablespoon of juice.
- Sugar – 1pt/600ml of strained juice to 1lb/454g of white granulated sugar
- This recipe makes 14 half pound jars. So adjust accordingly.
Method:
As the rosehips can take longer than the apple to soften I always cook them separately. In this way both are cooked for their individual optimum time. I cook the rosehips on one evening, straining it overnight, and then cook the apples on the next evening. The juice will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, in covered containers. Split over three evenings, the jelly is not a palaver and can be easily fitted into a busy routine.
- Remove stalks from the rosehips and place in a large pan. Don’t use an iron or aluminium pan as this will strip away the vitamin C. A large glass or enamelled saucepan is ideal. I use a large non stick or stainless steel stock pot. Barely cover the hips with water and bring to the boil and simmer gently until the hips are soft. This can take quite a while if the hips are still firm (when I was making this jelly, the hips took a good hour and a half to soften). Keep an eye on them, stirring from time to time. Top up with water if necessary. (I mashed them gently with a plastic potato masher to hurry them along). If you are using my three evening method, strain the rosehips through sterilised muslin (see points 3 and 4 below)
- Wash the apples, cut out bad bits and chop roughly. There is no need to peel or core the apples. Add water to cover of the fruit – they should just be floating. Add the lemon zest. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer very gently until all the fruit is soft and squishy. (This can take anything from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how ripe the fruit is.)
- Pour the cooked fruit through sterilised muslin into a large clean bucket or bowl (how do I sterilise muslin/the jelly bag? See tips and tricks below). The muslin is often referred to as a “jelly bag”. We use tall buckets to catch the drips from the jelly bags. Rather than hang the bags (conventional method-between the legs of an upturned stool) I find it easier to line a large plastic sieve with the muslin. This clips neatly onto the top of a clean bucket. The sieve is covered with a clean tea cloth to protect against flies.
- Leave the jelly bag to drip overnight (or about 12 hours).
- Measure the juice the next day.
- Pour the juice into a deep heavy bottomed saucepan and add 1lb/454g of white granulated sugar for each 1pt/570ml of juice.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Heat the juice and sugar gently stirring from time to time, so as to make sure that that all the sugar has dissolved before bringing the liquid slowly to the boil.
- As there are apples (high in pectin) in this recipe only continue to boil for about 10 minutes before testing for a set. This is called a rolling boil. Test every 3 to 5 minutes until setting point is reached. (What is testing for a set? See tips and tricks below).
- Tossing in a nugget of butter towards the end will reduce the frothing that can occur.
- When jelly has reached setting point pour into warm sterilised jars using a funnel and ladle. (How do I sterilise jars? See tips and tricks below).
- Cover immediately with plastic lined screw top lids or waxed disks and cellophane tops secured with a rubber band.
- If you don’t think that the jelly has set properly, you can reboil jelly the next day. The boiling reduces the water in the jelly. I have done this in the past. Ideally you should try for the right set the first time.
- Label when cold and store in a cool, dark place. Away from damp.
Tips and tricks:
- What is a jelly bag?
A jelly bag is traditionally a piece of muslin but it can be cheesecloth, an old thin tea cloth or even a pillowcase. The piece needs to be about 18 inches square. When your fruit is cooked and ready to be put in the jelly bag, lay your cloth over a large bowl. Pour the fruit into the centre of the cloth and tie the four corners together so that they can be slung on a stick to drip over the bowl. Traditionally a stool is turned upside down, the stick is rested on the wood between the legs and the jelly bag hangs over the bowl. We experimented and now line a sieve with muslin, place it over a bucket and cover the lot with clean tea cloths (against the flies). - How do I sterilise muslin/the jelly bag?
Iron the clean jelly bag with a hot iron. This method will also sterilise tea cloths. - Jelly “set” or “setting point”?
Getting the right set can be tricky. I have tried using a jam thermometer but find it easier to use the following method.
Before you start to make the jelly, put a couple of plates in the fridge so that the warm jam can be drizzled onto a cold plate (when we make jam we often forget to return the plate to the fridge between tests, using two plates means that you have a spare cold plate). Return the plate to the fridge to cool for approx two minutes. It has set when you run your finger through it and leave a crinkly track mark. If after two minutes the cooled jam is too liquid, continue to boil the jelly, testing it every few minutes until you have the right set. The jelly is far more delicious if it is slightly runny. It does get firmer after a few months. - How do I sterilise the jars and lids?
We collect jars all year round for our jelly, chutney and jam making sessions. I try to soak off labels and store the clean jars and metal plastic coated screw-top lids in an accessible place. The sterilising method that we use is simple. Just before making the jam, I quickly wash and rinse the jars and place them upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 160c (140c fan-assisted). When the oven has reached the right temperature I turn off the heat. The jars will stay warm for quite a while. I only use plastic lined lids for preserves as the all-metal lids can go rusty. I boil these for five minutes in water to sterilise them. If I use Le Parfait jars, I do the same with the rubber rings.
Thank you for your comments. And a bit of silly bath time fun with the Frothing Sea Monster trick!
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FD
I note you say that an aluminium pan strips away the Vitamin C. I make preserves in an ordinary aluminium pan – and I know most traditional jelly pans are aluminium. Why, if this has such bad effect? I’d love to hear from others about this as I was just about to buy a jelly pan, and I note that you can buy some that are enamel.
Hi Dulwich Daisy,
I heard about the leeching of vitamin C from rosehips from several sources. So I have always followed the advice and avoided using our old aluminium pan to cook them.
Most new jelly pans are stainless steel nowadays. I cook the rosehips and make the jelly in a very large enamel casserole.
Lovely site and inspirational reipes for a hedgerow plundering novice!
Have just collected some hips from the field at the back of us and met a new calf aswell! Do you think I could use cooking apples from our tree in this recipe if I add sugar. If so how much?
Many thanks
Plumsource
Hi Plumsource,
I don’t see why not. If using cooking apples cut out the lemon juice (but not the zest) and possibly add a bit more sugar. Dissolve the recipe amount first and taste, adding extra sugar in 100g increments before bringing to the boil and making the jelly.
I’d love to hear how you get on.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I was Googling for rosehip syrup recipes but when I found this I thought it sounded much more interesting. I watched my mum make raspberry jam at the end of every summer as a child, sometimes helping out with stirring and of course with testing
but I’ve never actually made anything like this myself, so all the tips were really helpful.
I’m now looking at the jars lined up on my worktop with such satisfaction, but I don’t think they’ll be hanging around for long! From the drips and drops I’ve tasted, it’s heavenly stuff.
Hi Jodi,
I love this jelly too. Delicate and rather chic. Great in the winter on toast for breakfast. And there’s double whammy with this one – delicious and loads of vitamin C.
It’s great that you enjoyed making it too!
Just to say, I’m boiling up my rosehip and (cooking) apple as I type and out of interest, I tasted it with the recipe amount of sugar and it was scrummy. So didn’t add any more. Must go and test for wrinkly jelly…
Hi Plumsource,
Thanks for dropping by and the update.
I think that rosehip jelly is chic. Subtle flavours and unusual.
Hello there, we made our first batch of Rosehip/Crab Apple Jelly at the weekend. Apart from the obvious delight of creating a wonderfully flavoursome preserve, we obtained immense satisfaction from scouring the village hedgerows for the ruby red hips.
There is something almost primeaval in ‘gathering’ wild produce for the tea table.
Has anyone made jelly from hawthorn berries I wonder? If so, can you recommend it?
Hope you are feeling much better tonight Fi.
Hi Mildred,
Apparently Ray Mears makes hawthorn berry jelly. It might be one that needs to be mixed with apple.
Gathering berries always seems a bit primeval to me too.
Readers comments – some folk mention ‘hawthorn berries’ I thought these (and holly) were poisonous?
I found this recipe, searching for something to do with a glut of apples – ours just don’t store well – and I’ve exhausted my capacity for chutney, freezing, drying and making apple sauce. We have an wild rose in the wood just outside our house, covered in bright red hips so we gave it a go. We just sampled the first batch . . . it is pure heaven! Thank you.
Hi Ellsea
This is good news. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Hello there,
Your recipes for hedgerow jellies are inspiring and I hope to be busy trying some of them this autumn (if it ever stops raining). Just wondered, do you happen to know of a good recipe for Hawthorn jelly? I believe they’re high in Vitamin C, peptin and considered a heart tonic by herbalists.
Many thanks for your wisdom.
I’m concerned that a lot of the vitamin C content of any fruit jam or jelly will be lost in the fast boiling necessary. Delicious though they are, I wouldn’t rely on them for an important source. Fresh fruit and veg are a much better vitamin provider. However, I believe the antioxidant benefits are unaffected by heat.
I use a steam extractor when I am making apple jelly. It’s a 3 piece thing with water in the bottom, a central reservoir that collects the juice and the top portion which holds the fruit. It’s perforated so the stream “cooks” the juice out of the fruit and it collects in the central portion where you can tap it off.
It saves the time with the muslin bag and has given great results with apples and crab apples.
Any idea whether I could use rose hips in it? I must have at least 30 lbs waiting to do something with, and the idea of rose hip jelly sounds so good.
great recipes I am sterilising my jars as I write.
with regard to the Vitamin C. This is very unstable chemical and will be almost completely obliterated by the high temperatures. It decomposes very quickly when heated so although these taste good they definitely won’t be boosting your vit C levels. – sorry.
Hi I have wild roses in and around my garden can I use these?
Hi Harryg
Yes, they would be perfect!
All good stuff. I am interested in the Vit C aspect. Surely making a liquer would hold the VC as it doesn’t require cooking!? OK,the jelly will taste good but how does one test for the VC content
Anybody know about making rosehip gin? (as in sloe gin) I had some in japan once and it was ace. Do I leave the hairy pips in and put it through muslin or take them out painstakingly first??????? I’m thinking of an idea for Christmas presents. sad isn’t it. And me and my girl getting subtly pissed of course. Beryl Scive, Norwich
I was just wondering what you do about removing the sharp pokey pits in the rosehips? I hear that they can be quite hard on your digestive tract if you leave them in. Do you think when you strain them all of that is removed?
Just wanting to check before I try them out!
Hi Robyn B
Straining through muslin removes these bits.
Made your Sloe and Bramley Apple jelly very successfully 3 days ago – the first jelly I have attempted, so very pleased with myself. Then attempted this Rosehip and Apple jelly. Used red Royal Gala apples (Sainsbury’s best buy as I had no windfalls) and 2 lb of wild rosehips picked locally a week ago and kept frozen. After boiling the fruits until soft (1 hr for the rosehips and 40 mins for the apples) I had a very thick mixture rather like sloppy part-mashed potatoes, which only produced 1 pint of thick juice even after dripping for 24 hours. The contents of the jelly bag were still very heavy and wet, so I added more water and boiled and strained again. Ended up with enough huice but with a very strange taste. Reminded me of tea – obviously a great deal of tannin had been extracted. Any advice?
Hi I wonder if you could help me , we’ve just picked a load of rosehips with a view to making Jelly – I was wondering if they need to be topped and tailed – I’ve heard that the hairy bits can cause agravation. As they are going to be strained anyway can we just use them wholesale.
I’d appreciate your advice
Charles
Hi Lavinia
What a shame that this turned out badly for you. Sometimes you won’t get a lot of juice but as you discovered, forcing it to produce more can be disasterous.
Hello Charles
Just remove the stalks on the rose hips and use the entire hip. Muslin will deal with the bits.
Well, I decided to give my strange-tasting juice a try anyway. Added the sugar and some extra lemon juice and boiled away for simply ages before achieving a set. But the amazing thing was that the unpleasant tannin taste completely disappeared!!! I only achieved a partial set – more like very thick clear honey than a true jelly – but it is delicious on hot buttered toast and the rosehip taste and colour are very obvious. I have renamed it Rosehip Honey (Good for Colds) and I am so glad I persevered.
I’ve just found your site and am eager to try the hip and apple jelly recipe – one question – can I use hips other than wild roses as my Mum has a Danish friend who uses hips from the rugosa type with much success? I’m sitting here ready to go hip collecting! Wild or rugosa hips are NOT a problem but I would like your thoughts?
Hi Mary
Any rose hips will do!
Hi Mary,
I’ve used Rugosa for syrup and they were fine. They also come in handy to bulk up if hips are a bit short – which they certainly aren’t this year here in Sussex. Am awaiting that frost, any day now.
Any update on:
Hips through a steamer – Denis Sept 13 ’08
Hip gin – Vic Sept 19 ’08
What a wonderfully altuistic site, thanks.
Hello,
I’ve tried your rosehip & apple jelly recipe with great success – a lovely colour & a lovely taste. I’ve had a second go but the rosehips produced only a tiny amount of juice even after a second boil – so I used the juice to make apple & blackberry crumble – lovely.
Hi all,
So sorry not to have reported back on the rosehip and apple jelly before now! great success – so thank you for your helpful comments. I shall definitely be making more next year and double quantities as the family is shouting for more!
Hi, I have just made the Rosehip and Apple Jelly with great success. Used granny smith apples cos that was all I had, and had to boil the juices for about 20 minutes to get to setting point, and the result is delicious…very subtle sweet flavour with a pale orange colour. Nice gift for folk.
You write:”Don’t use an iron or aluminium pan as this will strip away the vitamin C.”
But then you write: “Barely cover the hips with water and bring to the boil and simmer gently until the hips are soft.”
I understand that Vit C is destroyed by heating to 70c so there won’t be any Vit C anyway (which is a pity).
Hi Michael
Good point. Perhaps the boffins during WW2 didn’t realise that. Still tastes very good though.
I think I went a little over board with my collecting, am currently about to bottle 9 pints of jelly… chuckle… realised the amount of jars I had anticipated needing was going to be vastly out stripped by actual quantity! All I can say is thank heavens for neighbors especially elderly ones who hoard and used to bottle!
Fun time had with my son collecting rose hips tho’.
Thanks for the recipe.
All the recipes I have read call for picking the rose hips after the first frost. The wild rose hips I would like to use are already ripening, each year if I wait for the frost (sometime in Nov) they are dried out or the birds have eaten them. Can I pick them this month when they are fully ripe? I tried one yesterday, it is almost ripe and slightly soft.
Thanks
Hi Kate
Well done!
Our rosehips are not quite ready yet.
Hello Susan
No you don’t need to wait until the first frost. Like yours, a lot of our hips shrivel before then.
It’s best to chop them finely through to make softening easier.
Just about to try this recipe out after a hard days plundering of the hedgerows with two of my girls, amazing number of hips and free apples down the droves round here. For peole wanting Hawthorn recipes I’m sure I saw Hugh Fearnely Whit. doing one?
Hi Indigo
Hope it works out for you. Thanks for the tip about HFW.
Thank you, might try haws now, so many of them about! I think they need til october though? Found lots of recipes for them on a site called downsizer.net http://forum.downsizer.net/post-604779.html&highlight=&sid=baa5c6c5c718898e59f1c86a4112ff99.
You are very near to me, we are just in Littleport near Ely, I have Min Pin too!
Thanks for all the great recipes, you’ve become my one stop shop x
Hello Indigo
Thanks very much for the link. I’ve seen ripe haws around here, I think.
Yes Ely is close. If you have a Min Pin you are a friend!
Hi all,
I made a most delicious haw jelly last year….just using haws,-no apples. Absolutely delicious – do try it.
To 3 lbs of washed haws add 3 pints of water and simmer for 1 hour. Strain overnight thru muslin. Add 1 lb of sugar and strained juice of 1 lemon to each pint of juice and boil until setting point is reached. Enjoy!!
Hi Irene
Thanks so much for this recipe – much appreciated.
I see your recipie after googling rose hip- apple jelly. But not into canning! can this work for freezer jelly or jam? Tempted to try, but wonder if thawing will make it runny. I did quince freezer jam last year and it thawed perfectly.
Linda
Hi Linda
You can make this and then can it, no problem.
I’ve never tried making freezer jam or jelly so I can’t advise.
Well so far I have very successfully mad, your apple and rose hip jelly, wild purple plum jam, yellow plum jam, apple, rosehip and plum cheese(you can see how that happened ha ha) some squash and onion chutney, sloe vodka and rosehip gin, oh and the apple and blackberry jelly and cordial! This is my first year preserving and thanks to the great info on here everything has worked beautifully. Am off out tomorrow to gather some haws and maybe more hips. The only thing I’ve paid for so far is 50p for the squash from some sweet old mans front garden. Brilliant!!
I have discovered that instead of leaving fruit until the first frost, if you pick it when it’s ready and pop it in the freezer overnight it does the same job. I’ve just done it with my sloe’s for gin and it really helps soften them, sure it would work for rosehips too.
Hello Indigo
Wey Hey! So pleased that you’ve got the preserving bug. We are going to try out cooking with haws this year too.
Hi,
Love the site!! Pretty new to all this, but my Grandad used to make the best Rosehip and Apple Jelly, brings back some wonderful memories!!
Could you use crab apples for the jelly or are these not sweet enough?
Thanks!! xx
Hi Sally
Crab apples would be too tart and dominate the rosehips. It’s best to use eating apples for this.
We have good crab apple recipes on the site for jelly
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=470
and cheese
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=3733
Ok, thanks for the reply, will let you know how I get on! xx
Hi! I found this site when I was googling apple chutnye recipes… I have never made jelly before and was kind of freaked out by the whole straining thing but after reading this I might give it a go! I’ve seen loads of rosehips around and also have loads of windfall apples…
So wish me luck!
sab x
Hi Sabulous
Jelly is fun and easy to make. You can also use the leftover pulp to make fruit ‘cheese’.
I made the jelly today, I think I only managed a soft set after boiling away for what felt like hours, but it tasted absolutely divine!
How would I go about making fruit cheese? I didn’t like the thought of throwing away the “leftovers” So they are in a tupperware box ’til tomorrow when I can get some more jars and do something with them. Is that alright?
Thanks for a great recipe!
sab x
Hello Sabulous
Yes you can use the pulp for fruit (and rosehip) cheese. Follow this recipe http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/easy-quince-cheese-recipe-membrillo-467 for quince cheese here but add sugar to taste (you probably need less). This is the basic recipe that I use for all fruit cheeses.
Great site. I’m new this year to Jam and Jelly making, but so far results have been very good. I have to make more to justify the expense of buying a copper preserving pan (much bigger than my hot plate:()
I found the jam thermometer useless, as it never got above 84 degrees on my gooseberry jam, though the jam passed a setting test on a plate that had been put in freezer for a bit. I think the jam was too shallow in the pan, but I don’t think I’ll bother with the thermometer again.
I’ve also made a lot of wild damson jam – no problems setting there:)
And some bramble and apple jelly. In both of these two I didn’t do a setting test, because my experience with the gooseberry jam made me think I could detect when it was ready by subtle changes in the texture and appearance of them as I stirred, and it worked beautifully. Maybe I just got lucky, though – it’s encouraging to learn here that even if it doesn’t set properly it’s not a write off.
For the bramble and apple I used Silver Spoon jam sugar with added pectin, though maybe the pectin from the apples would have been enough. It set beautifully, so I’m not going to change.
Great site!
David
Hello from Normandy! I “made” the rosehip and apple jelly but my problems were: I ran out of water with the rosehips as I pottered off for a few minutes! I put some more in but that concerned me because I thought I will have lost all the juice and there won’t be any left for this new water. Anyway, I carried on but the amount of juice I managed to retrieve was very, very small so I did another batch! Same thing happened – lost the water and ended up with yet another small amount. Note to self: Stand there for ever, no matter how long it takes!
I haven’t got a plastic potato masher so I prodded at them with a wooden spoon!
So, we come now to the boiling of the two juices – apples and rosehips – and the first attempt was useless as it didn’t set at all. I reboiled but as it was somewhat of a hit and miss decision as to whether it was “syrupy” enough, I overdid it and now we have a toffee consistency!! It’s jolly tasty but a little difficult to spread!
My husband asked me whether or not I could put it back in the pan and add a little water and try again? After snapping his head off, because by this time I was losing the will to live, I said I would ask!!
So what’s the answer? And, how come everyone else is having success and I am not?!!
Hi Anne
Poor you. That sounds like a nightmare.
The rosehips need to be simmered very gently, I sometimes keep the lid on to conserve the juice.
The jelly didn’t set as there was too much water in the mix. The rolling boil evaporates the water so it would have set eventually.
I have an article here about retrieving hard jelly
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/jelly-set-too-hard-514
Hello again! I have just written again and now I see that you have replied! Haven’t got used to what to do as yet on the site!
This is exactly what I had found when I wrote to you a minute ago. My question is about the juice.
I have another question: I have a pressure cooker so could I cook them in that? A pressure cooker is stainless steel or isn’t it? Now I am now sure! Still, if one loses the vitamins in boiling anyway, it shouldn’t matter too much?
Regards, Anna
Hi Anna
I don’t know if you can use a pressure cooker. I don’t have any experience with them. Why not experiment?
Just off for the day so won’t be able to answer until tonight.
Oh, I am pleased you said that! As I have never heard or read anyone giving permission to use a pressure cooker, that means it’s not necessarily out of the question!! It would seem, if it works and I cannot see why not, to be an admirable idea and would cut out so much time. I shall definitely give it a try next time and I shall be searching out a funnel – definitely!
Regards, Anna
Well I attempted to make this jelly today,that is after yesterdays absolute disaster whilst collecting the rose hips! – everybody must be making something with them this year, as all the bushes are stripped to tippy-toe height! I did however find quite a thick and bushy bush that was still quite laden at the top, so stood on the top strand of a barbed wire fence to pick them, only to “get a wobble – on” and fall right into the middle of it ;-( I emerged cut, shredded,and with my jumper in tatters, only to find that my other half had just managed to get some given off her friend who had loads to spare! Bah!. Any way I digress, some how ended up with 4pints of combined juices, and although i added the correct ratio of sugar,and boiled for ages, this brew just wouldn`t set!! My wise one suggested adding a Strawberry jelly, as i had nothing to lose I did, and Hey Presto! it worked! it set to a lovely soft but firm jelly, with just a hint of strawberry taste.
Just thought this tip was worth passing on, sorry for the ramble beforehand.
Well done, Steve!! What as brilliant idea. I am very impressed because blokes don’t often have good ideas!!!!!!!!!! Sorry!! Love the ramble – wonderful picture in head!!
Did you use just rosehips or did you combine with apples? I have reboiled mine three times now and added more water – it’s still more than jelly but hey, who cares? It tastes lovely!! If you used apples, I think you get too much water from them because you don’t have to cook them anywhere near as long as the rosehips. It would make sense to me that that is the problem. If I am wrong, I am sure I will be corrected!
The weird thing was that each time I added more water to the reboil, I assumed I would end up with more jelly. No, it was either the same or even a little less. Bizarre.
Oh, silly me. I always read too quickly. First, combined juices so, yes you did use apples, and secondly, your wise one gave you the tip. There you are! Proves my point!! Blokes just don’t have good ideas!! Seriously though, I am off to read the packet of one jelly I have had in the cupboard for years to see what it was that did the trick.
Silly, yet again. Jelly? Gelatine?!! I wonder if you could just add the gelatine if you didn’t want to alter the taste? Then my question would be: how much gelatine to one pint of juice?
This is such a good site!
But I remember always being given hot rosehip syrup (in water), when my parents made tea in the morning, for donkey’s years as a child. I absolutely loved it. Although some people still have hot ribena now, that seems to have died out. But it’s gorgeous!
But re the aluminium pan thing, I don’t the issue is anything to do with the vitamin C leaching out, the issue in respect of aluminium leaching in is much more significant. I hate to say this, but one really shouldn’t still be using aluminium pans at all, and certainly not with anything remotely acidic. If you want to see the issue demonstrated, try cooking a bit of rhubarb in an aluminium pan. But don’t dream of eating it, because that bright shiny metal left is from the acid having stripped it into the juice. Really not good!
But thank you hugely Indigo, above, for the reference to the site telling one about what to do with haws. though. And associated as well. I have long been curious as to what one can do with them. I will have to try now!
Can I use a copper pan for making rosehip jelly? Any recipes for crab apple jelly please. I have a new tree with 23 crab apples on!!!
Hi Heather
No the copper will leech the vitamin C.
We have a great recipe for crab apple jelly here http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/hot-crab-apple-and-chilli-jelly-recipe-2-470
Will try a stainless steel one I think. Thanks for recipe advice. What a great site-good luck with your venture
Love the recipe – thanks very much. Mine was very syrupy after the first cook so I boiled again very rapidly and it has set wonderfully!
Great use for a hedgerow fruit that not many people pick and I get to forgae too – what could be better?!
Hi Kate
Thanks for dropping by. I love foraging and so few people do it around here!
Great blog, fantastically easy recipes…am now a devoted fan!
well, i’m a year late for the excitement of this blog, but i’ve learned a lot, read every comment and chuckled a few times. had a plum jam and chutney session 2 weeks ago, followed by some blackberry and apple jamming. my friend was so funny – she was overwhelmed by the amount of jam we had to get through: “scones!” she said, “everyday!” i did urge her to put the ‘reserve’ back into ‘preserve’, but she wouldn’t have it. we were looking so forward to going back to the local park with her boys to pick seconds and woe were we! every fruit had shriveled. it was a tragedy! “but we’ve only got 1 jar left!” she was devastated. the apples in my garden are just ripening, the rose hips are abundant and i can’t keep my herbs down, so there is hope yet!
have a great season. c
[...] Fiona inspires and encourages all the way. Her easy-to-follow recipe can be found at http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/rosehip-and-apple-jelly-recipe-60. Do make sure to use sweet eating apples in this recipe. I was lucky enough to have been given [...]
I read the hawthorn berry recipes, and apparently they are just loaded with pectin–I wonder if they would be a good addition to difficult-to-jell fruits? They are supposed to be pretty bland, so maybe they wouldn’t mess with whatever flavor you want.
Am about to head off rosehip and blackberry picking – I have noticed some very luscious looking hips close to home. A friend has promised me some apples from his garden when they start to fall. Can I freeze the rose hips until I have the apples for making the jelly? Thanks
Hi Eve
Yes you can freeze the rosehips.
Hi,I have topped and tailed the rosehips and have exposed some of the ‘hairy’ seeds will these hairs be removed in the cooking or straining process.
Hi Darren
Don’t worry, the hairs are removed in the straining process!
Hi Fiona
Does the jelly bag/muslin get rid of all the hairs? Been a bit scared of trying rosehips due to the itching powder-ness
Shaz
Hi Shaz
Yes the jelly bag/muslin strains the hairs
Hi! I’m thinking of giving your Rosehip recipe a go. How long does it keep for? And how should it best be eaten / served with?
Thanks for your fab recipes.
Hi – is there any particular reason why you need to use a plastic sieve for this and other jam / jelly recipes, or is it ok to use a metal one?
Thanks very much for the recipe it worked a treat,how it ends up clear was quite amazing and the colour is lovely.My son and daughter love it so we are going to collect some more rosehips tomorrow.
Hello, and thanks for the recipes, my first time at jam making and having fun. My only problem was the smell of the rosehips simmering, made me feel quite ill, but glad that I persevered as it tastes wonderful. I used half eating and half crab apples and the taste has just a little bite to it.
As Darren says, the way it changes colour is amazing.
Off to pick a load of damsons now, I think I have caught the jam making bug.
Thanks very much for the recipe.
Made a batch last three nights and tasted it this morning. As with lavinia above, I had a sort of tea like liquor after the apple boil. Since there’s no frost due for a while, the hips were as hard as nails and gave off a very disappointing amount of water, so I tipped the mash in with the apples and added extra water. As there was extra water, I did a reduce boil before adding the sugar and strained it (good for getting rid of bits of sludge).
The result, like lavinia’s, is like honey.
PS for those who like to use a thermometor, when the boil temperature hits 105c seems to be the right one.
Delicious!
[...] Rosehip and apple jelly [...]
I finished this last night, oh it’s delightful! Am now scoping out hedgerows further afield for more rosehips!
I was all excited to try making some rose hip syrup. I picked a couple cups of hips, rinsed them and started to pull off the stems and flower remnants. In doing so I saw a small white lavae. I squeezed a few more hips and found several more. Needless to say I threw the whole batch out.
Hi Fiona.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes, so inspiring. Made the rosehip and apple jelly the other day.I have noticed that there is a cloudy sedimenty appearance at the top of the jars, the set is fine and the excess that I put into a ramekin tasted great. Is this cloudy bit a problem? If so, any ideas or should I throw it (really don’t want to)and start again. It’s a lovely sunny Devon day so I shall go and get more rosehips so I can try again aswell.
Thanks for all the inspirartion and tips.
Inge
Janet,
We had a similar experience with the rosehips we picked. They were riddled with larvae. I scooped them out with seeds, but after about 1 hour (seed removal is such a labour intensive task) I got so disgusted by the whole thing, I gave up. I made up a batch of jelly (I think it made 2 jars) – I figured the heat would kill off anything else still in there. I have yet to try the jelly as there is still part of me that is grossed out by it. I plan to go picking for rosehips in the next few days and we’ll see if any of them are ok. Part of me tries to stop being so squirmy.. I am sure the commercial jams and jellies are full of bugs that get boiled to blazes
[...] Rosehip and Apple Jelly Recipe [...]
Hi,
Im in the process of making the Rosehip and Apple Jelly, I have made many Rosehip Recipes before. Just wondering, you mention the ammount of apple jucie to use with the sugar (1 pint apple juice to 1lb of sugar) But do not mention the ammount of R/hip ligiud to add to the last and final stage of the recipe. I have strained my R/hips and have managed to get approx 3/4 pint, how much of this do I put with the Apple liquid ?
Hope you can help ? Many Thanks
thanks Kirstin, glad I’m not the only one grossed out…..anyone out there have any solutions to this problem?
It does seem so unfair that the bugs have got to those lovely red jewels before us! and yes despite my best efforts to deny it – gross. However, I’m reminded of my childhood when I was actively encouraged to eat fruit directly off our garden bushes and trees, washing them first was just not done…….so I must have consumed a wide avriety of bugs and beasties and I now feel that if I was going to suffer from them I would have done so by now. I also think that jelly making is the best punishment for the criters and as long as you boil up to jam making temperature and use a good quality muslin to seive through you’re a winner!! x
Yes Kaz, I totally agree.
However the hedgerows are full of wild hips that in East Anglia are still firm and have few nasty residents.
Hi fn – someone told me its been a particularly good year for fruit and nuts? Sussex if full of berries and hips too and I’ve noticed far more hedgerow birds this year so plenty of natures fayre to go round! Tis a shame about those bugs perhaps someone clever can tell why its a problem this year?(My apple and rosehip jelly took longer than usual to get to setting point this year, boiled it for ages, bottled it, had to start again as not set but worked fine on second attempt – wonderful colour!) K.
Janet, Kirsten,
I found those bugs in the haw berries I had picked to add into my rosehip and crab apple jelly (which I am about to start). I too gave up after discovering at least 90% of them had the grubs. The hips seem to be ok though but I am about to chop the crab apples so we shall see what beasties lurk in there.
Does remind me of picking bilberries as a child, my parents would then freeze / soak them and lots of purple little grubs would migrate / float to the top.
I am not usually at all squeamish but I do draw the line at caterpillar jam!
There was a post somewhere about putting the fruit in salt water and the bugs floating to the surface.
I too soak fruits that cannot be chopped in salt. Taught by my Nan and my Mum.
Off to scour the hedgerows of south london in the morning.
Good hunting janiemay.
I am off to grab a few crab apples, also gives the dogs a good walk. Two birds with one stone.
I was told never soak fruit in salt water as the salt kills the bugs and leaves them in the fruit.Just soak in plain water and they will float to the top and can be scooped off.
Hi Mowdrops
I use the salt water trick for fruit and veg. With fruit all sorts of nasties immerge in an instant with a very dilute saline water solution. So we have to agree to differ here!
[...] Rosehips on the tree next door. Rosehips are packed with vitamin C and are a very healthy fruit, but they need to be cooked to be edible (I think). I found a great website with a recipe for apple and rosehip jelly here – The cottage smallholder. [...]
Hi fn, can you update your recipe for me to use in my steam juicer please?
Many thanks
Maura
Hi, sorry – should have asked if I steam the rose hips and the crab apples together? Maybe I shouldn’t be asking this here – I’ll look on forums, sorry! Still trying to find my way around the site.
Hi there seems to be a typo on point number 2, do I cover the apples with water or half covered? thanks, Jane.
Hi JaneA
Thanks for pointing out the typo! Cover the fruit with water – they should be just floating. Have updated the recipe!
phew, I did it right! just straining the rosehips now, only slight problem is that when I ironed the bag, it melted a bit and has a small hole!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Have made 2 batches now from our local rosa rogosa bushes. There are not a lot of sweet things that grow on Shetland where I live but wild rose is one. I am thrilled to be able to make real Shetland wild produce (that is not fish or sea weed related).
[...] after making the jelly this way I discovered this recipe on The Cottage Smallholder site, and learnt that the aluminium pan we used probably leached most of the vitamin C, and that there [...]
[...] sloes and windfall apples gathered on a walk with Phil and Amber. Rosehips and Apples turned into Jelly (never again as it’s way too much effort for a thimble of jelly). Used the left over pulp to [...]
Have just picked 2lbs rose hips in order to make our 2nd batch of rose hip jelly (friends and neighbours asking for it)but I am a little bit worried as these rose hips are not all bright red – some are bit darker and a few are quite sqishy. I collected them from bushes in a local park which I have discovered has hundreds of bushes and brambles loaded with berries. I will be steaming the rose hips with windfall apples (after freezing them for a while). Will the softer and darker hips be ok to use?