Today’s foraging walk produced some ripe rosehips. The rosehips were at the best time for picking since there have been quite a few frosts so far and they were properly shriveled and mushy.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to making rosehip preserves. According to the first one, you painstakingly clean each individual rosehip from the seeds and chad and then you process them with sugar.
According to the second school of thought rosehips can be boiled as is and then passed through a muslin.
Guess which school of thought I support- the second one. I don’t have patience and time to go through each individual rosehip.
For this recipe you will need:
- 500 g rosehips. If you can only find firm rosehips, pop them in the freezer for a night or two and then thaw them
- 150 g sugar
- 2-3 Tbs hawthorn or apple cider vinegar
- Just enough water to cover rosehips
Wash the rosehips thoroughly and place in a pot with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 15 mins. Then using a fork or a masher, mash them until the pulp and seeds are separated from the skin.
At this point add your sugar and vinegar. Taste it and bear in mind that the taste will be more concentrated once the mix thickens.
Bring back to a boil and simmer until it becomes of syrupy consistency and sticks on the back of a spoon. Adjust sweetness and acidity at this point.
Pour in sterilised jars and close lid tightly.
Enjoy with meat or just plain on some nice bread!
(Fer)mental Greens 