How To Make Rose Petal Jelly - Getting Off The Grid

Every year I hear about making jelly from flowers but its usually in the wintertime and I always forget when the flowers are in full bloom, the spring for the most part and its something I want to do, I want to experience the flavors that the past enjoyed.

This year when Tony brought in a handful of rose petals because I might want to have them to lay around to make the house smell like Spring it hit me, rose petal jelly! 

I rinsed the petals off in cold water and laid them on a clean white towel and went back to the work I was doing.

Later I looked up a recipe for rose petal jelly and it seemed like a lot of work but I was willing to try. The first batch did not work out, it did not gel so now I also have rose petal syrup :) so I made my own recipe, based on what I know about making jelly and it turned out wonderful!

This is a jelly that takes an overnight sit in the fridge and make the jelly the next day, but its worth it! So lets get started.

Step One :

This recipe calls for rose water. I did not have any rose water and when I looked it up, its expensive. So I thought I will make my own! And I did. 

First I snipped off those little white edges on each petal, okay I did not get them all and it still taste wonderful! All that I read said it would make the jelly bitter but that did not happen.

Next, I put 1 1/2 cup of boiling water over 3 cups of rose petals and allowed that to steep for a couple hours. The water turns so dark it looks brown but that is okay,Strain the rose water through cheese cloth, then add 1/4 cup of vodka. So all in all you just are making rose extract. When finished I stored the rose water in a pint fruit jar with a new seal and lid, labeled and put in the shelf with my other homemade extracts.

Step Two:

Making the rose juice for the jelly. Put 3 cups of rose petals and 1/2 cup of sugar onto a bowl and using a spoon bruise up the petals so that they release all the rose essence, stir and mix all the sugar over those bruised petals, refrigerate over night.

Now Its Jelly Making Time!

You will need :

2 cups of rose juice

4 cups of sugar

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1 - 3 oz. package of Ball liquid fruit pectin

1 - tablespoon of rose water

4- half pint jars

1 - 4 ounce jar

5 - New seals and rings

Take the rose petals with sugar from the fridge, in a sauce pan boil 2 cups of water and add rose petals that are mixed with sugar, allow to boil a couple minutes, remove from heat and strain through cheese cloth pushing all the water from the petals. Measure 2 cups of rose juice.( you should have exactly 2 cups if not add water to make exactly 2 cups) this rose liquid will be brownish, don`t worry magic will happen and it`ll be a pretty color.

As always when home canning sterilize those jars and set aside. Heat up those new seal with rings, keep hot.

In a large cooking pot add the rose juice and the lemon juice, its magic! now its red! Bring to a boil. 

Add sugar and cook another minute till a rolling boil. Add rose water.

Add the liquid fruit pectin and bring to a boil that cannot be stirred down, cook for two minutes.

Ladle hot jelly into sterile jars and apply lids.

Process for 5 minutes in a boiling bath water. 

Keep jelly in a cool dark place.

By Andria Perry

Photos By Andria Perry

NOTE : 

I know this makes 4 half pints and that 4 ounces that is left over usually makes it to the fridge and the breakfast table the next day, but that is my choice and I though maybe you would like to do the same. 

Some people still can jelly the old fashion way and skips the boiling bath by inverting the jars for so many minutes and then flipping them to make sure there is a good seal, use your best judgment on this part.