Rose hip delicatessen

Sure, you can pick roses and have vases full of them- but eating them in the form of rose hip jam is just one step better  .  And you can get your jam making materials  from nature .Zero costs!
If you don't have a garden just have a look around on your walks for this shrub.

That's a nice rose hip there.Wild rose shrubs are full of them at the moment.
And making jam is a piece of cake.
Pick yourself a bowl -- or bag full of rosehips.
Wash the rosehips and take the top and the bottom off , and cut them in half.
Scrape the seeds out with small spoon.If you want to be quick, just throw the whole thing in the pan, as you will be simmer them and then put them through a sieve anyway.
Weight the rosehips.I had about 500 grammes from a small spate of picking rose hips which will give you about 1 small Killner jar of jam.

So with or without seed, simmer the washed rose hips in just that much water that they are covered.

Give it about 20 minutes or so then check if the rose hips are soft, if not, give it another 5 or ten minutes.
Pour off the water.Push the rosehips through a sieve so you have a puree.
Weigh the puree- and add the same amount of sugar.So  500 grammes fruit puree - then 500 grammes sugar.Or use jamsugar which is specifically for jam making.Again- the fruit/ sugar shoiuld be 50/50.
 Add a sachet of pectin or two if you just use sugar .You can buy them in boxes with sachets of 7 grammes each. If you can't find pectin, you can use agar- this is really more for jellies, but it does work for jams if you can't find pectin- I have tried.
Stir and bring to the boil.( the agar shouild be stirred in when the puree is cold, and dissolved, then put to the boil ).

Let it simmer for a bit- I would taste it - you may want to add one or two table spoons of lemon juice.Keep stirring and keep an eye on the jam.Then try the cold saucer trick to see if your jam is setting.Take a cold saucer out of the fridge, then drop half a teaspoon of your jam mixture on it and let it cool.If you can push the surface of the jam and it wrinkles, the jam is set and ready.If it doesn't wrinkle, you need another sachet of pectin in it.Mix well!!
If it wrinkles on the saucer, let it cool down a bit , then spoon it in ready and clean small Killner jars.

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Now for the label.
The Wedding Style Blog is an Australian magazine and blog, and the girls there are so super nice, you can download all kind of pretty stationary and party designs from there for free! Although it's wedding related, you can easily adapt it.Which is what I did.
I used this , called " Pretty Parisian" - and then the placecard template -for a round label at the top of the jar, and half a label on the front.
This is how they suggest you use it for a wedding by the way.

                                             free download here
This is what you get when you print it off:
                               
Use on for the top of your killner jar,cut the circle out, then write the date and the type of jam in the middle.

                                    

Use half of the label for the front if you use a small Killner jar,
 
                         
and a whole if you use a big jar. You're done!
Enjoy your breakfast tomorrow morni ng with your own home-made jam!
Have fun!
XOXO
Bea

linking to
Metamorphosis Monday
Brag Monday
Masterpiece Monday
Foodie friday
Craftomaniac Monday