Rose Jam from Venice

8 years ago

Has anyone linked to this blog post (with recipe) about rose petal jam made by Venetian monks? I made a version myself using the basic concept, but with different ratios (based on the number of flowers on Gertrude Jekyll that morning -- approx 3 cups -- and the amount of sugar I had in my house -- approx 2 cups, I also used 1 small lemon, and 1 and 1/2 cups of water) and it is definitely delicious, but more of a rose syrup than a jam. I suppose you could add pectin if you wanted it to stand up better.

http://www.emikodavies.com/blog/rose-petal-jam/

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FruitCat (GA 7b)

8 years ago

I've used that recipe but not with red roses (I use Zephy D.) so it ended up pink vs red. The petals had an interesting "squeaky" quality to them, took me a minute to get used to them... but delicious with yogurt.

This year I did the 2-for-1 deal. I did the petals in water, strained, to make a bright pink rose petal jelly. I use Pomona's Pectin so I can use less sugar than usual, and did it pretty soft (another year I made it harder and it was a bit too rubbery). Then I took the petals after straining the liquid and made jam (sugar, just a tiny bit of pectin). These petals were twice-cooked so no squeakiness to them.

Of the many recipes I've looked up, I've settled on these ratios:

1:1 water to petals for fresh petals

4.5water:1 dry petals

Either type of petal, you put your petals in hot water, heat for 10 minutes, then let them steep for an hour. That's your "rose tea".

You can then do 3/4-1 part of granulated sugar to 1 cup of rose tea. For reference, simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water, you just heat it enough to dissolve the sugar. This should keep in the fridge for a while as all that sugar acts a preservative. For longer use, water process for 5-10 minutes per usual canning instructions (I haven't done that one).

Another thing I've done is do petals like some folks do berry cordials: petals bruised with sugar, put in a jar, topped off with vodka, store for a few weeks/months, strain. This creates a much stronger rose-flavored product. I like a dash of it in a tall glass full of ice cubes and carbonated water.

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Comments (8)

portlandmysteryrose
8 years ago
Thank you for the link! I've always wanted to make something like this, more of a rose syrup sans petals. Did you strain away your petals or leave them in the mix? In Portland, there's a small store attached to a Lebanese restaurant called Ya Hala. It sells delicious rose petal jam, but I just can't handle "petal slime." I heat spoonfuls of the jam and then strain out the petals. I am sooo all about rose food! My hands down favorite tea is rose petal black. Carol
K S thanked portlandmysteryrose
Karen Jurgensen (Zone 4 MN)
8 years ago
Thank you for sharing the link! I’d like to give this a shot this year, maybe with Great Maiden’s Blush, or Minette.
K S thanked Karen Jurgensen (Zone 4 MN)
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K S
Original Author
8 years ago
Carol, I left the petal slime in, because I wanted it to be somewhat "jammy." But I think it would taste just as great if you strained the petals out at the very end, as you were putting the syrup into containers, and then it wouldn't have that texture. In fact, I might do this with my next batch.
Plumeria Girl (Florida ,9b)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
KS, thank you for the recipe. I have to try this one day .

Carol, if you did find a recipe for a rose syrup. I am interested Bec I used to drink rose water growing up. Sometimes, we add a little milk..like strawberry milk.

Yes, I still buy a bottle of rose syrup now and again when I have the cravings.

I have never tried tea ..rose petals black.

Thanks

Jin
K S thanked Plumeria Girl (Florida ,9b)
K S
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks FruitCat! I am particularly inspired by your rose cordial fizz... I can sense a project coming on.
FruitCat (GA 7b)
8 years ago
KS-the "cordial" has an interesting flavor, I want to say 'green' in addition to the rose notes. It's not rose-on-a-megaphone!! like some rose water you can buy and with which you have to be careful lest your cake have all the subtlety of soap bar. I've also done this with violets (not the scented ones), and this year with mahonia flowers (another one with a strong rose scent, to me anyway). I think the alcohol extraction leads to greener flavors. They are all a fun change of pace for your typical fizzy drink. I ordered some Parma violets this year, the dream is to get a big-enough patch going so I can make a liqueur out of them. Because why buy a bottle of violette liqueur and be done when you can launch on a 5-year project?!
K S thanked FruitCat (GA 7b)
K S 7a Yakima
6 years ago
I'm just updating this old thread with a link to my most current version of this (which is rose jelly -- it turns out that I actually didn't love the texture of the petals). The jelly is slightly different every year. Other notes: I like Gertrude Jekyll better than wild roses (mostly because I had a problem getting enough wild rose petals to make it strong enough! Maybe I'll try that again someday if I happen across a massive number of wild roses all at once. I'd love to use Grandmother's Hat -- maybe I'll have enough of her blooms to try it next year. I've also tried making FruitCat's infused vodka and I love it with tonic. In fact, I have a batch marinating in the closet right now. :)

Here is the link to this year's recipe:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBZTtO2nRWt/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet