Created and contributed by Becky Hoff, Rose Hip Jam is a low-sugar cooked jam made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener. Becky says, “Rose hips are the fruit of the rose bush. In my yard I am lucky enough to have a hedge of Rugosa roses, which in my opinion produce the best hips for jam making. They are tart and delicious, like a cross between an apple and a berry – but they are not very big. They are harvested in the late summer or fall when they are a bright reddish orange.”
Notes
There are two schools of thought on how to make Rose Hip Jam. Some say you should slice open every single hip, use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds, discard the seeds, and only use what is left to make your jam. I tried this once, and gave up on it about 1½ hours into the project. It was tedious and time consuming, and I didn’t get very far. I cut the remaining hips in half and proceeded as below.
My (lazy) method involves cutting the rose hips in half, simmering them for about 20 minutes in enough water to keep them from sticking, mashing well, and pressing the pulp through a strainer. The resulting puree is then used to make the jam. It took about two and a half quarts of whole rose hips to make three cups of puree.
This jam has an easily spreadable consistency due to the amount of pectin used and pureeing the rose hips. It is sweet-tart and good, and when you’re slathering this jam on your breakfast toast in the winter, it brightens up your morning considerably. Of course you could go through the trouble and effort of slicing and deseeding all of your rose hips before cooking them down if you wanted a chunkier jam. This might be a reasonable job for a group of people – grab some friends, a bottle or two of wine, and get to work!
Servings 4 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups of strained rose hip puree see note
- 3 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice bottled
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin For a firmer jell, use up to 2¼ teaspoons pectin
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water. To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
- Measure fruit into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Measure sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sugar. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Martha
Hi, what if I don’t want to can it because I know It’ll get eaten soon? Do I have to cook it longer? Thanks!
Shelby Collings
Hello Martha,
You do not need to water-bath can your jam. You can always fill your jars, allow them to cool to room temperature and then place them in the freezer (or fridge if they are going to be used within 3 weeks). If frozen, simply thaw before use.
Lynn
Hello, can I used dried rosehips? Thanks a bunch!
Shelby Collings
Hello Lynn, we are not sure how that will turn out, but you are welcome to give it a try!
Delores
Is the calcium needed in this recipe?
Shelby Collings
It is, yes. Happy jamming!
Barbara Lagace
This sounds delious. Can I use honey instead of sugar? Thanks
Shelby Collings
You sure can!