Lately strawberries have been a fairly permanent fixture around my house. My two boys absolutely adore them. I could buy a two pound container and they’ll be gone within two days. Though honestly, I can’t really blame them. I’ve always loved strawberries myself. So, the other day I was hulling some strawberries for a snack and I got to thinking about a strawberry jam my husband’s old co-worker used to give to him. I loved that homemade jam. It tasted so fresh and bright (if that makes any sense). I was always a bit excited whenever he’d bring a jar home.
So, I decided that I was going to make my own, but I wanted to add something fun and a little different to mine, so I decided on a strawberry and rose petal jam. That brought me on an internet search for organic edible rose petals and I came across an awesome company called Gourmet Sweet Botanicals. They sell high quality micro-greens, petite-greens, edible flowers, crystallized flowers, tiny veggies, and shoots and leaves. I had such a fun time looking over their website and I found the organic rose petals I’d need for my jam. I also had to try out some of their crystallized roses, but of course (those are fabulous by the way! I sprinkled some of them on raspberry cookies I made and it was so good). They ship their goods straight to you within a day or two and they arrive in a cold package, completely fresh.
This jam is fairly straightforward and simple to make. Even if you’re a first time jam maker. It’s so tasty too. I just love how the taste of the rose petals comes through. You don’t taste them upfront, but their scent comes through the nose and it’s wonderful. I was so excited about this jam. It’s so elegant and it’s perfect for scones, afternoon tea, breakfast, heck, it’s perfect for anytime. I was so excited to share this one with you all and I hope you give it a try.
STRAWBERRY AND ROSE PETAL JAM
Makes: 8 small pots of jam
INGREDIENTS:
8 scented roses (organic, I used 250 petals which is about 2 oz)
2-3/4 pounds (1.25 kilo) strawberries
4 cups (800 grams) sugar
juice of one large lemon
1 tbsp. rose water (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Place a saucer in the freezer in preparation for testing the set of the jam.
Sterilize your jam jars, lids, funnel and ladle. (You can put them in the dishwasher and time it so the jam cooks while the jars sterilize.)
Check over the strawberries, and wash any that are grubby. Remove the tops and cut the large ones in half. Place them in a deep pan with the sugar, stir and leave to combine.
Meanwhile if using whole roses, cut the petals from their stalks, avoiding the yellow or white bitter ends at the base. Set aside.
Juice your lemon and set aside.
Put the strawberries and sugar on a low heat and stir until well dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook on a rolling boil for 20 minutes. You will get a lot of foam sticking to the sides — just scrape down the sides with a wooden spoon and incorporate into the jam.
After 20 minutes, test the jam by placing a teaspoon of jam on the cold saucer. Wait half a minute. If it wrinkles when you push your finger through the jam, it is cooked. It may take cooking the jam longer than 20 minutes to get to the wrinkle stage. This is okay, just keep testing it from time to time until you get there.
Once the jam is cooked, keep it on the heat and add the rose petals and the lemon juice. Stir well and cook for two more minutes.
Remove from heat and stir the jam well to incorporate the petals. If using rose water, add it now.
Take the warm jars out of the dishwasher (or oven if you are sterilizing it that way) and prepare your funnel (if you think you’ll need one. I didn’t use one) and ladle and lids.
Wait five more minutes, stirring continually and then ladle the jam into the jars.
Seal immediately and allow to cool.
Note: Another way to sterilize jam jars is to bring a very large pot of water to a boil. Immerse the jars and lids and allow to boil for 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and set upside down on a clean dish towel. No need for paraffin or any other sealant: when you place the hot jam in the pots, just screw on the lids tightly. A vacuum will form as the jam cools, and this will preserve it for years.
Recipe adapted from British Country Living magazine by Lindy Sinclair
Disholicious 