Is it too late to pick wild rosehips for jam?

Angelina-M

Well i've given all my jam away! I made about eight jars to last me through until next year and everyone kept knicking a jar!

Now I notice there are still rosehips on the trees in the forest where I take the dogs (I often eat a few of the skins on my travels as A Vit C boost) Some of them are really squishy but the flavour is more intense than when I picked them earlier on.

There's also the odd few crab apples left on the tree. They've gone yellow but are still firm.

I have some blackberries in the freezer so is it possible to make a rosehip, crab apple and blackberry jam or is it too late in the season for the rosehips/crab apples now?

Many thanks people

champys

I know that for rosehips, the later you pick them the better! I have no experience with crab apples - maybe someone else has? But my guess is that if they are still on the tree and not gone rotten or mouldy, they are fine to use.

meanmarie

crab apples should be fine provided they haven't rotted...have never used them for jam, just jelly

Marie

Angelina-M

Thank you I do appreciate that... its a go-er then!

Re crab apples. Well I dont use many in the jam, just to up the pectin content really so maybe a couple of apples divided over 5 or 6 jars.

I really enjoyed the last lot of rose-hip and wild fruit jam I made and I read that not all the vit c is destroyed in the process so its a little bit good for you too!

champys

Angelina-M

It sounds really good - you have given me ideas now! If the weather is not too horrible this weekend I am going to have a look around too for leftover rosehips! I have blackberries in the freezer as well...

Angelina-M

champys wrote: »

Angelina-M

It sounds really good - you have given me ideas now! If the weather is not too horrible this weekend I am going to have a look around too for leftover rosehips! I have blackberries in the freezer as well...

You wont regret it. Its got sort of a tropical fruit taste to it. Just something a bit different from the usual blackberry etc.

And hey, its free wild fruit, soooo tasty!

oldMcDonald

I do loads of foraging, and we eat all kinds of things from nettles through to Hawthorn leaves, but I have never been brave enough to try to do anything with rosehips!

I read somewhere once that they had tiny little hairs in them that could do something horrid to you (but I don't remember what!!) and got scared off!! Is this true, or is it just a load of baloney?

To add, there may still be some sloe available somewhere, worth watching out for when picking the rosehips. They make lovely flavoured gin/vodka and a really sharp 'plummy' jam.

oldMcDonald

Angelina-M wrote: »

Well i've given all my jam away! I made about eight jars to last me through until next year and everyone kept knicking a jar!

Eight jars last you a year? We would be hard pushed to get this to last more than 2/3 weeks!!

champys

I read somewhere once that they had tiny little hairs in them that could do something horrid to you (but I don't remember what!!) and got scared off!! Is this true, or is it just a load of baloney?

I have never heard anything but good about rosehips, but I just looked it up in Wikipedia - see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosehip

Interestingly enough they say the hairs can be used as itching powder....!

But that doesn't mean you have any ill effects if you simply make jam. I have made rosehip syrup in the past (we used to get this in the yoghurt as kids in winter), and it is delicious.

Angelina-M

Yes you do have to be careful with the hairs inside the rosehip, apparently they will irritate your throat. What I do is whilst im walking about with the dogs, I pick one off the trees and stick my finger nail into it and start peeling it like an orange. I eat all the skin and then chuck the seeds and hairs away. What a fab free way to get fresh vit c!

When im using them for jam, I just mash them up a bit with water and then sieve them through an old tea towel to catch all the hairs... comes out a lovely pink!

As for the eight jars a year, well we only really eat the odd teaspoon in porridge or sometimes on toast. If I make scones we have it then. I also add a teaspoon of jam to my gravies, seems to give a nice depth to them.

I've never eaten nettles but they make a lovely soap....

rustyjemma

the fir inside can be used as itching powder - just put it down someones top & watch!