Kisses

The first time I ever saw rose jam was in France. We brought a jar home from Paris and when it was all eaten, I longed for it. So, you guessed it, I made rose jam, or tried to... it did not go well. A few days ago, I tried again and made rose jelly for the first time since the rose jam debacle. Guess what, Dear Readers? My pink roses, which have a very mild fragrance, translated perfectly and made heavenly jelly. A pale shade of pink just touches the palette with kisses of subtle floral undertones, tangy lemon and loveliness that whispers, “Spring.”

I used a Martha Stewart recipe for Rose Petal Jelly from the internet and then didn’t follow most of the ingredients or instructions but it provided an excellent starting point. I doubled the recipe but quadrupled the pectin (the jelly is very loose) and I only added 1/3 cup of lemon juice which I strained through a coffee filter-lined fine mesh strainer. I collected my own distilled rose water and used it in the recipe too which meant I added more than 1/4 cup homemade distilled rose water. The subtle pink color comes from the rose petal cooking water which I also strained through a filter-lined fine mesh strainer. Finally, I added a pinch or two of fine French sea salt. I skimmed away the foam during the cooking process and before jarring. I boiled the syrup until the sugar dissolved and then for nearly 15 minutes after adding all the pectin. I kept my pot at medium and let it return to the gentle boil without increasing the heat to prevent bitterness.

If you try using your pesticide free rose petals to make jelly, base how much distilled rose water used in your recipe upon two things; how fragrant your roses are and your taste. As I stated above, MY roses have a very subtle fragrance. The amount of distilled rosewater I added may not work with your roses and nobody wants to eat jelly soap! I preserved the jelly and am storing it in the refrigerator. Delicious!

Here is the link to my starting point:
https://www.marthastewart.com/356009/rose-petal-jelly
Follow the changes I made above for doubling the recipe and share your results in the comments section.