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Rosehip and Crab Apple Jelly
Rosehip and Crab Apple Jelly is a traditional British recipe for a classic autumnal wild food jelly made from a blend of crab apples and rose hips. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Rosehip and Crab Apple Jelly.
prep time
30 minutes
cook time
60 minutes
Total Time:
90 minutes
Makes:
4 x 225ml jars
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodBritish Recipes
I was a little slow in collecting crab apples this year. Indeed, at my favourite foraging spot there were only windfalls. Not to be deterred, I decided to pick the best that I could, along with a good haul of rosehips so I could make rosehip and crabapple jelly. I didn’t have quite enough crab apples so I made up the remainder of the weight with bramleys. The rosehips give a wonderful colour and top up the vitamin C. Note, however, that rosehip seeds are have irritant hairs and can get caught in the throat. Cleaning them takes ages… but not to worry you can ignore all that here in that the juice is drained and all the solids are left behind when making the jelly. Crab apples contain
lots of pectin too, so this jelly has no trouble setting. Indeed, if you always want a perfect set you can add a few crab apples to any jam or jelly.
Ingredients:
500g bramley (or other tart) apple
500g crab apples
500g rosehips, topped and tailed
400g (about) white sugar
Method:
Coarsely chop the apples then place in a large heavy-based pan (add everything including the skins and cores) and just cover with water. Place the rose hips in a food processor and pulse to chop. Stir these into the apple mix.
Bring the ingredients to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the apples are pulpy. Line a large colander with muslin or cheesecloth (or prepare a jelly bag if you have one). Pour in the fruit pulp and any liquid and set aside to drain naturally into a bowl or pot for several hours (or over-night). Do not press down on the mixture, otherwise your jelly will be cloudy.
When the fruit liquid has all drained out measure out the volume then pour the liquid into a clean saucepan and measure out 400g of sugar for every 600ml of liquid. If you have less than 600ml of liquid make up to 600ml with water, apple juice or cider. Stir the sugar into liquid. Place over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture reaches a boil, turn up the heat and keep cooking, stirring frequently until the mixture reaches 105C (220F) as measured using a confectioner’s thermometer.
Pour the hot jelly mixture into hot, sterilized, jars and seal securely with lids. Allow to cool completely before storing.
If you don’t have a thermometer you can use the traditional method to test the set of the jelly. Before you start to cook, place 3 small saucers into the freezer. When the jelly mixture has been boiling for 10-12 minutes, place 1 tsp onto one of the chilled plates. Wait for 30 seconds and then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles the jelly will set. If not continue to boil the jelly, checking every three minutes.
