Rosehip syrup

MaC

Moderator
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
2,780
Points
108
Location
S. Lanarkshire
There's something of a glut of rosehips around the hedges just now, and though they make beautiful VitaminC rich syrup, doing it carefully enough not to destroy the Vitamin C with too much heat, and prepping beforehand, is both labour intensive and needs care. The hips contain peristent little hairs that are not good to the digestive system.
However, if you're happy with rosehip syrup made to be drizzled over ice cream or pancakes, a lovely mid Winter treat, then instead of carefully removing the innards from every hip, one can totally avoid any of that by doing this......


Gather the hips and wash them (kitchen sink turn on the tap and rinse them while gently swirling them around. Let them drain down.
Put into a big pot and barely add 3cms of water (or for a big amount, in a big pot, aim for about a third of the height of the fruits) Bring slowly to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer until the hips are mushy. Put the lid on the pot and set it aside to cool.
Make a jelly straining bag if you don't have one. An old pillowslip cut up and double layered works fine, teatowels are a bit too coarse, usually. You're looking for something fine and closely woven. Two squares laid over a bowl, and pour the mush on top of the fabric. Gather up the edges, tie into a 'bag' with a bit of string, mind and leave enough ends to make a loop, and hang the bag up over a bowl to catch the drips. Let it hang overnight (I have wooden shelves in my kitchen, I screw a cup hook into the underside of one and let the bag hang from that, but I have a friend who just hangs hers from the shower head to let it drip into a bowl, and any splash mess just rinses away. Another hangs hers from a stick laid across between two of the 'arms' of the indoors clothes drying rack)
Do not squeeze!! you don't want the hairs and seeds to come through the cloth.

Next day measure the juice that you have obtained, and per pint or litre, add a pound or a kilogram of sugar. Gently heat until the sugar is dissolved. Then raise the temperature and bring to the boil. It doesn't need that long really, you're not making jam with this lot, just syrup. Bottle it into sterile bottles, (boiling water cleaned, don't heat shock the glass though!) seal and put by. If you really want it to keep long term without any fermentation then you can water bath 'can' it in kilner bottles or jars. It doesn't usually last long enough for that though
clear.png


Lovely stuff, tasty, beautiful colour and 'summer in a jar'
clear.png


M
 

Beachlover

Moderator
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
2,212
Points
108
Location
Isle of Wight
Thanks Mary, I was only the other day wondering about how to do this. Almost prepared to bet that the next time I go out that there'll hardly be any left - always the way these things go! :rolleyes:
 
Top