The rose petal jam is one of my favorite childhood memories - an unforgettable taste that I have spent years hunting for. I tried rose jams from Egypt and Turkey. I tried rose jelly from Normandy. None of them tasted like the one my grandmother used to make.
The rose petals were gathered in summer and turned magically into a rose petal preserve that was later used to fill doughnuts.
We would spend the whole morning picking the most fragrant roses we were able to find. They usually came from the wild growing and incredibly abundant Rosa rugosa and Rosa centifolia rosebushes.
The rose preserve had a nice creamy texture and would smell and taste just like the roses on a rosebush. The whole summer vacation was captured in small jars. Kind of...
Ingredients:
- 3-4 cups organic rose petals, packed
- 1 1/2 cup raw coconut sugar or raw cane sugar, granulated, use more as needed
- freshly pressed juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
- Clean the rose petals from all impurities. You may want to cut off the white ends as they are rather bitter. I sometimes skip that step.
- Gently wash and pat dry the rose petals.
- Place rose petals in a mortar or a mixing bowl and add small amount of sugar. Using a pestle stir the sugar mixing it into the rose petals. Add a little lemon juice. Stir again.
- Repeat this action until you have used up all the sugar. You should have produced a thick, creamy paste.
- Transfer the rose preserve into small, clean jar and store in the fridge. Refrigerate after opening, but do not freeze.
Enjoy in good company on a slice of raw Essene bread or a cracker, to accompany raw vegan cheeses, in raw deserts, ice cream or in smoothies. Add a spoonful to a cup of raw yogurt or a bowl of sprouted cereal. Use generously during the autumn and winter months to invoke memories of a sun soaked rose garden.
Slow down and take the time to smell the roses!
Tip: If you have a garden, plant some edible roses like the Renée van Wegberg or Gertrude Jekyll. In this way you will have a supply of fresh, untreated rose petals. Also, to make the preserve, you can mix sugar with xylitol to make it slightly more blood sugar friendly.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2012
More about the beauty of roses here