Rose Hip Jelly

Deliciously sweet Rose Hip Jelly, made easily at home with the rose hips of wild roses – perfect spread on toast and even better gifted to friends and family!

This fresh rose hip jelly recipe is simple to make and absolutely delicious. A rose hip is the edible seed pod of the roses left after they finish blooming.

You probably wont’ find rose hips at the market though..  In most cases, you’ll find rose hips on your own roses – or perhaps the roses at a neighbor/family/friend’s house.

You’ll want to make sure that the roses were not treated with a pesticide. If in doubt, it’s probably best to pass.

This rose hip jelly can be made with fresh or dried rose hips. I’ve got fabulous neighbors with rose bushes (and therefore rose hips…). The problem though is that they spray with pesticides.

Rose Hip Jelly 

This rose hip jelly started out with the intent to be rose hip jam when I spotted a recipe in a magazine that came in the mail. I was excited to make the jam.. until I started toying around with the rose hips trying to get the seeds out. 

I didn’t realize how frustrating it would be to get the seeds and hairs out from the inside of the rose hips. (Impossible.. just don’t even bother!) 

Those little hairs inside the rose hips stick in your skim something fierce! And don’t even try to blow them out.. they will fly back in your eyes. Ouch and ouch!!

In frustration, I dumped all of the dried rose hips in a pot, covered with water and simmered for a little over an hour.  From there, I laid a tightly woven cheesecloth over a strainer that was set in a large pot. I poured the rose hips over the strainer and let them strain overnight.

The next morning, I composted the rose hips. Then, I threw the rose hip juice on the stove to boil along with sugar and pectin.

Before I knew it, I was pulling out the water bath canner and processing three beautiful jars of rose hip jelly.

Rose Hips on a Rose Bush

What do rose hips taste like?

Rose hips don’t taste like roses. Their taste is a bit tangy — they remind me of hibiscus flowers.  

All in all, rose hips are a great source of vitamin C. In fact, they outperform oranges in terms of vitamin C by more than 10 times.

Rose hips themselves have very little pectin. The rose hip jelly recipe relies on commercial pectin to allow it to set up properly.

I’m using fresh rose hips – when do I pick them?

Picking rose hips will vary depending on your area. Here in Arizona, rose hips are best picked in December. But in other areas of the country, they are best picked right after the first frost (it’s then that they are the sweetest).

Look for rose hips that are as red as possible with the least amount of blemishes.

Can I use dried rose hips? Of course – that’s how we made this jelly. Using dried rose hips is just like using fresh. You’ll have to simmer them on the stove top to soften them up. 

Dried rose hips will result in a darker rose hip jelly. Despite the color being darker, the taste remains the same. 

Have you ever cooked with rose hips? Perhaps made jam or jelly, or even rose hip tea? If so, leave a comment and share your experience.

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4.41 from 5 votes

Rose Hip Jelly

Deliciously sweet Rose Hip Jelly, made easily at home with the rose hips of wild roses - perfect spread on toast and even better gifted to friends and family!

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword jelly, rose hip, rosehip

Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Draining time: 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Servings 24 servings

Calories 151kcal

Author Sheryl

Equipment

• 3 - 8 oz canning jars and new lids (or any combination of jars to reach 24 oz)
• cheesecloth
• large stockpot

Ingredients

• 1 lb rose hips dried* (can also use fresh)
• 10 C water
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1 pkg SureJell pectin
• 1/4 tsp butter
• 3.5 C granulated sugar

Optional:

• 2 ea oranges peeled and quartered

Instructions

• Using fresh or dried rose hips: rinse the rose hips thoroughly. Place them in a large stockpot. Cover with the water.
• Bring the rose hips and optional oranges to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a strong simmer. Simmer for one hour or longer (as needed) - until the rose hips are soft.
• Place a cheesecloth over a large strainer; place the strainer over a large pot. Pour the rose hips over the cheesecloth and allow them to strain into the bowl for at least one hour if not two.
• Prepare your canning jars. Sterilize the jars by placing them in the dishwasher before canning or, put them in your water bath canner and bring the water bath canner to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can also put them in a 200 degree F oven for 10 minutes. To sterilize the lids, place them in a heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water over them.
• To make the jelly: you will need 5 C. of juice for this recipe. If you have less than 5 C., add more water to what you have. Place the strained juice in the stockpot. Add the sugar, butter and lemon juice. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the pectin.
• Bring to a hard boil - you should not be able to reduce the boil by stirring. Hold that hard boil for at least one minute. The mixture will bubble up considerably - this is why it's a must to have a large stockpot. Remove from the heat and pour into prepared jars, leaving 1/4-1/2" headspace from the rim.
• Can the jelly. Wipe the rims of the jars, then place the sterilized lids and bands on the jars. Tighten the rings to secure. Process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes (once the water comes to a hard boil). Make sure the jars are covered by at least one inch of water.
• After the jars have processed in the water bath for 10 minutes, turn off the heat, and remove the jars from the water. Allow them to come to room temperature and cool. As they cool, you should hear the lids pop as they seal. The lids should seal (when you press down they should not wiggle up and down).

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

LOOKING FOR MORE JAM AND JELLY RECIPES?

Try any of these, below:

• Spicy Red Pepper Jam
• Brandied Apple Jam
• Old Fashioned Grape Jam
• Lavender Jelly
• Prickly Pear Jelly

If you loved this rose hip jelly recipe, I would be so appreciative if you gave the recipe a review, above, and leave a comment (below!)

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