Rhubarb & Rose Petal Jam

This jam is really special – tangy rhubarb meets delicate, floral rose. Did you know that all roses are edible? You can collect petals from your garden or from wild roses (just make sure they are spray free!), or buy them dried in specialist shops. The roses that smell the best, taste the best so only pick fragrant ones or you will not be able to taste them. You can use preserving sugar which already has pectin in it, or add pectin – 8g for every 1kg of sugar – to make your jam set into a lovely jelly. Serve on toast for breakfast or use in numerous puddings. Jam tarts, a layer in a cake or biscuit, add to sliced apples in a crumble… I’m sure you can think of many more uses for this delicious jam. My favourite way to eat it is swirled into a thick natural yoghurt for breakfast with a sprinkle of granola.

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 1 kg rhubarb
  • 1 kg sugar
  • 8g pectin
  • 1 lemon
  • a large handful or two of rose petals

Method

  1. Place a small plate in the freezer.
  2. Rinse your rhubarb and slice into centimetre chunks. Place in a large, heavy bottomed pot with the sugar and pectin and stir well.
  3. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and turn the heat up to high.
  4. Boil hard for 5 minutes and give the pot an occasional stir with a wooden spoon. Add the rose petals and continue boiling for another 5 minutes.
  5. Your jam should be set now but you can test it by adding a teaspoon to the chilled plate you put in the freezer earlier. After a minute the jam should be cool. Drag your finger through it and if it wrinkles it is set, if not, boil for another few minutes and test again. Repeat until the jam is set, then turn off the heat.
  6. Spoon the jam into sterilised jars and pop the lids on while it is still hot. They should keep at room temperature this way for 6 months in a cool, dark place (if your jars and lids were properly sterilised, filled and sealed whilst hot), but as soon as you open the jar, store it in the fridge and use within 3 months.

3 Replies to “Rhubarb & Rose Petal Jam”

  1. This sounds fabulous. I love fruit but am limited by what you can deliver by courier so last year I found a lot of new recipes for using rhubarb. I made the usual tarts, galette, cake and crumble but also pickle and rhubarb gin! And jam. But I never thought to add rose petals. I once bought rose petal jam from a lady in a village in Cyprus who had a stall outside her house and the roses grew all around. The smell was amazing. I love Middle Eastern cuisine with its use of dried rose petals and rose water but I have never tried cooking with fresh rose petals before (bad memories of childhood attempts at making ‘scent’ perhaps?). It’s about time I learned. Thanks.

  2. Happy to hear you’ve been inspired to try cooking with rose petals! Let us know how you get on. Liz

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