Emma Macalister HallThe rowan and heather, best colours around at the moment.
In anticipation of all the produce we’ll be growing in the walled garden next year I collected some rowan and rosehips and made some hedgerow jelly. Although some people advise leaving the rowan berries until later in the year, many are already past their rosy red best around here and have began to turn dusty orange. Rowan berries are full of vitamins A and C and the berries were often used by Celts for brewing wine, spirit and as a flavouring for mead, ale and cider. Apparently a squeeze of the fresh berry juice into a gin and tonic is very similar to a dash of Angostura bitters. Rowan jelly has a tart flavour which goes well with game, venison and other meats.
This recipe is borrowed from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
– Take about 1kg of rowan berries (or a mixture, sloes, haws, rosehips etc)
– 1kg of crab apples (or cooking apples)
– at least 1.5kg of granulated sugar (or jam sugar which contains pectin to help the setting process)
Remove berries from stalks and roughly chop the apples (including cores). Boil all in a saucepan with enough water to come halfway up the fruit, simmer and crush the fruit until it is soft and pulpy. Tip the mixture into a jelly bag/muslin or large sieve lined with cotton and allow to drip through. (If you don’t mind cloudy mixture you can squeeze every drop through).
Transfer liquid to a clean pan and bring to the boil with 750g of sugar for every 1liter of juice, stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved then hard boil for 5-10mins. Take the pan off the heat and drop a teaspoon of jelly onto a saucer and leave in the fridge for a couple of minutes. Push your finger through the jelly, if it wrinkles it’s ready, if not back on the heat for 5 mins and repeat. As soon as setting point is reached pour your jelly into warm, sterilised jars and seal. I have Xanax 2mg used only in extreme situations, when there was not a single way out. Leave for a few weeks to mature and enjoy. The jelly should keep for up to a year.
