Rose Petal Jelly
This easy-to-make flower jelly showcases all the beautiful floral flavor of fresh rose petals.
Servings: 5 half-pint jars
Ingredients
- 4 cups unsprayed rose petals
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 to 4 cups sugar*
- 1 box 1.75 oz pectin (either regular or low sugar)
Instructions
- Add rose petals to a heat-proof container (either a quart jar or a large glass Pyrex measuring cup will work well).
- Cover the rose petals with 4 cups of boiling water. Let the rose petals steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Carefully strain the tea into a saucepan or jam pot using a fine mesh sieve. Add the lemon juice to the rose-infused water.
- Bring the rose tea and lemon juice to a boil and stir in the powdered pectin until dissolved. Boil for 1 full minute before stirring in the sugar. The jelly will not set if the pectin and sugar are added at the same time.
- Bring the mixture back up to a boil for 1 minute.
- Carefully ladle the rose tea mixture into 1/2-pint jelly jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace at the top. If you aren't canning the rose jelly, apply lids, let the jelly come to room temperature, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for 6 months.
- To can rose jelly, apply 2-part lids until fingertip tight and load into prepared hot water bath canner. Process for 10 minutes. Store rose jelly in a cool, dry place for up to 18 months.
Notes
*Lowering sugar will also lower yield, and the yield of 5 half-pints is for a full sugar recipe.
If using standard pectin (such as regular Sure Jell pectin), you must use a 1:1 ratio of liquid to sugar. That means for 4 cups of rose petal tea you'd need a minimum of 4 cups sugar to get the jelly to set. This type of jelly is sometimes referred to as"old-fashioned" jelly and it's very sweet. If you want to use less sugar, simply use low sugar pectin instead and of regular and add less sugar to the recipe. I've been using Sure Jell low sugar pectin for almost all of my jelly-making and it's always been very dependable.
If using Pomona's Universal Pectin, another popular brand and type of pectin, the instructions are different as that is a 2-part low sugar pectin. For this rose petal jelly recipe, you'll want to follow the instructions provided in the Pomona's box for mint jelly.
Finally, if using liquid pectin, the order in which the ingredients are added is different than in the methods I've talked about above (in this case, the pectin is added last, and the sugar first). Liquid pectin also requires a lot more sugar to set (7 cups sugar to 4 cups liquid) which results in a super-sweet jelly. Because of the high sugar levels needed for the pectin to set, I don't use liquid pectin very often. However, if you prefer a super-sweet rose petal jelly this would be a good option for you.