Rose Hip Syrup

Its that time of year again. :autlv:

Picked 2lb of bletted rose hips, left the hard ones till after the next frost.

Also left plenty for the Field fares, must be cold in russia, a small flock has arived here already.

Boiled 3 pints of water, put the hips in & whizzed em up with a hand blender, brought it back to the boil, turned heat off & left for 15 mins.

Strained pulp thru a jelly bag.

Put pulp back in saucepan with another couple of pints of boiling water & repeated twice.

Boiled up resultant strained juice with 1 1/2lb of sugar then put into sterised vinager bottles.

Looking at the price of the stuff, made about £30 worth.

 

Takes me back to my childhood, Ziggy. My grandma insisted on making me drink gallons of the stuff on the grounds that I needed 'building up'. Grandma thought that anyone who wasn't built like a Chieftan tank needed building up. Still, I didn't complain because it tasted nice. Don't know how my teeth survived, though. I was also given some revolting thick sludge coloured stuff. Can't remember the name but I think it began with 'v' for vile.

 

A brilliant source of Vitamin C, before we had supermarkets selling fresh produce shipped in from Africa.

What do you do with once it's made? Forgive my ignorance!

 

Ignorance is only lack of some one telling you something you need to know Aaron.

Once opened, keep bottle in the fridge, lasts a few weeks, 2 tablespoons a day will easily do your vitamin c, give some to the guinea pig too, as they are the only other mamal that can't store it.

I make a rosehip milkshake which is very nice.

last year i used it to candy apple rings but i couldn't get them to dry, still very nice though.

This year i'm candying the apple rings with vanilla extract.

That v stuff sounds familiar Clare, some sort of horse linament ?

 

Horse linament? That explains it.

Think I saw a fieldfare yesterday, Ziggy. Can't be sure as it flew away before I could get out the field glasses. My book says that they're rarely seen in built-up areas but then in my experience birds don't always read the books. And we're only a couple of miles from open fields.

 

You were right Clare, they are very shy of humans so fly away as soon as they detect you. They are like big thrushes & always hang around in packs, quite noisy too.

They will strip most berries as they go thru, then decend on the apple orchards to devour any remaining windfalls.

 

Hi Ziggy, I made one and a half pounds of rose hip syrup last week and looks like enough to keep me going through the winter I think. Glad I am not the only nutter who is doing this!
I would be interested in your recipes for the rosehip milkshake and I am curious about the candied apple rings


ClaraLou, I am wondering if that revolting 'thick sludge coloured stuff' you have referred to is Liqufruta, actually I used to like that and see that you can still get it although it comes with garlic, not sure if that was in the original.

 

Hi Dag,

Smashing stuff, I do get asked while out picking, people think i'm blackberrying in november :hehe:

Rosehip milkshake is just a couple of tablespoons in the bottom of a mug of milk & a lot of stirring.

The apple rings, I just followed the WI recipe from there "Preserves & preserving book, takes 14 days plus the drying time.

This weekend, i will be mostly pickling beetroot, making something out of the medlars i've just scrumped, painting daughter #2 bedroom & making dandelion coffee.

 

Hey Marley,

Used to buy it from Timothy whites or boots for 4/- a bottle i think, its gone up a bit now,

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/atkins-AND-potts-rosehip-syrup/F/product/10562

Best pick some this weekend, the birdies will have the lot soon. Only pick the soft ones, a lot easier on the blender.

 

When I was 5/6 our little country school used to ask us to go out and pick rosehips & bring them into school - we were paid per 1 1b for doing this by the Rosehip Syrup 'people'...was it 'Delrosa'? Anybody else do this?
Never liked the stuff though!
Jen

 

Thanks for reply Ziggy and I shall try the milkshake, Dandelion coffee is something I had forgotten about, used to drink that regularly but only the supermarket version.

Have just found the instructions and might have a go if I can find suitable roots to dig up.......should be some in my own garden............thanks for the idea.

 

Blimey, seems Gardeners Corner has just boarded the charabanc headed for memory lane.

Delrosa, that was the one Jennylyn.

Make your own dandelion Dag, much better than that gay old camp coffee.

Thought i'd scan a bit of my ephemera folder,



Get us in the mood for more memories :thumb:

 

Sorry mods, just realised i'd broken the law there, any chance you guys could stick "specimin" over the bank notes pictures ? Cheers.