Rose Hip Jam Recipe

Aside from being beautiful flowers, roses produce fruit that makes such a delicious ingredient for jam: the rose hip. Rose hip jam is a true delicacy. Even though it is a bit of work to make this jam, a slice of bread with it makes it worth the effort. Its mild fruity flavor, slight tang, and floral note make for such a delicious jam. It is also so fun to forage the rose hips yourself. Cooking with self-forged ingredients always tastes best, and rose hip jam is especially great.

What are Rose Hips: 

Rose hips are the fruit of a variety of rose species. They are a red fruit typically fruiting during summer and autumn in northern America and Europe. Rose hips have a unique taste, which is mild, fruity, and slightly tangy. Its light floral flavor makes it a delicious ingredient for many Scandinavian recipes, jams, liquors, and teas. The fruits have a high content of vitamin C. 

Ripe rose hips from the beach rose (Rosa Rugosa) at the Danish coastline.

What does Rose Hip Jam Taste like:

To make it short: It is delicious! The best thing I can come up with to describe the flavor is a mild mix of peach, strawberry, apple, and some floral notes. The taste is overall not overpowering but mild and tasty. 

Ingredients for making Rose Hip Jam: 

• Fresh rose hips 
• Jam sugar
• Lemon 
• Water

For this rose hip jam recipe, the ingredient list is short. The star of the dish is, of course, the rose hip. I collected mine on the north shore of Denmark. Beach roses (Rosa Rugosa) are common here. They have meaty and flavorful fruits, which are well suited for making rose hip jam. You can also use another species of rose hips. The fruit from the dog rose (Rosa Canina) has the most flavor, but processing them is even more labor intensive. 

When foraging the rose hip yourself, I’d recommend going for some that are not completely ripe yet. The process of removing the seeds gets more difficult the riper the fruit is. I usually go for nicely red rose hips, which are still firm to the touch. You will need quite a few rose hips for this recipe, as a lot of the fresh weight is from the seeds. I went with 2.5 kg of beach rose hips to make three jars of jam. 

Aside from the rose hip, you will need to preserve sugar. I went with 2:1 sugar. 

Additionally, we will add more acidity to ensure that the pectin actives so the jam has a great consistency. I am adding some freshly squeezed lemon juice.  

Rose Hip Jam Recipe: 

Making the rose hip jam is a bit of work. Let’s get right into it. It’s the perfect opportunity to listen to music or a podcast and embrace it as a little meditative exercise! 

Preparing the Rose Hips:

Firstly, get rid of the tops and stems of each rose hip. Next, I like to get rid of the seeds and hair before making the marmalade. You can also cook them whole and remove them by straining them, but I find that taking them out before gives you even better results. Cooking the rose hip with the seeds can alter the taste. So, to play it safe, I like to make the effort of removing the seeds before cooking the rose hip. Also, you can easily discard any foul rose hips like this.

But this choice depends on how much of an effort you want to make. I have the time today, and it is good weather, so I’ll go the extra mile of taking the seeds out while enjoying some fresh air, sun, and good music on the terrace.

After slicing each rose hip in half and removing the seeds, I soaked them in cold water for about an hour to remove any dirt and remaining hairs. I discarded all the floating things. Lastly, I gave them a thorough wash. 

Making the Jam:

Once the rose hips are washed and rinsed, add them to your pot. Top them with water so they are just submerged. Next, bring the rose hips to a simmer. 

Once the rose hips have softened, add the preserving sugar and lemon juice.

Add the canning sugar and the lemon juice, and allow the mix to reduce slightly by simmering it for about 20 minutes. Next, pass the rose hip jam through a fine sieve to strain out the skins and any other impurities.

Use the wrinkle test to check if your jam is ready. Add a small amount onto a cold plate and allow it to cool. If the jam wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is ready. I like a slightly runnier texture on my jams, but that is a personal preference. 

Canning the Rose Hip Jam: 

Finally, pour the rose hip jam into sterilized jars, leaving some space at the top. Seal the jars while the jam is still hot. Put the jars in a boiling hot water bath for five minutes. Allow the jars to cool completely at room temperature. By now, they should have formed a vacuum. 

Rose Hip Jam Variations: 

Today, I wanted to keep it simple and let the flavor of the rose hips shine through. If you want to add extra flavor to the marmalade, you can consider these additions: 

Adding spices: A little bit of vanilla could make a nice addition. But I’d be very careful with adding any spices. The taste of the rose hip is mild, and it is easy to overpower it. 

Other ingredients: Adding some apples or orange juice are options. Again, I’d be careful not to overpower the original taste of the rose hip. 

And that is all there is to this delicious rose hip jam recipe. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Some more Recipe Inspirations: 

You might also like some of the following recipes:

• Sea buckthorn jam recipe
• Fig chutney recipe 
• Rose hip tea
• Mixed herb pesto
• Cranberry jam recipe
• Strawberry tree jam
• Wild garlic pesto
• Sea buckthorn tea 

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