Rose Petal Jam

Hello, Class! My, what a nice vacation you've had! But it's time to get those pencils sharp and get back to work!

Today we'll be discussing rose petal jam, and how easy it is to make. Jams and preserves are the perfect way to really utilize the bounty of your harvest, and canning is a fantastic skill that everyone should know how to do. Seriously, how great would it be to can your own goods? To keep the middle man out of your pantry? Jams and preserves are such a great way to make friends, too, as you can easily bring them to housewarming parties, all gift-wrapped and pretty...plus you can turn your nose up at those assholes that brought the new pashmina from Pottery Barn, with a smug sense of superiority that you got from making it yourself.

When harvesting, PLEASE be careful! Some roses have steel thorns.......

Please take note that all roses are edible, so long as they are grown organically. This is why I love growing my own roses; not only do they look and smell beautiful, but they make delicious jams in the summer when you have a surplus. Not only that, but roses are symbols of love. Spread the love. On toast.

Let's talk about what you'll need:

Rose Petal Jam

• 10 oz rose petals(by weight, if you please)(or about 5 cups, lightly packed) picked and washed thoroughly
• Seriously, I found, like, four spiders in the roses. You don't want to cook and eat those little guys! Find them and put them back outside!
• 13 oz white sugar(also by weight)(or 1 3/4 cups)
• Brown sugar will do in a pinch, but the white sugar really helps keep the integrity of the delicate rose petal flavor
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 Tbsp pectin(I used the no-sugar-needed kind)
• You can also use a whole peeled apple to introduce pectin...just boil it with your stuff and fish it out later!
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups water

Take about about a third of your sugar and set it aside, mixing it in with the pectin and salt. Toss your lemon juice, zest, rose petals, and about a third of the sugar in a bowl together and set aside. Bring to a boil the remaining sugar and the water in a large pot, preferably heavy-bottomed.

Hmm, I still have about ten minutes left....

Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add your rose petal mixture. Stir to coat, and let cook. The petals may turn white, but this is temporary. The color will return and remain a gorgeous pink. This process should take ten minutes, and it is at this time that you add in the sugar-pectin mixture, as well as another half cup of water.

Bring this beautiful stuff  back up to a boil, and reduce to simmer, allowing to simmer on low for about 20 minutes, adding more water as needed. You don't want this stuff to over-reduce or burn, because that will absolutely ruin the rose flavor.

Another fantastic benefit of this jam? Allergy relief!

No, seriously, hear me out:

Somebody get me a
biscuit...

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, eating flowers could seriously help you. Bee pollen has been used for years as a natural allergy remedy; just sprinkle some on your cereal in the morning or a spoonful in your coffee or tea. Taking in the allergens/pollen of your natural habitat helps immensely in allergy relief. If your body ingests it and doesn't die, it knows it's okay. This is yet another benefit to growing your own food. Your pollen, your atmosphere, going into your body...so less allergies! It's helped me for years; I swear by it.

That being said, I'm not a doctor. If you have severe seasonal allergies, this might not be the best idea. But, hey, give it a shot and keep your epipen handy as a just-in-case.

When this is done, you'll have a gorgeous jam! It will be full of beautiful rose petals and the color will just be glorious on toast. It'll be thick and pretty, and canned goods like this can keep for up to a year unopened in your pantry! (It probably won't last that long, though, as you'll be eating it.) Opened, it'll last for at least 1 month, probably 2. But, again, it won't last that long in your house.


If you want to preserve this, this recipe made exactly two 8 oz jelly jars. Simply sterilize the jars and lids using boiling water, then pour your hot jam mixture into each jar, ensuring that there's enough head room. This just means that the place where your jar's threads begins should be the fill line for your preserves. You'll need a very large pot for canning, and a few chopsticks on the bottom to give your jars a little lift so it's not directly touching the bottom of your pot helps. You'll also have to make sure that the pot is big enough for you to have at least 2 inches of water above the lids of the jars to get a good seal.

Here's my favorite canning tutorial, stolen from Pinterest:

You can use chopsticks or metal skewers scattered on the bottom to replace your canning rack. You can use tongs(CAREFULLY) to replace your jar lifter. You really shouldn't spend a ton of money if you can fake it in other ways for frugal living like this. Just DEAR GOD BE CAREFUL.

And don't set your freshly-processed jars in a place where there's a breeze, or set it directly on your cool counter. Glass can take a lot of heat, but it will shatter if there's even a splash of cold water on it once it's hot. Sit it on a cutting board in a dark, NON-drafty place, and cover it with a towel. You might hear pops every once in awhile during the 12-hour resting period, and that's normal. Just be sure to check to see if your seal pops or not. If it moves or pops, reprocess your goods and try again.

Thank you, class! Please post questions and comments below!

Rose Petal Jam