Everything is Rosy

You know, I love roses. We had such a beautiful rose bush at the house that I grew up in. It grew such beautiful long stemmed light pink roses. They were the most heavenly smelling roses I have ever smelled. When we moved, I was so tempted to dig that bush up and bring it with us! It turns out that the new owners pulled the bush out, which broke my heart, and made me REALLY think that I should have just dug it up and taken it with me. I have no idea what specific kind of roses they were either. I'll have to do some research one of these days and see if I can get a bush of my own that is like that one. I remember even making rose syrup with those petals once upon a time when I was in high school, because yes, even the taste of roses is heavenly (they are non-toxic and completely edible, which is why you can put them on wedding cakes).

Here is a recipe that will allow you to appreciate the beauty of roses at any time of the year.

Rose Petal Jelly

Ingredients:

2 cups water
3 cups unsprayed pink rose petals, thicker tissue at the base of petals removed
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 ounces liquid pectin
1 tablespoon rose water

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan; remove from heat. Add petals; cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain liquid into clean saucepan. Discard petals.

Add sugar and lemon juice to pan. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring, over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes; add pectin, and boil 2 minutes (for firmer jelly, boil up to 2 minutes more). Remove from heat, add rose water. Pour into sterilized jars, and let cool completely. Store in refrigerator up to 6 months.

Source: Martha Stewart. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: Holy cow, this was the easiest thing to make ever! I did boil my jelly an additional 2 minutes (so it would be more firm).

I also did not trim the ends off of my rose petals.

I think rose flavoring is a pretty acquired taste, but I love it. Oh, and do not be tempted to use more than 1 tablespoon of rose water. It is pretty potent stuff. If you use too much, it will taste like perfume.

As is, this was sweet and delicate. Oh, and you can find rose water at middle eastern markets. My mom got me three jars of rose water at a market in Salt Lake! I will have to research some more rose recipes! I will definitely be making some Turkish Delight (which is traditionally rose flavored) in the near future.