Rose Hip Jam

The next herbal item on my list is Rose Hip Jam.

Rose Hip Jam is fascinating- a real jammy jam that is RAW, super-high in Vitamin C, and delicious. Vitamin C, of course, is important for your body in the winter when nature's bounty is less- bountiful. This jam is a great winter staple to have on hand to strengthen the immune system, especially when you don't feel like eating citrus, or you don't feel like going to the store, but you ran out of lemons and oranges 3 days ago- that sort of thing. Pound for pound, rose hips have MORE Vitamin C than citrus fruits anyway!

Yet all you do to make the stuff in pour some seedless rosehips in a jar, cover with apple juice, and walk away! Several hours later, maybe 7-10, return and find- Rose Hip Jam.

Amazing. We made our first batch today, and sure enough, it worked. The flavor is similar to strawberry, but a bit more tart. And to be perfectly honest, there is a slight tomato-ey undertone. So make a small batch- about 2/3c with a cup of juice- to taste test, then experiment with the flavor. You can add stevia powder and/ or cinnamon to the apple juice before you pour it on, maybe throw in some vanilla extract, too.

For a truly raw jam, juice your own organic apples and use that. Organic apples around here are costly- New Mexico is not exactly apple country- so I used organic apple juice from the store.

When the jam is done, it doesn't look like jam, it looks like this:

but then you spread it on bread and- kazam- jam:

The very best, most economical place to get seedless rose hips is Mountain Rose Herbs. Their shipping is a bit steep, I admit, but they are worth it.

This recipe, in one of its forms, can be found in Rosemary Gladstar's Recipes for Vibrant Health my most-highly recommended herbal reference for beginners on up.


"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
~George Eliot