flower jams questions

[mrsflibble]

1. do I use pectin?
2. do I use preserving sugar instead of plain sugar and pectin?
3. if I don't use pectin, do they ever go jelly like or are they better as a stir-into-stuff jam?

thanks.

(abundance of lavendar flowers here)

[Green Aura]

I just found this

2 cups moderately packed flowers
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups sugar
3 ounces of liquid pectin



Directions:

Steep 2 cups moderately packed flowers in 2 cups boiling water at least 30 minutes to make 2 cups of flower infusion. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 4 cups sugar. Bring to a boil you can't stir down. Add pectin and boil 2 minutes. Ladle into hot sterile jars. Seal in preferred manner.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Basic Flower Jelly serves/makes 4 jars

I wonder if lavender on its own might be a tad strong? Maybe you could mix it with something else more bland - apples for instance - to temper it a bit. Plus they'd add pectin, of course.

[Millymollymandy]

Never heard of making jam from flowers, can you post a recipe? sounds fascinating.

Susie

There's dandelion flower jelly (a neighbour made some but it's a bit strong tasting I think), and isn't there rose petal jelly? Lavendar sounds lovely but I wonder whether it would be a bit overpowering - I bought some lavendar to add to bread but the idea/smell was better than the taste, sadly.

[Silver Ether]

I make rose petal jam... it doesn't set as firm as fruit jam but its fine for spreading as well as using with yogurt/ice cream.


8oz of rose heads
1 pound of Sugar.
Juice of two lemons.

1) Pick roses in full bloom and cut of the heavy base.
2) Place the petals in a bowel with 8oz of the sugar, cover and leave overnight. This extracts the scent and darkens the petals.
3) Pour 2 pints of water and the lemon juice into a saucepan and stir in the remaining sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved do not boil
4) Stir in the rose petals simmer gently for 20 minutes.
5) Bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes until thick… check setting point*.
6) Put in sterile warm jars and lid.

[jampot]

a friend f mine used to make rose petal jelly
she did it by boiling up petals with apples and straining it then adding sugar ( X grams per X mls sorry dont know exactly) and adding fresh petals to jar ,for decoration mostly. thus negating the need for added pectin

[mrsflibble]

thanks guys, i knew you lot would come through lol!!

i have a load of rose petals in the freezer from may time this year, and for the lavendar i was thinking of using it as an ingredient in stuff, not as a jam for toast. i love the flavour of lavendar, but i know it's not to everyone's taste. I went through so much Glace de Lavende when we were in provence a few years back.