Winter Wild Edibles - Rose Hips

Preppers. Here is something edible that you can still find during early winter. Rose Hips. Here is a good recipe for Jam from eHow…

Use a knife to cut the rose hips in half. Use your fingers to remove and discard the seeds.

Wash the inside and outside of the rose hips well with cold running water before using them.

Rose hip jam

• 1) Place one pound of prepared rose hips into a large saucepan. Add one cup of tap water and place over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil.
• 2) Place a lid on the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the water to simmer for the next 20 minutes. Check the water periodically and add more if it seems to be evaporating. The rose hips should be mostly submerged. After 20 minutes they should be soft.
• 3) Use a strainer to drain the water from the rose hips. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press them through the strainer back into the large saucepan. This will remove any seeds you missed in preparation and break up the larger pieces.
• 4) Pour one pound of sugar to the pressed rose hips and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Taste your mixture to see if more sugar is needed. Add more to taste, if necessary. Place the saucepan back over medium heat and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce. You are looking for a jelly consistency.
• 5) Place your prepared jam into mason jars. Sterilize the jars first by boiling them in a pot of water for five minutes to kill any germs. Place the lid and rings on the jars and store your jam in the refrigerator.