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| Rose Petals Marinating in Lemon Juice and Sugar |
Today (Thursday), I went to the store to buy the small 4 oz. canning jars. I have some 8 oz. jars, but, I wanted the smaller jars for the rose jam I was planning to make. Since I give a lot of my jams as holiday gifts, I was thinking that an assortment of 3 or so smaller jars of jam, maybe one each of rose petal, blueberry, and peach, in a small basket or container with perhaps a packet of tea and crackers might make a nice gift.
The store had a box of a dozen 4 oz. quilted canning jars on sale for $11.98 (a different store I checked had them for $13.50, according to their store website). I bought two boxes plus a small box of 12 canning jar lids only (no rings) for $2.97 (for the store brand; the name brand was $3.98). The jar lids are to use on the 8 oz. jars I will be reusing for my peach chutney, etc.
I walked around the grocery section of the store, checking out the prices of items, and I bought a bunch of four bananas at $0.50/lb. which is cheaper than at the grocery store I regularly buy from. I was out of bananas and it is a fruit that I am supposed to eat on a regular basis for the potassium. They came to $0.63.
In addition, I bought a small container of cat food, "salmon pâté", for $1.18 for Dancer to try (he's been off his regular canned cat food for weeks now and this is a brand we haven't tried yet), but, he sniffed at it and walked away. Eventually, he was persuaded to try a little bit of it, but, not more than one or two nibbles. He's ignored it since then.
I spent a total of $31.69 at the store, including taxes.
I had mistakenly stood in the self check out line as the sign simply said, "15 items or less" and I hate those self check out machines. I never seem to be able to figure them out. But, there was a store clerk stationed in the self-check out section and he helped me, although I could sense his impatience at having to put his phone down and help me.
After I came home, I had a banana and a roast beef sandwich for brunch.
Last night, I had put the washed and trimmed rose petals to marinate in lemon juice and a cup of sugar. Today, in the evening, I decided to make the jam. I boiled the 4 cups of water, added the rose petal and lemon juice mixture, with another two cups of sugar and a little more lemon juice (went by taste), and simmered that for about 20 minutes. One look at the boiled rose petal mixture and I knew that I will be making a rose jelly rather than a jam!
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| Boiled Rose Petals |
The cooked petals looked unappetizing to say the least! But the syrup was a lovely color. So, I skimmed out most of the petals and left just a few, almost translucent ones. Then, added a package of powdered pectin and boiled for another minute or two and poured the syrup into the jars and processed them in a water bath. Unless the syrup thickens as it cools and "gels", the contents of the jars will be called a "pourable topping" for ice creams or a syrup for making faluda! Maybe I should have used two boxes of pectin!
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| Rose Syrup! |
The kitchen lighting isn't the best, but, the syrup is a dark red. I made 12 of the 4 oz. jars and half filled an 8 oz. jar which I didn't process.
- A safe drive to the store and back and being able to drive
- Helpful store clerks
- 12 small jars of homemade rose syrup!
That rose petal jelly looks beautiful, in the sparkling faceted glass jars! I too get frustrated at the self check tills sometimes [mostly because the assistants never seem to notice the folk needing help]
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. Unfortunately, the syrup didn't gel overnight, but, I think it will still be delicious as a syrup. I try to avoid the self checkout registers, mostly because I think it is a way for a company to eliminate people's jobs. It's the same reason why I'll stand in line for a teller at the bank, rather than go to the ATM. :)
DeleteI agree! I dislike self-checkouts and the fact that they put people out of work. I always favour a manned till, even if I have to queue. When staff come round and try to make me move to the self-checkouts, I say smile and say no thank you, and if they insist, I say calmly that I don't work for Tesco/M&S/wherever. That usually makes the point! I get very annoyed when shops refuse to open manned tills when there are lots of customers waiting at self-checkouts. I was once told staff were "too busy" to serve so I left my whole trolley there and left. It will have taken them longer to put it all back on the shelves than it would have to run it through the till. I suppose I sound rather belligerent but my heart was thumping when I got back to the car!
Delete(No need to publish this if it is too soap-boxy.)
Ella
I think the store clerks are required by the company to inform customers of the self checkout facilities, whether they want to or not. But, I applaud you for leaving your trolley of groceries and walking away!
Delete(Obviously, I didn't think your comment was too soap-boxy. ;-) )
Glad it was OK :o) Yes, I am sure the staff are told to divert customers to the DIY facilities. I am not rude to them, it is the policy I object to - same as in the bank, as you say. I should have made it clear that the shop was very busy and there wasn't a single manned till open, but a huge queue for the self-checkouts. Customers should not be treated as an inconvenience, have their time wasted and be made to work for free. (IMO)
DeleteYes; maybe if we were given a discount for using self checkout, then, that might be an incentive to use them!
DeleteI think the syrup would be delicious over vanilla ice cream!
ReplyDeleteI think so, too, Celie. Or, with yogurt, perhaps. :)
DeleteI think rose petal syrup sounds wonderful, even if you didn't manage to make jam or jelly. It will be great on ice cream, plain yogurt, pancakes and waffles (for when you don't eat curry with them!) or even plain cake. I'm sure Dancer appreciated being able to give his exalted opinion on the new cat food, and turn his nose up at it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. You are right, the syrup will be good with waffles and pancakes, too. Or, I was also thinking, mixed with some powdered sugar, to frost a cake.
DeleteDancer thinks he's a human and today, he meowed and meowed until I gave him some of the chicken breast I had cooked! He seems to prefer that to even the tuna!
I can imagine those diddy little jars, as I had a couple which Laurie passed on to me. They were really pretty, with a flower design on the side, and I hung on to them for ages before deciding I would be unlikely to use them. In the end I Freecycled them with a large collection of big Kilner/Mason jars that I'd been hoarding for ages too. The taker was really appreciative.
ReplyDeleteI was interested that you are able to add the powdered pectin at the end. The brands I use have to be mixed through the sugar while it is still dry, otherwise it clumps up in the hot mixture and you end up with little gritty/rubbery lumps in your preserve. I only use it for certain things which need help to set, and (so far) I have remembered to do it right! We can also get liquid pectin here, which is added at the end. I usually have a bottle on hand as I use it for grape jelly as that tends to be temperamental when it comes to setting, so I can put the decision off to the last minute, and decide how much to use.
When my jellies don't gel properly I usually give them away. G likes to mix them through yoghurt or porridge, or drizzle over fruit salad. She has sometimes said I should rebrand them as such for selling, however if I am intending to sell them, I prefer to reboil them so that they set properly ... but I have to be in the mood as it is such a faff to empty all the jars, re-sterilise etc. etc.
I wonder what your jelly/syrup will taste like ... Turkish Delight maybe? It does look pretty. I wonder if you could even try adding to love cake, instead of the rose water and reducing the sugar a little. Depends how strong it is, I guess.
PS. Just wanted to say I'm not suggesting you did it wrong, I was just interested how your powdered pectin is used vs. ours. :)
DeleteOh, I wonder if that's where I went wrong? Adding powdered pectin at the end, instead of at the beginning? I, too, generally don't use added pectin. I use lemon juice and/or mix the fruits and add a higher pectin fruit with a lower one. Anyway, the syrup will work for now and I have various ideas of how to use it. Adding it to love cake is definitely a possibility. We didn't make any love cake this Christmas because of the price of eggs and daughter's foot injury. We will definitely make some this year.
DeleteThe syrup tastes a little like a rose/lemon tea to me. You can definitely get the rose scent and taste the lemon and there seems to be an aftertaste of tea (maybe because it was still hot when I tasted it). I'll have M taste it, today, and see what he has to say. :)
Sorry, didn't see your new comment until I had responded! I rechecked the recipe I had sort of followed and it did state add the powdered pectin at the end, but, maybe the recipe itself was wrong? I do have the printed directions for a packet of liquid pectin I used some years ago, and that did say to add at the end. And a search online said to use powdered pectin at the beginning. I think that might be where I went wrong! Also, the box of pectin I used was old...
DeleteI knew you were going to answer both comments separately! Anyway, I doubt you did it wrong. I was intrigued enough to look at some US recipes using added pectin and it seems like a very different kettle of fish from ours. There even seems to be an issue with adjusting the recipe/sugar levels depending on which brand of pectin you use, never mind when to add it. I haven't encountered this here.
DeleteElla
PS Don't recommend adding fish to your preserving kettle FYI! 🙂
Yes, the instructions for using pectin seems to vary from recipe to recipe and brand of pectin. I think you have a type of jam sugar which already has pectin mixed in that is usually used for jam. I just use regular granulated sugar and, as I said earlier, often rely on the fruit and lemon juice for the pectin.
DeleteDon't worry, I shall not add fish to my preserving kettle! LOL. Not that I have a preserving kettle - I just use a stock pot (which might or might not have been used to make soups and curries!) :D
:o) I too used a large stock pot for jams until I got my preserving pans. Fortunately, I never experienced any transfer of flavour, so I think it's OK! On a related matter, in Japan they serve this savoury custard which is fish flavoured. I suppose you may have come across it... Anyway, the first time I was served it (as part of a set meal) I asked my supervisor what it was and she said "custard". I took a spoonful and got such a shock! Even all these years later, I have never been able to face it.
DeleteYes, we do get jam sugar, where the pectin is already added. I wasn't talking about that, just about commercial pectin, in whatever form. I use granulated like you, usually without any additional pectin. Of course I wouldn't use jam sugar in addition to granulated!
I haven't had any fish custard, myself, but, some of the Chinese restaurants serve a savory egg custard in a pastry shell, which is a bit of a shock when you first taste it, as you are expecting a sweetened custard.
DeleteWell I have never heard of rose syrup, so you have taught me something new! That’s very interesting! I bet it is delicious! 😋
ReplyDeleteRose syrup does taste delicious, sweet and floral. :)
DeleteThe jars look like jewels! :) The syrup certainly sounds delicious. I imagine it will be similar to how I make my elderflower syrup in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to navigate the self scan checkout with some assistance. They can get a bit confusing. Xx
Thank you, Jules. Yes, I think your elderflower syrup is similar to the rose syrup. You let it steep overnight, don't you? And made a refreshing drink with it.
DeleteI've only used the self checkout a couple of times and not very willingly. But, I suppose I will figure it out, eventually. :)
Yes, that's how it's made. It tastes quite delicious and I'm looking forward to making some this summer (usually in June). I might need to look elsewhere for some flowers, as the farm where I usually pick them has laid the hedges this year. It can be used as a drink or as a syrup on ice cream etc. Xx
DeleteOoh, when I come to visit I think I would like to try some rose syrup in a glass, diluted with sparkling water. (I might need a couple of glasses, to make a definitive judgement!)
DeleteElla
I will definitely serve you as many glasses of rose syrup and sparkling water as you require, Ella. :) In fact, I was just thinking that I should make some fresh lemonade and try adding some of the rose syrup to it...what do you think?
DeleteI think yes, try it and report back! I noticed earlier that I have managed to open two bottles of sparkling water at the same time... Whoops. Anyway, if you want to pop round tomorrow evening, why not bring a little of your syrup and we can experiment? (I have lemons too, but they are not homegrown!!) And I made some strawberry jam at the weekend (with pectin added) and gooseberry (no pectin or lemon juice) so we could have those on fresh bread if you wish. The forecast is good, so we could sit outside - but it might be a little chilly by your standard! ;o)
DeleteThank you for the invitation and I'd love to try your jams (don't think I've ever had gooseberry jam). I made the rose lemonade today and I think I needed to add more syrup because I really couldn't taste the rose syrup. But, it had a pretty color and I will post a picture.
DeleteJules, I hope you find a new place to pick your elderberry flowers, this year.
DeleteOh I do like those little 3oz jars. They are so useful. I think they will be perfect for your jams for gift giving.
ReplyDeleteThe rose syrup process is very interesting. I've never had it but I imagine it's very good.
Ahh yes - the self checkouts. I think that being on one's phone is a requirement for store employees in the position you described. ;)
They are cute little jars, aren't they?
DeleteI think I should have used more sugar in the rose syrup, but, my daughter would say that it is just the right amount of sweetness for her. :)
Yes, apart from telling customers when a self check out stand became available, the store employee didn't seem to have anything else to do other than be on his phone! :D