Dog rose and elderflower jelly

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 liters of water
• 3 liters of dog rose petals, slightly compressed
• 15 elderflower umbels, approx.
• 2 large lemons (organic)
• 20 g citric acid
• 1 ½ kg gelling sugar (2:1)
• 6 packets of vanilla sugar or better: vanilla pod(s)
• 1 shot of brown rum
• 1 shot of rose water, as needed

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 2 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 7 minutes; Total time approx. 2 days 37 minutes

tart-sweet taste and beautiful pink color

Pick the dog rose and elderflower blossoms on a nice morning in a spot that’s as free from insects as possible and spread them out briefly on the balcony or garden table to give insects a chance to crawl away. Do not wash! Cut the elderflower blossoms just short of the stems, and measure out the rose petals in liter measure. Squeeze them gently – the more petals, the more flavor! Pour into a pot along with the water. I use dog roses, but you can also use other fragrant roses – they should have a fairly strong rose scent. Wash the lemons, then slice them and add them with the citric acid. If you don’t have citric acid, you can simply add the juice of two lemons. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Cover the pot and let it steep in a cool place for two days, stirring occasionally. Then pour everything through a sieve, add the gelling sugar and vanilla sugar, and season to taste. If the rose flavor isn’t overpowering enough for you, you can add a dash of rose water. If you like, you can add a few fresh elderflower blossoms as a garnish right at the end of the cooking time, when the rum is added. This looks very pretty. Then cook the jelly according to the package instructions for the gelling sugar. Pour into sterilized jam jars and place the lids on.