I make my own rosehip syrup from the wild rose in my garden and it's really easy. I'm renaming it the Nectar of Aphrodite because it tastes divine and this gorgeous goddess is associated with roses. My annual batch should keep me in heavenly deliciousness all the way through to the following summer.
You'll need:
Jars or small bottles to store your precious nectar. Sterilise them as you would for jam making - they'll also need to be hot at the point you bottle the syrup. I put mine through a baby bottle steam steriliser.
Something to strain the syrup. I bought a jelly bag and stand. Last year I used a very fine mesh nylon sieve. The mesh needs to be fine as rosehips contain tiny hairs that are an irritant for your throat if you let them get into the finished syrup. Properly strained I find the syrup lovely and soothing for sore throats.
Golden Caster Sugar - equivalent to the weight of the hips you pick
Go out and pick your rosehips once they have ripened. You want them fully ripe, but make sure you pick before they go mushy or fall off the bush. If you are foraging avoid picking hips growing by busy roads. My original recipe was for 300g of hips. I doubled the amounts this year and I still have plenty of rosehips left on the bush for the birds!
Rub off the dried brown sepals and remove any stalks (finer remnants of the stamens aren't an issue) then give the rosehips a wash.
For 300g rosehips you'll need 300g sugar, so it is easy to change up quantities according to what you pick. I used a ratio of 1 litre of water per 300g hips.
Bring half the water to the boil in a pan and then add the hips. Once they've had five - ten minutes simmering and have softened a little you can take them off the heat and give them a quick mashing to release some more flavour. Leave them covered and steeping in the hot water for about 15 - 20 minutes or longer.
Strain the hips and liquid into a bowl. Don't press or squash them through, be patient, let the liquid drip - you don't want to push the irritant hairs through the strainer.
Bring the other half of the water to the boil and put the rosehip pulp back in. Take the pan back off the heat and give the hips another little mash - they'll be much softer this time.
Let them steep another 15 minutes then strain the liquid into the bowl. Again patience is key. When all the liquid seems to have dripped through leave a small dish under the strainer, the most concentrated drops of rosy nectar come at the end.
Wash out your pan and put the strained rosehip liquid in. Bring to the boil and then turn down to low simmer. You are aiming to reduce the liquid by at least half which will concentrate the flavour - this takes at least 20 to 30 minutes, longer for a thicker syrup.
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let the liquid simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes. The longer it simmers the thicker it will get.
Once you are happy with the consistency let it cool for a few minutes before carefully pouring it into your hot sterilised jars or bottles. I'd advise doing this over a heatproof tray and wearing an apron - I splashed hot sticky syrup all over my hob and came close to getting splashes on myself too the first time despite using a funnel!
Cap your bottles and jars, let them cool, label them and remember to add the date to them, then store in a cool dark place. I keep a jar in use in the fridge and it keeps well. I take a dessert spoonful at a time for a sore throat and find it is a comforting home remedy for winter colds. The taste is rosy goodness. If you make a thicker, sugary syrup you can try it as a tasty cordial topped up with fizzy water, or drizzle a little over ice-cream.
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