We don’t often think of the ornamental plants in our gardens as sources of edible fruits. But both roses and japonicas produce fruit which can be used in delicious recipes, and certainly were in times gone by. Rosehips (or “rose hips”) and japonica quinces, as they’re usually called, produce in particular wonderful jelly to eat as a spread.
Japonica “quinces”
The shrubs we know as “japonica” or “flowering quince” are cultivated hybrids of the three species of the plant genus Chaenomeles, in the family Rosaceae, native to Southeast Asia. (“Chaenomeles”, Wikipedia). Jane Perrone tells us that japonica is “a shrub that can be trained as a hedge or wall climber, or left shrub-shaped. The perfumed fruits are round, yellow and hard, and make wonderful jams, jellies, fruit leathers and lemonade. The blossom is captivating, emerging before the leaves…” (Jane Perrone. “Plant of the week: Japanese quince”. The Guardian, 8 Apr 2017). As she says: “It’s deciduous, so you’re left with a network of spiny bare branches in winter.” If you live in a cool or temperate climate, it’s lovely to see the blossoms, which can be dark pinkish-red, pink, peachy or even white, emerging before almost anything else is blooming. They look rather like apple blossom—apples also belong to the Rosaceae family. Some of the cultivars are “double” blooms, quite fluffy, but I think the single ones are far more charming.
Japonica fruits do look rather like small quinces, and they are certainly related to the quince, which also belongs to the Rosaceae. They are quite bitter, very, very hard, and even less palatable raw than quinces are. But they make up to a ravishingly delicate jelly.
“Japanese quince” – a brand-new plant
Japonica, as its name suggests, was certainly known in Japan, but it only came to the West in the late 18th century and “was still considered as exotic in 1806” (Bonhams) when the much-admired botanical artist, Mary Lawrance, painted this picture of the plant in full bloom.
The plant became very popular with gardeners, and by 1931 Mrs M. Grieve was able to tell us: “The Japanese Quince, familiar in our gardens … is grown for the sake of its blossoms, which vary in colour from creamy white to rich red and are produced during the winter and early spring months. … For the last hundred years it has been the chief spring ornament of English gardens…” (M. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. (New York, Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1931), Botanical.com). She was definitely unimpressed by the fruit, however, writing that: “old trees on warm walls will in a dry, hot summer produce a few fruits (Quinces), though it cannot be described as a fruitful tree in this country. They are nearly round and about the size of a tangerine orange, ripening off a dull green colour, very fragrant and as hard as flints. When cut up, they are found to be packed with large dark pips, around which is a broad rim of flesh of a most uninviting character and quite uneatable, the flavour being rough and styptic.” However, at least one variety, she claimed, would be good for jam, producing “fruit of a yellow colour and agreeable fragrance, so that when cooked with sugar, it forms a pleasant conserve.”
Whilst rosehips can be used for jelly and for other recipes, too, japonica fruits are usually used only for jelly (rarely for jam). Both rosehips and japonica fruits make superb jelly. I have made very small quantities of both, using a small but heavy saucepan, and they were wonderful.
As with all jellies and jams, you need to ensure a good set, and the advice below from the New Zealand cook’s old traditional go-to, the Edmonds Cookery Book, is very sound. Adding some apples to your mixture, the sourer the better, will help eke it out, will aid setting, and won’t affect the colour or flavour.
Hints for Jelly Making
A perfect jelly is clear, bright and tender, and when cut with a spoon has a clean surface. When turned from the glass [jar], jelly should hold its shape and quiver but not break. Test as for jam.
General recipe.
Place fruit in preserving pan and barely cover with water; simmer until very soft and all juice has been extracted. Strain through jelly bag and allow juice to drain [overnight]—do not squeeze the bag. Allow 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of juice. Put juice into a preserving pan and boil rapidly for five minutes. Skim if necessary and add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cook rapidly and test a little in a saucer.
Use this method for Apple Jelly (a few cloves may be added), Quince Jelly, and Blackberry and Apple Jelly, etc.
Source: Edmonds Cookery Book. De luxe ed., [Christchurch, N.Z.], T.J. Edmonds Ltd., 1955 (1976 printing) (First published as The Sure to Rise Cookery Book, 1908)
Japonica Jelly
“This is a very uncommon preserve, as it is not generally known that the fruit of pyrus Japonica (the Japanese quince) makes delicious jelly.”
Wash the fruit, cut into quarters without peeling or coring, cover with water and boil until soft, but not squashed. Strain through jelly-bag, add 1 lb. sugar to each pint of juice and boil till it jells when tested. It is a bright red color when done.
Source: Cabotia, TAS. The Australian Woman’s Mirror, Vol.3, no.36, (2nd August 1927) (via Trove)
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Japonica Jelly
“Japonica jelly is similar to quince jelly in flavour.”
* 3 lb/1.5 kg japonica fruit * 4 tablespoons lemon juice
* 6 pints/3 litres water * sugar
Wash the fruit but do not peel or core. Cut them into pieces and put into a pan with the lemon juice and water. Simmer for about an hour until the fruit is soft. Strain through a jelly bag and measure the juice. Allow 1 lb/450 g sugar to each pint/500 ml juice. Heat the juice gently, stirring in the sugar until dissolved. Boil hard to setting point. Pour into small hot jars and cover. This tastes particularly delicious with milk puddings.
Source: Mary Norwak (1929-). The Complete Book of Home Preserving. London, Ward Lock, 1978. CKBK,
https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/thec56953c07s001ss008r017/japonica-jam
Edible rosehips
Although their blooms may vary, all roses belong to the genus Rosa, in the plant family Rosaceae. “There are over a hundred species and thousands of cultivars.” (“Rose”, Wikipedia.) Any kind of rose, including those grown for their flowers, will produce rosehips which are okay for human consumption. Just don’t eat them straight off the bush—not exciting. They need to be cooked.
Rosehips: a bit of history… with syrup
People have foraged for hips for centuries in countries where roses grow wild. In England recipes existed long ago but disappeared as society became more urbanised. I found this list of recipes in English dating back hundreds of years:
“To make a tart of hips” is a 16th-century recipe from: Good huswifes handmaide for the kitchin. Containing manie principall pointes of cookerie. Richard Iones [publisher], 1594. In the 18th century the hips were being used as some sort of jam or possibly even jelly, as in: “Conserve of hips, to make”, Fountain of Knowledge or British Legacy, W. Bailey [publisher], 1785; and again in “Conserve of hips”, in Richard Briggs. New Art of Cookery, According to the Present Practice; Being a Complete Guide to All Housekeeper. W. Spotswood [publisher], 1798. (Listed in The Sifter: Search the World of Food: A Tool for Food History Research)
Do you remember rosehip syrup? Few of us do, these days, and I failed to find any local pictures of the bottles that used to be found in almost every New Zealand household.(The illustration above had no details, but appears to be from an English source.) I recall very clearly the commercial rosehip syrup that Mum used to buy for my younger siblings in the 1950s. It was a completely standard thing: the first thing most New Zealand babies tasted back then after milk (usually mother’s milk). The NZ health Establishment, highly visible as “the Plunket Nurse” that the baby had to be taken to regularly to be weighed and checked over, was keen as mustard on mother’s milk, but also provided the appropriate recipe for bottle feeding, and of course advocated rosehip syrup (which contains Vitamin C). It was the norm, as this article from 1955 clearly indicates:
“Extras for all Breast Fed Babies
“Fruit juice such as orange or grape fruit and rose hip syrup may be given baby from two weeks of age onwards. It should be diluted at first with an equal amount of boiled water. As baby gets older it can be given undiluted. From the first 1/2 teaspoon diluted with boiled water, by the time baby is six months’ old he can take eight teaspoons of undiluted orange juice.
“Rose hip syrup is not tolerated well by some babies, so it should be given diluted with boiled water, commencing with a quarter teaspoon with twice as much water, and by the time baby is six months' old, two teaspoons with at least twice as much water.”
(Keritapu. “The Maori Mother and her Child”, Te Ao Hou, No. 10 (April 1955) p. 62)
http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/journals/teaohou/issue/Mao10TeA/c53.html
Rosehips to drink
This first recipe is the grown-up version of rosehip syrup.
Rosehip Cordial
“Made from ripe, red wild rosehips, this refreshing drink is both sweet and tangy. Add some to chilled water for a refreshing drink, drizzle it over bits of cake, or take it straight as a winter pick-me-up.”
* 700 g roses [i.e. rosehips] ripe * 1 L boiling water
* 400 ml water * 1 1/3 cup sugar
1. Top and tail the rosehips and chop them roughly.
2. Add the rosehips to the boiling water in a saucepan and boil for 5-10 minutes. Allow it to cool and then strain through muslin, twice.
3. Add the remaining water to the pulp and boil again for five minutes. Strain as before.
4. Return the liquid to the rinsed saucepan and boil until reduced to 1 litre. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
5. Leave to cool before transferring it to sterilised bottles. Store in a cool place.
–10 Servings.
Notes: This recipe works well halved: 350 g rose hips, 500 mL boiling water, 200 mL water, 2/3 cup sugar.
The straining bag can be squeezed to extract remaining liquid. Cook remaining syrup until it lightly coasts a spoon, like thin cough syrup.
Source: Neko-Chan. Australia’s Best Recipes,
Next is another drink, this time a tea, made from dried hips.
Rosehip Tea
Dried rose hips need to be boiled about 10 minutes to make a tea of them; just pouring hot water over them results in a fairly tasteless brew. Use 2 tablespoons per pint of water, boil covered. The hips must expand, split, and let the water get at the soft seeds within. The resulting tea may be pinkish, depending on the type of roses whose berries are used. The hot tea is acid-tasting, but not as sharp as lemon juice. Some like it sweetened. A half-teaspoon of dried mint may be added to give it a different flavor. Purchased rosehips for tea you’ll find only the hardened dried shell of the berry. Boil that 15 minutes for your tea.
Source: Paula Giese. Wild Roses: Hips, Haws, Vitamin C,
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/food/wildrose.html
Rosehip Jelly
I’d opt for the jelly rather than the drinks any time. Rosehip jelly is one of the best spreads ever. I can never decide which is my favourite: rosehip jelly, japonica jelly, rose petal jam, cape gooseberry jam, or home-made quince jelly. They’re all delicious, but rosehips and japonicas have a delicacy that the others lack.
Classic Rose Hip Jelly from WI
“This classic Rose hip jelly comes from the Women’s Institute Book of Preserves.”
* 500 g ripe rose hips, stray leaves, stems and flowers removed
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 kg crab or cooking apples, roughly chopped, including cores, pips, skin
* Caster sugar
Wash and drain the rose hips. Chop roughly and put into a preserving pan with the lemon juice, apples and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until soft. Mash thoroughly to extract as much juice as possible.
Strain through a jelly bag or muslin-lined nylon sieve, set over a large bowl. Do not press the fruit or squeeze the bag as this will make the jelly cloudy. Leave until the dripping stops. This may take several hours or even overnight.
Next, measure the liquid and return it to the pan along with 450 g (1 lb) sugar for each pint (600 ml) of liquid. Stir well over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 5–10 minutes. Test your jam for a set — setting point is 105 C (220 F). If necessary, boil for a further minute then test again. Continue testing at one-minute intervals, as necessary, until the jelly has reached setting point. Remove the pan from the heat, skim off any scum and allow to cool briefly.
Carefully pour into hot, sterilised jars. Seal the jars and allow the jelly to cool completely before labelling and storing.
–Makes: about 3 x 225 ml jars.
Source: Allotment2Kitchen, Friday, 8 October 2010,
http://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/classic-rosehip-jelly.html
I’d choose the WI’s version, but here’s another recipe that may be of interest. It comes from an English plant nursery website. I was intrigued to see that it specifies the rose varieties. (The “wrinkle” test is when you put a little of the mixture onto a cold plate, and if it’s started to set it wrinkles up if you push it gently.)
Rose Hip Jelly Recipe
* Cluster Colourama or Trailblazer rose hips * Water * Jam sugar
Put the halved rose hips into a preserving pan.
Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until the hips are mushy. (You can also add a couple of chopped apples – no need to peel or core them – to help with setting the jelly.)
Strain the liquid through a piece of muslin or a jelly bag. Don't be tempted to squeeze the liquid out of the fruit as this will cause your jelly to be cloudy.
When all the liquid has passed through the bag, measure the juice and put it into a clean pan.
Bring to the boil, add 1 lb (500 g) of sugar for each pint (1/2 litre) of liquid, boil until setting point (105° C/220° F) is reached. Use a jam thermometer or the “wrinkle” test to check.
Pour into clean warmed jars, and cover.
Label, then store in a cool cupboard.
Source: Victoriana Nursery Gardens,
https://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Rose-Hip-Jelly-Recipe/
Soup from Rosehips?
Yes, soup from rosehips. The idea may strike you as odd if you’ve never encountered it before, but fruit soups are very popular in Scandinavia. They make a fruit soup from bilberries, there, too—the wild European cousins of the blueberry. The author of this recipe gives us the following tips on picking and storing rosehips for later use:
* Look for the largest rosehips that you can. The best hips are large and round from Rosa rugosa, but it tends to be only found in sandy coastal areas. I have to pick hedgerow hips which are smaller and more fiddly.
* Only pick deep-red hips and leave yellow and orange hips for picking later.
* Store rosehips in the freezer. It will make them easier to prepare.
* If you can’t face scooping out the seeds from the rosehips, then wash them, cover with water and bring the water to the boil. Boil until soft, which can take anything from 20 minutes to an hour or more. Whiz in a food processor and then pass through a fine sieve, keeping the liquid and discarding the pulp.
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* 600 g (4 cups) fresh rosehips * 2 litres (8 cups) water
* 100 g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
* 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1. Put on some good music and enlist as many helpers as possible. Cut each rosehip in half then scoop out every trace of the seeds and hairy bits. Keep the skins and discard the rest. This is a fiddly job and takes some time.
2. Put the skins in a pan, add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until they are soft. Increase the heat and boil steadily for 15 minutes to reduce the liquid.
3. Whiz in a food processor and then strain the liquid through muslin (cheesecloth) and return it to the pan. Add the sugar.
4. Blend the cornflour (cornstarch) with a little of the liquid to form a runny paste. Slowly add the paste to the pan, stirring all the time, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Serve warm or cold, garnished with mandelbiskvier (almond macaroons) and crème fraîche or whipped cream.
–Serves 4.
- If using dried rosehips, soak the rosehips in cold water overnight.
- Try adding a tablespoon of orange juice and some grated orange zest to each dish of soup.
Source: John Duxbury. SwedishFood.com,
http://www.swedishfood.com/swedish-food-recipes-desserts/217-rosehip-soup
That’s it for these unusual fruits. If you’ve got these plants in your garden, why not stop rigorously dead-heading the roses, and use some of the hips? And don’t let the japonica’s fruit go to waste!
