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| The fruits of a Saturday afternoon hedgerow hunt. |
Wild recipes was inspired by a recent bicycle ride that turned up a fantastic mixture of wild produce. This mixture of apples, sloes and rose hips have inspired me to try a number of recipes. I will be returning to my secret foraging spots to collect red currants and blackberries, which are growing in abundance.
October is a fantastic time of year and as I have recently discovered, is the best time to go foraging in the hedgerows.
October is a fantastic time of year and as I have recently discovered, is the best time to go foraging in the hedgerows.
The first of my seasonal recipes is rose hip syrup. Rose hips contain high levels of vitamin C and also contain some vitamin A & B, essential fatty acids and antioxidant flavonoids.
Ingredients:
- 2 lb of Rose Hips
- 4.5 pints of water
- 1 lb unrefined granulated sugar
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| On the left are the crushed rose hips before adding them to the boiling water, right. |
Top and tails the rose hips and crush, or for a quicker method use a food processor. Bring 3 pints of water to the boil and add the crushed rose hips, bringing back to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside for 30 mins to infuse. Drain the liquid through a sieve, leaving the pulp to one side. Strain the liquid through a muslin square into a clean container, then strain the pulp until liquid stops dripping.
Put the pulp back into the saucepan and pour in 1.5 pints of water and bring to the boil, taking it off the heat and leave to one side for 30 mins. Drain and strain the contents as before. Then combine the two liquids and place into a clean saucepan, boil the liquid until it has reduced by half down to about 2 pints.
Add the sugar and heat for 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Pour the liquid into bottles, seal and store in a cool dry place.
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| Rose Hip Syrup |
*Please keep refrigerated once opened and will stay fresh for about a week.
Tasting Notes.
Rose hip syrup has a fresh zingy and tangy tropical fruit aroma and taste, along with the sweetness of the sugar.
Ideas for Rose Hip Syrup.
The traditional way of serving rose hip syrup is with hot or cold water.
I think it would go well with sparkling water for a fizzy fruity drink or why not try mixing the syrup with sparkling wine, rum, Malibu or other mixers used to make tropical cocktails.
