Saturday, May 8, 2010

Capturing Autumn in a bottle

This is 2 and a half bottles of Rosehip Syrup, golden orange and fragrant....Central Otago is overrun by Sweet Briar Rose, it grows on all the hillsides and along all the roads, and will quickly take over and populate any farmers field.  The early settlers brought it to NZ so that they could make Rosehip Syrup as a source of vitamin C during the winter months.  

I'm really not sure how much Vitamin C is left once you have made it, to be honest.  But it sure does look and taste lovely and is well worth it. 

ROSEHIP SYRUP 
This recipe is close to the one that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall has on his website, but I have simplified it as I needed instant gratification!
1.    Cut your hips off the rose bushes, or pick by hand.  Take them home and weigh them.  For every part of Rosehips, weigh out 2 parts of sugar.
2.     Put them into a pot, and add about 2litres of water for each kilo of hips. 
3.     Whizz with your whizz stick, only enough to break up all the hips.
4.     Bring to the boil and then turn off and let them sit for 1/2hr.
5.     Strain through a muslin.  Return the squishy stuff in your muslin to the pan and add water....about half the amount which you did last time (this is new, fresh water).
6.     Bring to the boil, just like you did last time, then turn off and leave for 1/2hr.  Strain this through a muslin too.
7.     Put both strained liquids to one pot and add your sugar, then stir to dissolve.
8.     Boil 5 mins then put into steralised bottles and fill right to the top.

Apparently this will keep for ages, so long as there is no air in your bottles.  


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