No it’s not made from parrots!! it’s a genuine Australian backyard, homemade, grandma style jam or preserve.
It’s an unbelievably rich magenta pink-red color. The rosella (another common name is roselle) comes from a hibiscus bush, given name Hibiscus Sabdariffa. It grows wild in the tropical northern areas of Australia and other tropical countries. It is not really a native to Australia, but probably has been there for thousands of years. Some think it was originally brought to the northern shores by Indonesian fisherman and other travelers. Many people grow them in their gardens specifically to be able to harvest the fruit and make jam.
Rosellas have spread throughout the world and are endlessly versatile, used in tea, desserts, soups, chutneys, eaten fresh as a good source of vitamin C – tastes bitter, and is used in many herbal remedies throughout the world. Originally it is thought to come from Sri Lanka but can now be found growing on every continent. Although it is all one species, there are many differences between the countries where it grows.
Once picked, the next task is to remove the calyx, the fleshy petals, from the seeds. it is a little time consuming, but they peel off quite easily and put them aside. Use gloves because they seeds are prickly. keep the green seed pods because they are pre-packed with the pectin you will need for the jam.
As a guide, a regular brown paper shopping bag will yield enough rosellas to make around 6 jars of jam. You want more, you pick more. Secateurs (pruning shears) are helpful to snip them from the plant.
The most difficult part for anybody living outside the tropics is getting the rosellas in the first place. Gourmet jack has been working on that, in the US, you might like to try Tropilab Inc.
Step 1 OK, Let’s jam! Separate the calyx, the fleshy petals, from the seeds. It is a little time consuming, but they peel off quite easily and put them aside. Use gloves because they seeds are prickly. keep the green seed pods because they are pre-packed with the pectin you will need for the jam.
Step 2 Get the pectin from the seeds.
Place the seed pods in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for around 40 minutes, or until the liquid becomes thick and gelatinous.Make sure the pods don’t break open. Strain through a sieve or cloth to recover all the liquid. Put the liquid aside for use later, discard the pods.
Step 3 Make the jam.
Put all the petals you have separated into a heavy-based pot, add water but do not cover or flood, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the petals start soften right down to a pulp. Add a little extra water to avoid burning if needed – AND KEEP STIRRING. Did I mention KEEP STIRRING!
Now to add sugar and it depends on what school you went to and how sweet your definition of sweet is. Rosellas really do need sugar to bring out the flavor, but you don’t want to destroy the signature tartness.
Step 4 Now bring it all together.
Old school says 1 cup of sugar to one cup of fruit. New school says about 4 cups of sugar to 6 cups of fruit. Ripeness of the fruit will change this a little and of course your taste buds are the final judge here.
Now add the pectin obtained from the pods. This will thicken the jam AND add some tartness back to it. Some sugar adjustment may be necessary to suit what you want. Don’t kill it!!
Simmer for another 20 minutes or so stirring constantly. Be careful not to overcook it or you will lose that fantastic color and get a dark colored jam. Have I mentioned that you have to STIR ALL THE TIME! The aim is to let the pulp simmer away gently. Remove any froth that forms on the top of the jam to give a clearer result.
You can test to see if it’s ready by putting a spoonful of jam on an icy cold saucer from the fridge. If it thickens and sets, you have rosella jam ready to bottle.
Step 5 Bottling
Once it has cooled down a bit transfer the jam into clean, warm jars .
Now, get some fresh bread, or bake up some damper, and enjoy one of the best jams on the face of the planet.
You might like to have a look at this recipe for Rosella Glazed Pork Chops.
Gourmet Jack
