Rosella Jam | Small Batch

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Rosella jam is a treat well-known to Australians. Sadly, it’s not something that’s easy to come by though. Generally, if you’d like rosella you grow your own, and that’s exactly what I did this year!

Rosella bushPin

The plant is quite hardy and will produce an abundance of fruit as well as beautiful flowers. The trick is to ensure you keep harvesting them as they ripen to encourage more growth.

This season I largely dehydrated the leaves to keep aside for rosella tea. I also infused some in honey, which has been delicious! As the season came to a close though I had two small handfuls left on the rosella bush. So, rosella jam it was! Albeit a tiny batch.

Do make sure you keep some seedpods aside so you have seeds to grow next year too.

Rosella fruit on bushPin

A bit about rosella

Rosella, also known as wild hibiscus, is ruby red with a deliciously tart flavour. It is known as an Australian bush tucker food but it’s not actually a native, and was imported from Africa. I’ve read also that others believe it was imported from Indonesia however, most sources agree on Africa. I believe it was in fact the Egyptians who first made it into a tea too.

It’s traditionally considered a wild grown food but it’s also popping up in many backyards. I was introduced to it by a friend and found it in my community garden, which is where I fell in love with it.

Additionally, rosella is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants so is a wonderful food to include in your diet.

Rosella fruitPin

How to make rosella jam

The great thing about making rosella jam is that the same recipe works with any quantity of fruit.

All you need do is remove the calyxes (red leaves) from the seedpods for the volume of fruit you have. It was 14 for me today, which was loosely – one cup.

You then wash the calyxes and the seedpods separately because you’ll be using both parts.

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The seedpods are useful as they contain the pectin that helps the jam set. I like to slightly pierce the seedpod too.

You then add the volume of pierced seedpods you have to a saucepan and just cover them with water. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until soft.

Rosella seedPin

Once that’s done, strain off and keep the liquid and put the seedpods in the compost.

Return the liquid to the same saucepan and add in the washed calyxes. Bring those to a boil and cook for another 20 minutes or until the liquid has thickened.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and measure the volume of cooked pulp. Return it to the saucepan and now add in the same volume of sugar along with the squeeze of lemon juice. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-20 minutes or until the jam has thickened then transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge.

See how easy it is? And why you don’t need to rely on a set recipe but rather – the volume you have on hand? That’s what I love most about this jam.

If you’re looking for a different style of jam, take a look at my lacto-fermented fig, honey and cinnamon butter too.

Have you tried rosella before? As a jam, tea, cordial or any other way? Let me know how you’ve had it in the comments.

Looking down over a small jar filled with ruby red-coloured rosella jam. A knife with spread love on it sits beside the jar.Pin

Rosella jam – small batch

A small batch jam to use up the end of season fruit from your Rosella bush
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Course: Spreads
Cuisine: Australian
Keyword: Preserved Food, Preserves
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • Small saucepan

Ingredients

  • Ripe rosella fruit
  • Raw sugar
  • Filtered water
  • Lemon juice, just a squeeze

Instructions

  • Remove the calyxes (red leaves) from the seed pods then wash and drain them separately
  • Slightly break open the seed pods and add them to a small saucepan. Pour in filtered water until the pods are just covered. Do make sure they're submerged
  • Bring to the boil and cook, covered for 20 minutes or until the pods are soft
  • Strain and keep the liquid and put the seedpods in the compost
  • Pour the reserved liquid back into your small saucepan and add in the washed calyxes. If the calyxes are not submerged in water add a tiny touch more filtered water
  • Boil down for another 20 minutes allowing the mixture to thicken
  • Remove from the heat and measure the volume of cooked pulp. Return this to the saucepan and add the same volume of sugar along with the squeeze of lemon juice
  • Bring to the boil and cook for 10-20 minutes or until the jam has thickened
  • Transfer to a clean jar and store in the fridge

Notes

If you find you have cooked the jam down too much and it goes very firm in the jar…. it’s then perfect for slicing to have with cheese! Much like this quince paste.

Nutrition

Serving: 20g

65 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Very clear recipe, thanks. Roselle grows well here in Hong Kong and is just coming into season. A lovely jam! Would give 5 stars but I can’t get the rating buttons to go past 4.

    1. Thanks so much Andrew! I had no idea this also grew in Hong Kong. You’d have the perfect climate for it there though I’m sure. Also -The rating is showing as 5 stars for me. Not sure what’s happened there.

    1. That is so wonderful to hear Leanne! I think it’s super easy too. Especially for a very small batch for those like me who maybe only have room for one shrub at a time.

  2. 5 stars
    This is a really pleasing site. I made some jam and will be making more. The recipe worked well. I sometimes have difficulty getting jams to set as I always try to have a little less sugar. No problems here though.

      1. I’ve made this recipe for many years Gabby. I’m now 75years old and my mother made it every year until she died. I used to help her until I married and then did my own. It is such a great fruit for Jam. However for the past few years the trees have simply died before the fruit could be harvested but my nephew grew them on his farm and has given me his fruit to make the Jam. For the past two years the Jam has not set and I’ve had to reheat, add Jamsetter and reboil for another 5 + minutes. Even then the jam is still not as firm as I would like and is over cooked and of a dark colour. Why has this happened?

        1. What lovely memories you have with this jam, Rita. I love recalling my time in the kitchen with my Mother too. I still love using all her pots and pans that I have. As to the jam not setting though – that is a bit of a mystery. Especially so as you’ve even tried adding jamsetter! You have a lot of experience with this fruit and I dare say preserving in general so I don’t mean to be giving you over simplistic answers – but jam not setting generally means there isn’t enough pectin. As such, I’m wondering if the fruit may have been picked a little too early? A good indication it’s perfect to use is the seed pod having a decent tinge of green in it or being completely green. I like to pierce them too so that more pectin leaches out when they boil. If you only had, say, half fully rip and half not quite so ripe it’s likely not given you enough pectin, even with the jamsetter.

  3. Love this recipe! It was so simple and the jam is delicious. I did use white sugar as I didn’t have enough raw but will try it with that next time. Thanks heaps

    1. That’s so great to hear Kyra! White sugar is fine to use, I generally just have raw in the cupboard though so that’s what I use in most of my jams. Or sometimes honey.

4.95 from 17 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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