Wild Strawberry Conserve
This wonderful Wild Strawberry Conserve adds fragrant rose water, which complements the strawberries beautifully, but only add a few drops because the flavour can easily become over-powering and dominate the gentle wild-strawberry.
Wild Strawberry Conserve Recipe
Makes about 900g of conserve to pot. If you are unable to find wild berries use ordinary small strawberries instead, but leave the smaller berries whole and just mash any larger ones.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 900g Wild Strawberries (hulled if needed)
- 450g small ordinary strawberries (hulled and mashed)
- 1 .3 Kg granulated sugar (warmed)
- 2 dark pink rose buds (petals only)
- juice of 2 lemons
- a few drops of rose water
Recipe Method:
Put all the prepared strawberries in a non-metallic bowl with the rose petals, lemon juice and warmed sugar. Cover and leave overnight.
The next day tip all the fruit into a preserving pan and heat gently, stirring, until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring up to the boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or to the setting point (105°C/220°F). Stir in a few drops of the rose water into the jam, then remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any scum and impurities rising to the top, and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Pour into warmed sterilized jars. Seal and label, then store.