8cups whole rosa rugosa hipsThis should yield roughly 3 cups of cut, trimmed rosehips or about 15 oz.
2lbscrab apples
2cupswater
2.5cupscider vinegar
2cupssugar
Zest and juice of 1 meyer lemongrated on a microplane, or substitute ½ small orange and ½ a small lemon
Instructions
Peel and core the apples, then reserve in acidulated water. Reserve all of the skin, seeds and core, wrap in cheesecloth and tie to make a bouquet. Cut the bottom off of each rose hip, then cut in half, remove the seeds, julienne ¼ inch and reserve.
Shred the apples through the grating attachment on a food processor or similar, then combine with the hips, meyer lemon zest and juice, vinegar, sugar, bouquet and water.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook in a wide pan (I use a 10 inch brazier) slowly on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the pan is nearly dry, roughly 30 minutes.
Pack the mixture into ½ pint canning jars, then process for 10 minutes in a water bath, or transfer to labeled, dated containers and reserve refrigerated until needed. The jam will keep for 12 months, and probably longer. Refrigerate it after opening.
Notes
At the restaurant, this served as a way for me not only to preserve the hip harvest, but to stretch them, making sure I could have enough to run it for a while. Like I said, I make this with a minimal amount of sugar. If it's tart for you, add some more little by little until you enjoy it