Rosella Jam
To prepare the fruit for jam making first soak it for a few minutes in a sink full of cold water and then drain. Then separate the red calyx (the fleshy cover surrounding the seedpod) from the seedpod. An easy way to do this is using an apple corer pushed hard against the base of the calyx; the calyx will then separate from the seedpod. Put the red calyx into a bowl and the seedpods into a saucepan. Cover the seedpods with water and simmer for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent in appearance. Strain the seedpods through a sieve and dispose of the seedpods, reserving the liquid. This process extracts pectin from the seedpods to help the jam set. Then pour the liquid back into a large saucepan, add the red calyx and simmer gently until they are very soft. Then measure this fruit pulp and add cup for cup of sugar to fruit (or for larger amounts, 1 litre of fruit pulp = 1 kilo of sugar). Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and then bring to the boil. The jam will froth high in the saucepan and so needs to be no more than half full before you start it boiling. Test for setting by putting a saucer in the freezer to chill, then put a teaspoonful of jam on the saucer, wait for it to cool slightly and then push the top of it with your finger. If it crinkles it is cooked. Another sign that it is setting to watch for is when the jam stops frothing and settles down to a hard boil. As the jam reaches setting point it is also most likely to stick and burn so pay close attention and stir often. Remember that the setting of a jam is a chemical reaction between the fruit acid, the sugar and the pectin, not an evaporative process. Jams set as they cool, if over-cooked the setting point may be passed and instead a thick syrup rather than a gel is formed. Bottle the jam into clean hot jars and seal immediately.
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Rosella Cordial
Harvest a large quantity of rosellas, to fill your biggest stainless steel saucepan about two-thirds full. Wash well. Cover the fruit, seeds and all, with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until soft, and the red colour has faded from the calyx. Strain through a sieve, throw away the fruit and measure the liquid. Add the liquid back to the saucepan and add a cup of sugar to every cup of liquid (1 litre of juice = 1 kilo of sugar). Heat gently until all the sugar is dissolved, stirring often. Once the sugar is dissolved bring to the boil for one minute. Take off the heat; add the strained juice of lemons (depending on availability and to taste, I would add up to 10 lemons to 3 litres of cordial) then stir in 2 tablespoons of citric acid. Bring back very briefly to the boil. Bottle into clean, dry bottles and seal while still hot. This keeps at least for a year.
Herb Tea
The dried red calyx is used for tea and it is an important ingredient in the commercial Red Zinger, Hibiscus and Fruit teas. The tea is very similar in flavour to rose hips and high in vitamin C. To make it, strip off the red calyx (the fleshy cover surrounding the seed pod) and dry it in a solar drier or a slow oven until crisp. Only two small pieces are needed per cup. Try mixing it with dried lemongrass or lemon verbena and dried organic orange peel for a wonderful herb tea that is also good chilled.
