Blog Archives

Foraging-Fun Recipe: Easy Rosehip Marmalade

12/28/2020

Rosehips are one of the stars of Winter Foraging here in Maine for sure. There are so many ways to enjoy them, from simply drying them for tea, to turning them into cordials & jellies, but Rosehip Marmalade is always at the top of the list in this house! In this post, I will share my super-easy, 4-Ingredient, Pectin-Free recipe & you can see for yourself why! All you need is sugar, 5 oranges, 1 lemon, & rosehips!

Rosehips, for those not familiar with them, are the fruit of the rose plant. Packed with Vitamin C & nutrients, rose hips are valuable commodities. Press them for oil to nourish & brighten the skin. Rosehips are traditionally used to support the immune system, ease arthritis pain, & provide antioxidants. I begin harvesting rosehips after the first frost each year for best flavor. Inevitably, as the birds, deer & other foragers take their share, the available numbers begin to dwindle, although if you are diligent & persistent, you can find usable hips all through the Winter. [as always, be very careful to only harvest from plants that have not been treated with pesticides.]

All roses & their hips are edible, with the smaller hips of wild brair-roses having the strongest flavor. The flavor of rosehips is wonderfully enhanced & complimented by citrus, making them ideal for use in marmalade. The cleaning & preparing of rosehips for use in jelly or marmalade is a labor of love, but worth the effort for the benefits & flavor they provide. I personally find marmalade best crafted with the hips of the gorgeous, wild beach roses [Rosa rugosa] covering the coast here in midcoast Maine. They make enormous, cherry-tomato sized hips, which are much easier to clean & prepare. Again, any rosehips can be used for this recipe; I simply prefer to use the jumbo hips of Rosa rugosa myself. Late December - January, when the Cara Cara oranges arrive & citrus season is in full-swing, is THE time to make this treat.

Wild Briar-Rose hips on the left VS. the enormous hips of the Beach Roses on the right!

0 Comments

Herbal Spotlight: Bergamot & My Earl Grey Cordial Recipe

12/14/2020

0 Comments

With its bright, uplifting notes of Bergamot, Earl Grey tea has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. Earl Grey is a tea blend which has been flavored with the addition of oil of Bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste, as well as much of its ‘bounce!’ Bergamot are yellow or green citrus fruit that have been used culinarily & medicinally for centuries. Essential oil of Bergamot, expressed from the peel, has the unique ability to be both calming & uplifting at the same time, & has traditionally been used to help with anxiety & stress.

Image By David Dewitt: thecozycoffee.com/english-breakfast-vs-earl-grey

Photo: extension.umd.edu

Side Note: Despite featuring a very similar scent & flavor, the herb known as Wild Bergamot [Monarda fistulosa] is completely unrelated & is actually part of the mint family -- although it was steeped as tea by colonists missing their Earl Grey here in New England during the Revolutionary War!

0 Comments

why & how: support small & local this season

12/1/2020

0 Comments

This Holiday Season is Make-Or-Break for many Small Businesses.

2020 has been quite the year, with most small businesses needing to re-work & evolve to try to survive. Reality is, this Holiday season is going to be 'Make-Or-Break' for too many shops in communities all over the nation. Here are ways you can help [some that don't cost a cent!] & WHY you should care.
Time for me to get up on my soapbox for a moment [see what I did there…] & preach! During these unprecedented times, it is crucial that we all exercise our power as buyers & work to save our nation’s small businesses. Let me break down just WHY, as well as ways HOW together we can do just that. Imma try & be brief, but you know me…..

0 Comments

Du Jardin Learning Center

Foraging-Fun Recipe: Easy Rosehip Marmalade

Herbal Spotlight: Bergamot & My Earl Grey Cordial Recipe

why & how: support small & local this season

Categories

Sign Up Here For Our Newsletter

Author

Archives

Sign Up For Our Newsletter: Recipes,
Special Offers, Product Tips

'Beautiful & responsible'

207-563-6256 Dujardin.me@gmail.com © Du Jardin 2019

Du Jardin Learning Center

Foraging-Fun Recipe: Easy Rosehip Marmalade

Herbal Spotlight: Bergamot & My Earl Grey Cordial Recipe

why & how: support small & local this season

Categories

Sign Up Here For Our Newsletter

Author

Archives

Sign Up For Our Newsletter: Recipes,Special Offers, Product Tips

'Beautiful & responsible'

207-563-6256 Dujardin.me@gmail.com © Du Jardin 2019

Sign Up For Our Newsletter: Recipes,
Special Offers, Product Tips