Roses are blooming everywhere around town including my garden. When we have this many roses all blooming at once I think of my friend Georgina’s rose petal jam. Every summer my friend Georgina will gift me a couple jars of her homemade rose petal jam made with rose petals from the spring flush of rose blooms. This jam is just out of this world delicious 😋. Our eldest daughter Sri absolutely loves, loves, loves, Georgina’s rose petal jam. Georgina has been dropping off a jar or two of her rose petal jelly every summer for almost 10 years now, and Sri just got hooked on it. As a routine every summer Sri would look in the refrigerator and ask me, “Mom, where is Georgina Aunty’s Rose Petal Jelly?”  As if it is a guarantee that it will be there in the summer time. Sri has been having this jam ever since she was in Middle School (she graduated college now). Georgina has been making her Rose Petal Jam for that many years.

Last year when Sri was home for the summer from college I got the same question, “Mom, where is Georgina Aunty’s Rose Petal Jelly?”  Lucky for Sri, I had saved a jar from the previous year, but we ran out of that jam pretty fast and I was thinking maybe it was time I learnt how to make it myself, and then as if Georgina read my mind we got a new batch of rose petal jelly all beautifully packaged.

Georgina’s rose jam is truly one special jam. It has a lovely pink color with a lovely rose fragrance.  Each year Georgina’s Rose Petal Jam is a different color. Some years the jam is a pale pink while other years the jam has been much darker. I was curious if she used food coloring for those dreamy colors and asked her once.  She informed me that using rose petals that have a vibrant color transfers beautifully into the jam. No food coloring in these jams — just all natural rose coloring 🌹 The color variation depends on which color rose petals Georgina used in her jam that year.  Pale pink rose petals make the rose jam a smoky mauve color, while darker roses make the jam a more intense pink in color. Last year’s rose petal jam was the most rich in color I have ever seen. It was a dark vibrant pink with hints of lavender.  Just gorgeous!

Georgina’s rose jam smells so much like freshly picked roses that I wondered if Georgina added any rose essence to make the jam more fragrant? Georgina said she thought about it but had a hard time finding pure rose essence, and decided instead to just let the natural rose fragrance come through. Pretty cool! When I opened the jam jar last time I got a whiff of this lovely rose scent and started looking around my kitchen to see which rose bouquet of mine had that rose fragrance, but it was coming from the jam. So strong was that rose fragrance. Georgina’s rose jam has the most intense rose fragrance just from the all-natural rose petals she uses. You know what? Her jam didn’t need the rose essence after all.  Very impressive!

We are coming up on summer and I know my daughter will be asking that question again “Mom, where is Georgina Aunty’s rose petal jam?”  I think this may be the year that I actually make this coveted rose jam myself.  He promised me a rose garden – Georgina’s Rose Petal Jam Recipe.  Give it a try !

Rose Petal Jam
recipe contributed by Georgina

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh rose petals (must not have been sprayed with any chemicals)
• 3/4 cup water
• juice of one lemon
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 package powder pectin
• 3/4 cups water

For complete instructions on how to make Georgina’s rose petal jam check out this link He promised me a rose garden – Georgina’s Rose Petal Jam Recipe.