A day in the garden is fabulous for the soul, it’s peaceful and calming, allowing time for observation, contemplation and planning.
The weather at the moment is perfect spring weather, warm days and cool nights, although we really could do with a good rain, it has been a dry winter, and the soil is showing it. We have finished clearing and it’s now time to work on the soil, mulch and prepare for, what they are predicting will be, a hot, dry summer. The laundry bed is done,
and the citrus bed, needs just a little more work, water and mulch so that it will be easy to maintain.
From the citrus bed, I digressed a little and started to work on a rose on the border of the area. The rose was here when we arrived, and I think that it had been placed to, hopefully, one day, climb and cover the arbour that was in place – something that I continue to work on. I removed all of the dead wood that was within my reach, tied branches in, snaking and turning them, trying to make a good even covering where possible. It was a sunny, windy day, so thought better of getting the ladder out to work on the growth at the top of the arbour.
I’ve done a little reasearch and believe the rose to be a Bourbon rose. The Bourbon rose hybrid, according to the Historic Rose Society, originated “from a chance cross between a form of ‘Autumn Damask’ and the ‘Old Blush’ China rose” on the Île de Bourbon (now Réunion) in the Indian Ocean, around 1817. But that is far as I can go. The rose did not have a name tag, so it is unnamed in our garden.
As I worked at tidying and tying, this rose took me on a journey, this is the rose that I use to make my Rhubarb and Rose Petal Jam, a jam that features here on my blog;
Rhubarb & Rose Petal Jam served with Gluten Free Brioche
is a favourite of our beautiful daughter-in-law, Olivia;
Our beautiful dauther-in-law (actually bonus daughter), Olivia.
was one of the jams chosen to be made for the bonbonniere to thank the guests attending Chris, and Olivia’s wedding;
and, the jam which was made by Christopher and I, and packaged by he and his dad, for this purpose.
Being such a very special ingredient to our most recent life, this rose clearly deserves a name in our garden, but what? The Jam Rose? Bonbonniere? neither suited.
I have narrowed it down to just two names, it will either be known as Rhubarb and Rose Petal Jam, or The Colour of Jam…
“Rhubarb & Rose Petal Jam” or “The Colour of Jam”?
The colour of the blooms, and the heady, musky perfume alone is just delightful, but when you take the rose blooms into the kitchen and pair them with rhubarb that has been freshly harvested from the garden, the end result is just delicious.
I was wandering around the garden looking for new colour, when I started thinking about using the then abundance of rhubarb in the vegie patch, and pairing it up with some of the beautiful crimson roses covering one of the arbors as it was providing a lovely show with a very heady scent.
- 500 g rhubarb stalks only
- 500 g sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 cups of loosely packed rose petals preferably red and strongly perfumed
- Rose water to taste optional
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Wash the rhubarb and trim the ends before cutting it into 1 cm (1/2 inch) pieces.
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Rinse the rose petals in cold water and drain.
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Put the rhubarb into a medium, non-reactive pan, sprinkle over the sugar and drizzle with the lemon juice. Cover with the lid and place on a very low heat until the juices start running. Gradually increase the heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, and bring to the boil.
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Add the rose petals and stir to evenly distribute them throughout the rhubarb mixture. Boil rapidly, until the jam reaches setting point. Once setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat and skim off any scum and discard it.
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If the jam does not have a lovely strong rose flavour, add a little rose water to taste.
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Pour into warm sterilised jars, and seal. Once cooled, lable and store in a cool, dark place.
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Lable and store in a cool, dark place.
- Use freshly picked, unsprayed rose petals from the garden. Do not buy them from a florist, as it is likely that they have been sprayed with pesticides, etc.
- If using roses with large petals, it is best to remove the heel of the petal (the white bit at the bottom).
- Delicious on freshly baked brioche, with scones and cream, or paired with cream to fill a vanilla sponge.
The rhubarb patch is looking good, so yes, there will be Rhubarb and Rose Petal Jam this year!
The Rhubarb Patch
I think that I’m leaning toward “The Colour of Jam”
Until next time…
Love your family, enjoy your garden, and
Bon appétit!
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