A Rose is a Rose - unless its Jelly!

Now that I have finished whining about things - lets do something fun!  With Valentines day coming right up it is always nice to have a gift to make that is easy, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and isn't an overdone candy gift!  Not that I don't like candy but sometimes you need something that is not an overly romantic gift as well - Rose Petal Jelly fits that bill perfectly!  Not only is it my 13 year olds favorite jelly, it is really fast and easy to make!

Below picture is Rose de Rescht, a lovely fragrant shrub rose that I got about 3 years ago from Richters Herbs in Canada.  www.richtersherbs.com  This rose is a perfect choice for rose petal jelly, and it dries very well for this use.  I have also used Rosa Rugosa, and the white petals of Rosa Alba Semi-Plenins, even wild roses.  The red and pink fragrant roses work best for this as they add beautiful color to your jelly.  The white petals work well for flavor but the color is much lighter. Any of these will also work wonderfully for potpourri!







Harvest the rose petals just before the rose has gone by.  You can also cut the roses and harvest them as they fall on your table!  Dry as you would any flower or herb, making sure you get them dry, dry, dry!  If there is any moisture in them, they will mold and you will not be able to use them for anything.  I store mine in a jar with a gasket and locking lid (see below).  You can use fresh petals for the jelly also if you are making the jelly in summer season.  If you don't have any dried petals you can get them at your local health food/herb store.  Make sure you get food grade petals that have not been treated with any chemical fragrances.  The petals in this jar are mostly Rosa Alba Semi Plenins (a white rose also from Richters).  You can see below that the petals are a mix of red and white petals - but all are very fragrant.

ROSE PETAL JELLY

3 1/2 C. water (Apple juice works great as well)

1 Cup fresh fragrant rose petals or 1/3 C. food grade dried rose petals (red or pink ones work best for good color)

2 whole cinnamon stick and/or cloves (optional - just not at my house)

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (preferably fresh)

1 box (1 3/4 oz) powdered pectin

4 C. Sugar

Bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan and stir in the rose petals and the clove/cinnamon if you are using them. Remove from heat and let steep for about 10 minutes as if you were making tea.

Strain the tea into a deep kettle, discarding the solids.  Stir in the lemon juice and pectin and continue stirring until the pectin is dissolved.

Bring the mixture back to a hard boil and add the sugar.  When it once again returns to a hard boil, time for two full minutes stirring constantly.  Skim off any foam and put hot product into hot jars and seal using a hot water bath or the quick flip method.

Total time is about 1 1/2 hours and it makes about 7 half-pint jars.  I have not tried to double this recipe so I make no promises as to how that will go.

I like to use the small half-pint jars for this as it makes for a nice sized gift.  Add a ribbon, some hearts, a fabric ring, or just a fancy label to the jar and you have a wonderful, tasty, Valentines gift, for girls or boys!  Have fun and have a happy Valentines Day!

After making this recipe again using liquid pectin - it DOES NOT WORK!  You must use powdered pectin!  Don't know why - the liquid just does not jell! 



Its Always Something!

We are having a character building year here at Wicked Raven!  Our weather has been so wonky this winter that I am unsure what I will have left come summer!  I wrote in an earlier blog about the rain in January and I also wrote about waiting for results in another (I probably need some cheese with my whine lately) but now we had the week from h e  double hockey sticks - actually two weeks of utter chaos and craziness!

Reed (the 13 year old) had a freak fall in the locker room and broke his elbow.  This is a kid who falls on ice on a regular basis and gets hit by other big guys on the ice at high speeds and has never had anything broken that way.  But fall in the locker rom with no gear on and he shatters his elbow! (after surgery the doc showed us the x-rays and it was in pieces)!  As we were heading to the hospital for the surgery to fix the elbow the wind was blowing so hard that it was picking up pea gravel sized rocks and hurling them like hail stones against the windshield of the car!  We haven't had any snow and the whole cage/wire/mulch system that I had on the grapes vines is gone!  I will have to go out and formulate something else and see if I can save them. The wind is still blowing here (started up in the middle of the night again).

Alaska doesn't name its storms like the lower 48 does.  If the wind blows - even 73 miles per hour(which it did) - it still is just called Wind!  So actually every storm we have ever had has just been named after what it produced the most of - Snow, Rain, Wind Sleet!  We never get a cool hurricane name for them.  We have been having facebook discussions about how we should all get together and name the storms!

Sleeping overnight in the hospital was hard because the wind could be heard through the windows and it was a little chilly and it really is true that they wake you up all the time to "help" you.  The wind picked up sand from a hillside nearby the hospital and blew it right across the roof into the windows of the room!  That is a spooky sound when you are hearing all kids of noise you aren't used to.  And Reed really struggled to get comfortable no matter how we adjusted the bed.  As hospital experiences go we had a wonderful one - I cant complain about any of the treatment or service we got - just that we had to be there in the first place!

So not only did we do some more waiting for results this last week - we had more Wonky Weather!  And as we get closer to spring we will do more waiting for results as we await the new growth or lack thereof on the farm!  Ill keep you posted, in the meantime... I hope your waiting is only for good things, and that your weather is all sunshine to make roses!

Update on 24 at 13 for the rec center post

Since last year when Reed had his birthday and did the "give 24 for the Rec Center" fund raiser there have been a ton of changes!  Phase IIa is complete and we now have heated bathrooms, storage, locker rooms, nurse station and referee rooms as well as a conference room and concessions area!  It really has been amazing!

Here is a shot of the front of the new addition to the Rec Center.  Beautiful. 

We have a lot of folks to thank for the additions including the Rasmusen Foundation who have given the last monies we need to complete phase II.  It will include a commercial kitchen, café style viewing area above the rink and meeting areas.  The photo above was taken by a graduate of Houston High School (our local school) - Thank you Robert!  Great job! 

 

Here is an indoor soccer practice at the Rec Center!  Giving great kids great things to do!

The Big Lake Lions Club Rec Center has been such a blessing to the community and continues to build great community as they build and grow the Rec Center! 

To find out more about the Rec Center go to www.biglakereccenter.com or to the Big Lake Lions Rec Center Face Book page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Lake-Lions-Recreation-Center/160418647401461

If you are ever in our area of Alaska make sure you stop in and say hi!  If you get a chance to thank your local Lions Club (or ours) please do so - they make such a difference!  Don't forget to get out and see what's happening at your local Rec or Community Center!  You'll find great things!

Amazing Amaryllis!

One of the most fantastic plants I have here at Wicked Raven is the Amaryllis!  One bulb I got three years ago from my folks as a "stocking stuffer" and one I got this year from my mother in law.  Both have bloomed at the same time!  They are beautiful!

 

 

This is the older plant and it has bloomed about twice a year.  Amaryllis like loose soil and not to have wet feet.  Make sure they have good drainage!

 

This is the newer one in a smaller pot and still blooming just beautifully!  This one was actually growing inside the box and seemed a little pale and sad but it perked right up when it got in the soil and light.  They don't seem to notice the lack of light (Alaska only has about 5 hours right now) as much as they mind being over watered.  About a month after the blooms have gone by the leaves start to die and come off.  Then the bulb goes dormant for a bit to recover.  Continue to water it as usual and when it is ready it will come right back out.  It WILL look like it is dead while it is resting.

 

Plant the bulb so that the "neck" sticks out of the soil about 3 inches and then just water and shine on - the bulb will do the rest!  I do use worm juice on the plants once a year and the one in the bigger pot has been transplanted once in the three years I have had it.  They don't mind being pot bound as long as its not long term.

 

You can often find these bulbs at the discount rack in the plant aisle in their boxes.  Don't worry if they are growing a bit when you get them - they will do just fine.  Fill your house with after Christmas joy and get yourself some Amayrillis!