Onalee's Home Grown Seeds & Plants

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Recipes for: Roselle Hibiscus, Rosella, Florida Cranberry, Australian Jam Fruit, Jamaican Sorrel

There are as many recipes for preparing the calyces of the Roselle Hibiscus as there are people that prepare them, but here are some basics and some links to other sites with more ideas.

First, the calyces should be harvested when they are easy to snap off the bush (they are about the size of a quarter or slightly larger around the base), this is about 10 -15 days after the bloom fades.  If you have to cut them off with clippers, you've waited too long.  This really just takes trial and error and you can still use the older ones.  From my experience, the older they get the less pectin they have in them and they get more tart (which isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on your taste).  

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After harvesting them, I remove the green seed pod from the bottom by cutting along the base of the calyx and splitting the side and pulling the whole green pod out.  In some recipes, they say that it's not necessary to remove the seed pods but if you're making jams or anything that leaves the fruit in the end product, you will need to remove the seed pod. 

After washing the calyces, you are ready to go!  Here are some recipes, adjust them to your taste (especially the sugar content), you can also make them stronger or weaker based on how many calyces you use and how long you cook them (longer cooking = stronger Rosella flavor). 

Good luck and have fun!

Tea:

For a Quart of Iced Rosella Tea:

  • Place 16-18 calyces (seeds removed) in saucepan with 1 pint of water, bring to a boil.
  • Boil for about 3 minutes until the water turns dark red
  • Turn heat off and allow to set for an additional 3 minutes
  • Pour into a quart jar, straining the calyces out
  • Add sugar to taste (about 3-4 teaspoons) and stir until sugar dissolves
  • Add Ice Cubes until jar is 3/4 full
  • Check for flavor, if too strong, add more water and/or sugar

For a cup of Hot Herbal Rosella Tea:
  • Place 5-6 calyces (seeds removed) in saucepan with 1 cup of water, bring to a boil.
  • Boil for about 3 minutes until the water turns dark red
  • Turn heat off and allow to set for an additional 3 minutes
  • Pour into a cup, straining the calyces out
  • Add sugar to taste and stir until sugar dissolves
  • Check for flavor, if too strong, add more water and/or sugar

Alternative for Hot Herbal Rosella Tea:
  • Place 5-6 calyces (seeds removed) in a mug or coffee cup
  • In saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
  • Pour boiling water into cup over calyces and allow to set for 3 minutes
  • Add sugar to taste and stir until sugar dissolves
  • Check for flavor, if too strong, add more water and/or sugar

 

Jam:

  • Prepare the fruit for jam making first soak it for a few minutes in a sink full of cold water and then drain.
  • Separate the red calyx (the fleshy red 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.
  • Pour the liquid back into a large saucepan, add the red calyx and simmer gently until they are very soft.
  • Measure this fruit pulp and add cup for cup of sugar to fruit.
  • Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and then bring to a 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 an empty 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.

 

Other links:

Here are some other sites with recipes for Rosella - keep in mind that SOME sites may be referencing DRIED Rosella calyces and you will have to adjust the weight/amount you use if you're using FRESH calyces.  Also keep in mind that some sites call the calyces FLOWERS or "flor de Jamaica", these are not the flowers, but the calyces, they are referring to.

Roselle Jam and Jelly from the University of Northern Texas

Rosella Jam

Hibiscus Sabdariffa Recipes

Agua de Jamaica

If you have a WONDERFUL recipe for the Rosella that you've used with success and would like to share it with everyone, email it to me, I'll be glad to post it!