Rose Hips Jelly as Year-end gift-giving tradition-Oseibo/Christmas gift!

I grown up as a Buddhist, but love Christmas gift-giving because it almost like Year-end gift-giving tradition in Japan to send seasonal gifts called Oseibo at the end of the year.
( also Ochugen in summer)
It's a gift for someone who has done something for you, like a teacher or a boss and other people to show appreciation, but I like Christmas gift-giving because I have a chance to give gifts to family and friends and anybody.

I have started make some gifts myself last five years.
Thinking about what I make every year is fun.
This year I decided to make wild Rose Hips jelly.
Since Eric and I have been harvesting wild rose hips in North Fork, California every Thanksgiving season. 


Eric is harvesting wild rose hips


It is a big bush of rose

I have been making Rose hip tea to enjoying it and offer at Seed Kitchen to purchase it.


Wild rose hips tea


One day I heard about rose hip jelly and jam so I got so curious and was wanting to make them last few years, but it take more rose hip to harvest to make it and challenging was takes time to make it.
Finally,  I was able to make time to make it successfully since we were able to harvest about 10 lbs wild rose hips.

10 lbs wild rose hips

Of course it had to be vegan macrobiotic rose hips jelly for me so I have created a recipes and came out very delicious. 
I love the taste of this jelly...mild sweetness and sourness make you feel so pleasantly balance  and when I taste it I sure feel the nature's kindness. 

I am very happy to be able to give this special seasonal gift as a Christmas gift this year to some of my friends.
I thank you so much for many people who are supporting me and what Eric and I do for Seed Kitchen. This is a token of appreciation!
People who are not able to taste my wild rose hips jelly I want to send you this recipes (the last part of this page) and photos to you to enjoy it and try it out for you to make it. Make sure let me know how it come out when you make it.


1. Wash wild rose hips


2. Cut all the steams


3. Start cook with water


4. Bring to boil


5. Cover and simmer for 1 ~ 3 hour


6. Mash them with a potato masher till puree


7. Strain them with fine mesh strainer

 
8. Put the all the liquid from strainer back into a pot



9. Add agar

 
10. Add  kuzu and



11. Add brown rice syrup


12. Put into a canning jar


13. Made sticker for special friends who will enjoy this special jelly


Pan fried Mochi


Pan fried Mochi and Wild Rose Hips Jelly



By the way, I spent so much time to making this wild rose hips jelly and I did not have much time to pick a gift for Eric this year and I think Eric was working so much time and he did not have much time to pick a gift for me either so... we did not know, but we gave each other the exact the same gift which was a massage gift certificate to each other LOL...we laugh so much!!!


Massage certificates as a Christmas gift for each other!

Rosehip Jelly Recipe for you

Ingredients

• 1 quarts rose hips (4 cups)
• 1 1/2 quarts water (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tea spoon agar
• 1 TBS kuzu
• 2 TBS brown rice syrup

about 3 cups liquid at the end.

• 6 8-ounce sterilized canning jars and fresh lids

Happy year end of 2013, have a good one everyone!