rover all over: Rosella Jam, step by step in pictures

I made another batch of rosella jam this morning and it was So Successful that I decided to post up a step by step guide.

There are rosellas, the bird, and rosellas, the fruit. Don't try this with the birds. it wouldn't work.

You will need: rosella pods, sugar, green apple and a lemon.

First, grow your rosellas. They are a kind of hibiscus and they are ready to use when the flowers have finished and the red seed pods have formed, each with a little green seed capsule inside. Don't leave it too long or the red calyxes dry out and the seed capsules inside go brown and pop out seeds.

The bush only lasts a year. Leave some pods on the bush to mature for next year's crop.

Cut each pod from the stem at the base. Wearing matching nail polish is not compulsory. Mine are left over from my daughter's wedding a couple of weeks ago.

The colour is beautiful. The pods should be crisp and fleshy.

To prepare, separate the red calyx from the green interior immature seed capsule.

This only takes a couple of seconds, with an apple corer.

Put the red calyxes in a big pot.

And put the green seed capsules in a saucepan.

Cover the green capsules with water and boil them up for 10 to 15 minutes. They are full of pectin that will make the jam set easily. When they are transparent and soft, drain off and save the liquid and throw the seeds away.

Meanwhile, add a peeled and chopped green apple to the fruit. Also, the juice of one lemon or two limes. The apple and citrus add more pectin and also improve the flavour and texture of the jam.

Then add the reserved liquid from boiling up the seeds. There should be about a cup or two. Bring all this gently to a simmer, then cook with a lid on until the fruit is soft - about 10 to 15 minutes should be enough. Cool. Measure how many litres of mixture you have, and add the equivalent number of kilos of sugar. The picture below shows 2 litres of cooked fruit mix, plus 2 kilos of sugar.

Stir until every bit of sugar is dissolved, then bring it to a rolling boil. Once boiling, turn it down enough that it is boiling but not frothing up over the sides of the pan. Keep stirring it often so it doesn't catch or boil over.

A scum will form on top of your boiling jam, don't worry too much. This is just bubbles. It usually takes 15 to 30 minutes for set point to be reached. More on that later.

Put a few little saucers in the fridge or freezer to get them cold, this will help you judge whether your jam is set as the jam cools quickly on a cold surface.

Meanwhile, prepare your jars. Sterile jars are crucial to having jam that keeps in the cupboard without going mouldy. The jars should have been washed very carefully earlier- dishwasher preferably - and stored with their lids on so as to keep bacteria out. Now, take the lids off and put them in a container covered with water to which a little bleach has been added, in order to sterilize them. Put the jars in the oven at about 80 C to sterilize and also heat them so they don't crack when you pour in the boiling hot jam.

The jam will get to set point when it is hot enough and the pectin and sugar interact in a magical way. This is where the skill comes in, you have to judge if set point has been reached. Too soon and the jam will be runny. Too late and it will be rubbery, or worse, viscous like honey. There is a certain look to jam that is almost ready. It is glossy and concentrated looking.

Test for a set by dripping a little sample onto your cold saucer.

This isn't quite ready, it's still too runny and thin.

This is at set point. Its surface is wrinkling a little, it keeps the trace of a finger drawn through it, but its still moving. Perfect.

Another way to judge is from the run off from the wooden spoon. When it's ready, it will form into little jellied drips.

Take your jam off the heat and stir it until the surface bubbles go away. Let it cool just a little to distribute the fruit evenly, but not too long. You don't want bacteria falling in and you don't want it to set in the pot.