Trim all the rose petals at the
base to remove the white tips.
Place the petals, water and about
one eighth of the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 5
minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave to
stand overnight for the rose fragrance to infuse.
Strain the flowers from the syrup,
and put the syrup in a preserving pan or suitable saucepan.
Add the grape juices and pectin.
Boil hard for 1 minute.
Add the rest of the sugar and stir
well.
Boil the mixture hard for 1 minute
more.
Remove from the heat.
Test for setting - it should make
a soft jelly, not a thick jam.
Do this by placing a tsp of the
hot mixture on a saucer.
Leave it to cool; the surface
should wrinkle when pushed with a finger.
If it is still runny, return the
pan to the heat and continue boiling and testing until the jelly
sets.
Finally add the rosewater.
Ladle the jelly into sterilized
glass jars and seal with waxed paper circles and cellophane lids
secured with rubber bands.
Decorate the tops of the jars with
circles of fabric held in place with lengths of ribbon.
This subtle jelly is ideal for polite
afternoon teas with thinly sliced pieces of bread and butter - it adds a
real summer afternoon flavor to the bread.
