These are actually a lot easier to make than one would suppose and use only three ingredients, four if you count patience. Rosebuds. Sugar. Water. That's it! Simple!
You want to pick really tiny rose buds. You want them to still be pretty tightly closed . . . these ones work the best. Loose petals would fall off when you are crystallising them, which isn't exactly what we are looking for here. We want buds.
We don't use any pesticides on our flowers, so they are pure and organic. It is really important to use pesticide free rosebuds. You will want to wash them in cool water and then just shake them out gently in a colander. This will get rid of any insects that you might have inadvertently brought in with your flowers.
Gently, gently keeps them from bruising. We don't want that. Then you clip off the stems with a pair of kitchen scissors. I clip them off right below that little ball at the base of the bud, just so you know.
Cook, stirring gently and constantly until the sugar syrup comes to the soft ball stage, at which a small amount of it will form a soft ball when dropped into cold water. That is a ball that is soft and malleable, not hard or brittle. I use a candy thermometer myself, which gives me a precise result. The temperature you are looking for is in the recipe below.
Once that happens, you just take them off the heat and keep stirring gently. Eventually, and it really doesn't take too long, you will see the sugar starting to crystallise and clump. It gets rather opaque as well. That's when you know the hard work is done. Just pop them into a wire sieve and gently shake them over a piece of newspaper or summat you can just throw away. This helps to get rid of any excess sugar. You might find some have clumped together and now is your chance to gently break them apart. Let them air dry after that and then store in a cool dark place in a glass jar with a lid! Voila!! You have some beautiful Crystallised Rose Buds.
*Crystallised Rosebuds*
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
You can vary this recipe according to the number of rosebuds you have. Just make sure you pick the tiniest ones you can find, and that they are pesticide free.
600g tiny rose buds (4 cups)
380g granulated sugar (2 cups)
240ml hot water (1 cup)
Pick your rosebuds. Wash them carefully, being as gentle as you can.
De-stem them (I cut them off just beneath the bulb) and then carefully shake them dry.
Place the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat along with the hot water. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the rosebuds.
Cook over medium heat, stirring gently constantly, until the sugar syrup reaches the soft-ball stage. (118*C/235*F) (The sugar syrup should form a soft ball if a small amount is dropped into cold water.)
Remove from the heat and continue to stir gently, stirring until the syrup resembles the texture of coarse meal.
Put into a wire mesh colander and gently shake off any excess sugar.
Cool completely and then put the rosebuds into a jar and seal.
Store in a cool, dry and dark place
You might think these would smell really rose-like, but they don't. They just smell like a garden . . . green and foresty. I can't wait to use them as a decoration for cakes or cupcakes. Ohh, they would be lovely on sugar cubes, and then when your guests put one into their tea, the sugar would all melt off and they would be surprised with one perfect rosebud in their cup! Magic! Bon Appetit!
PS - Have you checked out the cost of buying crystallised flowers? I did and they are astronomical! The ones I made literally cost me pennies and there are no preservatives at all.
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