Fun in the Garden -
Roselle
From VegHeadz
Blog, Leon
County,
Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
by Janis
(How to Remove the Seed Capsule)
Roselle Calyx
A new addition to our perennial garden at the VegHeadz garden drew a
lot of interest at the Fall Festival and from our volunteer
gardeners. Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) or Jamaican Sorrell,
or Flor de Jamaica is a wild hibiscus grown in many tropical and
sub-tropical areas of the world.
We successfully grew it from seed we planted this Spring. We
will see if it is truly perennial in our area, or if we will need to
reseed it next Spring.
It is a beautiful plant with pale yellow flowers with a red area at the
base of each petal. The flowers yielded to beautiful deep red
calyxes which contain a seed capsule inside.
All parts of the plant are edible, and provide a tart refreshing taste
to salads and other dishes. The plant is grown for fiber from
the stems which is used in making burlap, and the calyxes are harvested
for use as food coloring and in teas, drinks, jams and
sauces. They can be used fresh or dried. The basic
ingredient in Red Zinger tea is dried Roselle.
Internet references are confusing as they often refer to hibiscus
flowers when it is actually the calyx that is being sold or used.
Roselle Flower
Before using the calyxes, you must remove the seed capsule.
It is hard to do this with out demolishing the petals of the calyx, but
with a simple tool this can be accomplished rather easily. We
found a foot long section of 1/2" copper tubing in the plumbing section
at Lowe's. It had the advantage of being closed on one end to
avoid injury while using it. You may want to wear gloves when
removing the seed capsules as the calyx will be slightly crushed and
stain your hands. It does wash off easily though.
Insert tool into the bottom of the calyx. We sharpened ours
just
a bit to make it easier to cut through
Twist and push the pipe through the layers at the bottom of the
calyx into the seed capsule and out through the top of the calyx
The seed capsule is not yet mature. To save seeds allow it
to mature and open on the plant
Calyxes ready for drying or use in teas, sauces, and drinks
A friend had given us a small jar of "Wild Hibiscus in Syrup," which is
in fact these very calyxes preserved in sugar syrup. We have
now made our own. See recipe below. Pour a little
of the syrup in the bottom of a wine glass and add one of the preserved
calyxes. Carefully add white wine or champagne much in the
manner of making Kir.
Delicious. Or use as a sauce
over ice cream or pound cake, or add to fruit salad. They can
be cooked and used like cranberry sauce and taste very
similar. Before cooking, wash the calyxes well to remove any
grit or other foreign matter.
The calyxes are rich in Vitamin C and other beneficial
compounds. We've enjoyed watching this beautiful plant
develop and yield its secrets. Thanks to Farnaz Khoshbakht
who was visiting in the garden for the photos.
Roselle
Calyxes Preserved in Syrup
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups whole Roselle calyxes (1 cup if chopped)
Heat the sugar and water until sugar is completely dissolved.
Add washed calyxes, bring to a boil, and then reduce to
simmer. Continue cooking until liquid is reduced by
one-third. Cool. Strain if you wish just syrup or
leave whole calyxes in the syrup to use in cocktails and
desserts. The syrup will remain fresh in the refrigerator for
up to a year.
The VegHeadz
Blog is hosted by Master Gardeners who volunteer at the
Demonstration Vegetable Garden at the UF/IFAS Extension Office in
Tallahassee, Florida. Our goal is to provide vegetable gardening
information appropriate to the north Florida area and to pass along
things we learn while gardening at the VegHeadz demonstration vegetable
garden located at the extension office on Paul Russell Road.
Back to
Hibiscus
Page
Roselle and Other
Edible Hibiscus Page
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