Rowan/Mountain Ash
Rowan berries (Sorbus aucuparia) are safe to eat when cooked, and Rowan jelly is a traditional preserve in Northern and Central Europe. The berries are not safe raw in large amounts due to parasorbic acid, which can cause digestive upset — but cooking breaks this down into safe sorbic acid.
Possible Lookalikes – Are They Poisonous?
A few berries listed here but really these are hardly similar. Even so, it is definitely worth learning what they each look like.
Elderberries (red unripe) – can look similar at a distance. Elderberries are toxic raw but edible when cooked.
Holly berries – very toxic, but the leaf shape and berry arrangement are very different.
Woody nightshade berries – red and toxic, but no compound leaves and no clusters like rowan.
Pokeweed (USA) – purple-black berries, highly toxic.
Rowan is safe if you’ve correctly identified the tree: pinnate leaves, orange-red berries in clusters, tree form, and sometimes a slight mealy smell.
Rowan Jelly Recipe
Equipment
- jelly bag or muslin cloth
- cooking thermometer
Ingredients
Juice
- 1 kg Rowan berries de-stemmed, rinsed
- 1 kg crab apples cut in quarters; or cooking apples (cut in 8ths)
- 1.5 to 2 litres water
Optional for spiced version
- strip orange peel pith removed
- 1 to 2 cloves
Jelly
- 1 lemon optional, for extra pectin
- Sugar roughly 750 g per 1 L juice extracted
Instructions
Simmer fruit: Stove top
- Place rowan berries and chopped apples (cores/seeds included) in a large pan and cover with just enough water to cover the fruit
- If making a spiced version, add the orange peel and cloves
- Bring to boil, simmer 45–60 minutes until soft.
- Lightly mash to release more juice.
Or Slow cooker method
- Put the rowan berries and chopped crab apples into the slow cooker pot. If making the spiced version, also add the orange peel and cloves. Add water until just covered (about 1.5–2 litres total).
- Cook on low for 6–8 hours, or high for 3–4 hours, until fruit is soft. Lightly mash to release more of the juices.
Strain juice:
- Pour through a jelly bag or muslin and leave to strain into a bowl overnight.
- Don’t squeeze or the jelly will be cloudy.
Sterilise the jars
- https://www.thebakermans.com/sterilising-jars/
Measure and add sugar:
- Measure juice volume.
- Add 750 g sugar per litre of juice.
- Optional: add lemon juice if apples were low-pectin.
Boil:
- Bring to boil and cook until setting point (105°C or wrinkle test on cold saucer).
Jar it:
- Pour into sterilised jars and seal.
Notes
Pairing Rowan Jelly with Cheese
Rowan jelly is sharp, tart, and slightly bitter – ideal with:- Goat’s cheese (esp. aged chèvre or ash-rolled)
- Aged cheddar or Red Leicester
- Blue cheeses (Stilton, Roquefort)
- Comté or Gruyère
- Washed rind cheeses like Munster or Reblochon
- Game meats (venison, duck)
- Charcuterie boards
Why It Might Not Have Set
The fact that I have written this section, is because it happened to me.
Rowan berries can be low in pectin, especially if overripe or not combined with other fruit like crab apples.
Not enough sugar or insufficient boiling time can also be the cause.
How to Rescue It
Reboil with Pectin
Pour the unset jelly back into a clean pan.
For each 500ml (2 cups) of unset jelly:
Add: 1–2 tablespoons of lemon juice (boosts acidity and helps pectin set)
Bring to a rapid boil for 5–8 minutes, stirring regularly.
Do a set test:
Chill a saucer in the freezer, drop on a spoonful of jelly.
Wait 30 seconds. Push with your finger.
If it wrinkles, it’s ready. If not, boil a bit longer.
Re-pot into sterilised jars while hot and seal.