Where in Canberra or Townsville could I buy rosella jam?

June 26, 2018 8:01 AM

I have an expat Australian craving for rosella jam. I will be in Australia shortly and would like to buy some. Can anyone suggest where I can actually walk into a store and buy it over the counter? (Not at the moment interested in buying on line.)

"Rosella jam" means jam made from the calyces of the plant Hibiscus sabdariffa (also called Jamaica sorrel). Nothing to do with the bird of the same name. My mum used to make it as a child and I haven't had any for a long while. Lots of vendors on line but no-one seems to be selling it in bricks and mortar. Preferred locations: Townsville and Canberra.

While we are about it, for extra credit: any other "bush tucker" jams, such as Davidson's plum?

posted by Logophiliac to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Response by poster: Sorry, won't thread-sit but it just occurred to me that there is or was a brand of jam in Oz called Rosella. That's not it.
posted by Logophiliac at 8:04 AM on June 26, 2018

They used to have it in Canberra at the Belconnen markets. There's a little deli/speciality food shop there (facing onto the carpark at the front) that has a lot of bush foods/Australian specialities.

I bought it there in the past but it could have been up to 10 years ago. Maybe someone local can confirm they still have it.
posted by lollusc at 11:48 AM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Looking on Google Maps, I think the particular shop was "Foodlovers". You could call and ask them.
posted by lollusc at 12:02 PM on June 26, 2018

My local Oxfam stocks native fruit jams, I presume the one in Canberra would also.
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 2:31 AM on June 27, 2018

I'm sure I've seen it recently at the Belconnen markets. Deli Cravings and Foodlovers are pretty good for that sort of thing.

The Essential Ingredient in Kingston is also worth a try.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 7:04 PM on June 27, 2018

Best answer: Update: I had a look at Belconnen markets and Foodlovers definitely have it.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 11:09 PM on June 29, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks all. Off to Belconnen Markets when I’m in Canberra.
posted by Logophiliac at 8:22 PM on July 1, 2018

Response by poster: Update: as of this morning Foodlovers doesn’t have it. Rosellas are hard to come by in Oz at the moment. But the nice lady there phoned around, tracked some down, and if they actually arrive tomorrow will make some jam for me. I warned her I leave Canberra on Friday ...
posted by Logophiliac at 5:14 PM on August 7, 2018

Response by poster: Further update: success! Nancy (the nice lady at Foodlovers) got the rosellas and made the jam, and I now own a jar of it. A friend of my son’s whom I met in the pub yesterday expressed great interest in buying a stack of it so I don’t see the remainder staying on the shelf too long. Duck: thanks for the tip.
posted by Logophiliac at 12:30 AM on August 9, 2018

Excellent! Glad they came through.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:24 PM on August 10, 2018