Laura Dean Bennett
Staff Writer
Roses are one of the plant kingdom’s greatest gifts.
They are the universal symbol of romance. But in addition to their unique beauty and intoxicating fragrance, they are also a source of nutrition and medicine.
To direct energy to future blooms, most of us gardeners usually deadhead our roses as soon as they bloom. And, at the end of the summer, we prune our rose bushes and pile up compost and leaves around them to get them ready for winter.
But by letting them go to seed, we can make use of their valuable seed pods, called rose hips.
Rose hips are like tiny crabapples – usually orange or red, but sometimes black or purple – and about a half inch in size. Depending on the type of rose and the location, rose hips typically ripen in late summer, early or late fall or early winter.
Rose hips are edible. In addition to humans, birds, squirrels, rabbits, bears and other animals enjoy eating them, too.
Rose hips have been used in herbal tea, natural health supplements and recipes for centuries.
They’re high in natural antioxidants and vitamins C, E, B, and contain carotenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols.
Studies show that rose hips contain higher concentrations of antioxidants than blueberries, black currants, hawthorn berry or chokeberry. Ounce for ounce, they have 10 to 40 times more vitamin C than oranges.
Rugosa roses or native shrub roses are thought to have the largest and the best-tasting rose hips, although all roses should bear rose hips.
Rose hips have a floral, slightly sweet and tart flavor. They are similar in tartness to citrus.
They can be used to make rose hip tea, jam and jelly and flavored vinegar. They can be added to sauces and seasonings and can be made into syrups and fruit leather.
Native Americans gathered rose hips for both medicine and food. They used them in making pemmican – the prototype of jerky.
Rose hips are safe to eat raw – be sure to remove the itch-producing hairs surrounding the seed first. They are most often dried and can be ground into a powder.
Of course, you must never use rose hips from roses which have been treated with pesticides or dusted with chemicals.
Look for hips that appear firm and have good color. Shriveled or dried up hips won’t taste as good, so leave them on the rose for the animals to enjoy.
When harvesting, wear leather gloves to protect your hands from thorns and clip them off the stem with scissors.
Wash them gently and trim off both the blossom and stem ends. You’ll need a sharp knife, as they can sometimes be tough to cut.
Gently pat them dry and snip them in half. Unless you’re making jelly, you’ll need to scoop out all the seeds (a small butter knife works great for this). Be sure to get all the seeds. They are covered by tiny hairs which can be very irritating if swallowed.
Set aside any mushy ones. They can make a nice addition to your bird feeder, but they won’t have a good flavor.
A final rinse under water in a colander to remove any leftover hairs and you’re ready to use them in any recipe which may call for fresh rose hips, like rose hip tea.
The easiest way to preserve them for future use is to dry them.
To dry rose hips, spread them on a baking sheet and dry them in the sun, or in an oven or dehydrator at about 100 degrees until the hips are brittle. When they are completely dry, store them in an airtight jar.
Some recipes may call for whole rose hips – just remember that whole rose hips will take longer to dry.
For use in tea, you can leave them whole to avoid the hassle with their hairs completely.
Rose hips can be cooked to extract the juice for jams and jellies. The juice can be strained and used immediately or frozen for up to a year.
How to Make Rose Hip Jelly
Rose hip jelly has an interesting sweet, but tart flavor.
When making jelly, rose hips are often mixed with other fruits, such as apples or cranberries.
Snip away the blossom remnants and stems and rinse in cool water.
Add the rose hips to a pan (do not use aluminum as it can leech vitamins), cover with water, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cool and strain through a cheesecloth into a container. One pound of rose hips equals about two cups of juice.
How to make Rose Hip Tea
The tea can be brewed from fresh or dried rose hip fruits. It has a floral flavor and a distinct tangy aftertaste. Some people have compared the taste to the flavor of hibiscus or green apple.
Just stir a few fresh hips into a cup of boiling water, strain and sweeten with sugar or honey, to taste.
Rose hips are high in vitamin C but much of it is lost when fresh hips are brewed which is why many people prefer to use powdered hips for tea.
For powdered rose hip tea, you add about a teaspoon of rose hip powder to 1 cup of boiling water.
If you want to try rose hip tea but don’t have your own rose garden, dried or powdered rose hips are available in health food stores and online.
Rose hips have long been used by ancient cultures to treat a variety of ailments. Native Americans used the tea to soothe sore throats and indigestion.
Because of their vitamin content – especially vitamin C – they are good for immune system support. They are used in rose hip oil, lip balm and salves.
Drinking rose hip tea, using rose hips in cooking and baking and on the skin in lotions and salves is generally considered safe.
However, as with all vitamins and supplements, one should always consult a doctor before taking rose hip supplements. That way, your doctor can check for side effects or interactions with your other medications.
They can have adverse effects on those with certain sensitivities and diseases.
For instance, taking regular doses of rose hip supplements may interfere with blood-thinning medicines (such as Coumadin) because the supplements have a higher vitamin C content. Rose hip may also interfere with certain blood tests.
Our roses give us so much. They add beauty and fragrance to our gardens and our homes.
What is prettier than an arrangement of roses on the table? And what fragrance is more magical?
Just a single stem in a vase makes a beautiful statement.
The fact that roses also give us food and medicine make them an even more valuable addition to the garden.
Even the petals of roses are edible. They are excellent in salads. And they make lovely cake decorations.
To paraphrase the famous bard, now is the time to gather ye rose hips while ye may.