I recently noticed some rose bushes loaded with rose hips. Most people think of rose flowers as adding beauty to the summer months. But the rose hips add interesting color to the fall and winter landscape. Seeing all those rose hips made me think that it is time to brew up a batch of rose hip tea.
Most everyone is familiar with roses and their bright red fruits commonly referred to as rose hips. And although most rose hips are red, a few species produce hips with a distinctive orangish color. As you might expect they are eaten by a wide range of animals including birds such as waxwings, thrushes, and grouse.
Rose hips are quite nutritious, being high in vitamin C and antioxidants. The taste has been described as having a taste somewhere between that of plums, tart apples, and rose petals. Euell Gibbons had a whole chapter on how to eat a rose in his book Stalking the Healthful Herbs. Although I suspect most people are not aware of it, rose hips may be used to make a variety of edible items, including pie, jam, jelly, marmalade, syrup, soup, and tea. A rose hip cordial and even ketchup are also possibilities.
It is not too late in the season to collect some rose hips and make some of these items. I have enjoyed making rose hip tea by simply placing a bunch of cleaned and rinsed rose hips in enough water to cover, bringing it to a boil, and letting the hips steep a while. It makes an interesting tea, particularly if you add a stick of cinnamon to a cup of the tea. If you are interested in taking an easier route and purchasing some rose hip products, a quick check of the internet revealed a variety of rose hip products for sale including raw rose hips, rose hip seed oil, rose hip powder., and rose hip herbal supplement
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