Uses for rose hips

[heidih]

My new yard is full of lovely rose hips. The internet tips to harvest after the first frost do not apply here in sunny southern California. I cut one open and tasted the flesh- not much going on. Maybe, like quince, cooking makes a difference? I am interested in all of your actual experiences. Rose hip jam is a possibility, but I am trying to get the big picture.

[Blether]

In another thread I commented on a book that just arrived from Amazon, Marguerite Patten's "Basic Basics - Jams, preserves & chutneys".

She says that it was discovered that rose hips are high in vit C, and much use was made of them in the UK during WWII. Under 'fruit syrups' to be used for hot or cold drinks, or as a basis for / ingredient in jellies, ice creams, sorbets or other desserts, she gives a recipe for rose hip syrup. For myself I wonder how they might be worked to stand in for kewra - rose water, or its essence - in Indian or Middle-Eastern food; I'm sure as a syrup it'd work for example with almond kulfi the way that rosewater syrup does.

ETA: she also suggests preserving the syrup frozen.

Edited October 23, 2009 by Blether (log)

[Anna N]

....

She says that it was discovered that rose hips are high in vit C, and much use was made of them in the UK during WWII.

....

Yep! Still remember rosehip syrup every morning. It was a whole lot more palatable than cod liver oil.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I had some excellent homemade rosehip preserves some years ago in Poland, and have always wanted to try making them. Recently I was visiting my mother and she had enough large ripe rosehips to try, so what I did was cut off the ends and cut them into quarters. You may prefer them smaller, if you want a more spreadable preserve. They have a lot of little seeds, and removing them is a bit tedious. They're also quite hard, and take hours to cook. So what I did was just to keep them on a medium simmer until they were soft, adding more water as needed, and when they seemed soft, I added sugar to taste, continuing to cook them down until the liquid thickened. They have a lot of natural pectin, and shouldn't need more.

I thought I went too far and added a little more water at the end, thinking they would set up more in the fridge. This was a mistake. I should have left them as is. They could have also used more sugar than I originally thought, so I have a starting point for the next round.

[Kouign Aman]

cook em w the seeds in, and strain the seeds out before adding the sugar.

Like making blackberry jelly.

[Blether]

In her book "Under the Influence of Bright Sunbeams", China de Burnay gives an Elizabethan recipe for Rose Hip Tart, flavoured with honey, ginger and (a generous amount of) nutmeg. The seeded fruit is boiled for 12-15 minutes with the other ingredients (8oz prepared hips, half pint water) before baking in an enclosed shortcrust shell.

[Blether]

seeded fruit

- should read, 'halved, seeded fruit'.

[eatenmess]

i know of one old country pub that used them in a syrup. just a simple stock syrup but cooked slowly down. used it in various things. dressings, brushing cakes with it, drizzling a bit on top of terrines etc.

[Lilija]

They make for good tea, too, when dried. Red and tart, like hibiscus, only richer in flavor.

My Polish grandmother would make jam out of them, also, I don't know specifics, but it's much like David describes above. She also used to make jam out of the petals. I have one unopened jar of that left, she's been gone for 16 years. It's probably way far gone, but it comforts me to see it on the shelf. Is this off topic? Does anyone know of a rose petal jam recipe, since we're here talking about roses?

[David A. Goldfarb]

cook em w the seeds in, and strain the seeds out before adding the sugar.

Like making blackberry jelly.

A strained rosehip jelly would certainly be easier, but the preserves I had left the rosehips in quarters or thereabouts, so I was trying to reproduce that texture.

[Darienne]

Thinking about rose hips. At our Utah lodging, there is an amazing crop of rose hips every year and so far I have just looked at them in awe. Huge crop, gigantic rose hips. No one uses them at all.

Although we are not great jam/jelly consumers, I thought this year I might try to make rose hip jelly, freezer quality. I don't have the equipment there to do anything else. Then I'll give it away to friends no doubt...if it tastes reasonably good.

As for straining it, would glass sheers...which I use for straining, keeping fruit flies off, etc...work well enough? I've never opened a rose hip and don't know how large the seeds are. From reading the post in this topic, it seems that they would work. I used the sheers last week to strain wild grape jelly...

I will report back in a few weeks if I try this. Thanks for any information.

Just found this photo of one year's crop of rose hips in early October

Edited September 15, 2012 by Darienne (log)

[Darienne]

So here we are in the land of rosehips and my next question to the condo management is about what substances have been used on the roses this year. No answer yet.

What is the situation with this part of the rose? If the roses were sprayed with something slightly or muchly toxic, how much travels to the hip? How much stays in the hip? Considering that it is the 'seed'? part of the plant (I am not a gardener) would it not be full of said substance and thus unsafe to eat?

In the interim I wait to hear the official response and alll eG answers gratefully received.

[heidih]

I personally would not use any I was not sure of in terms of no chemicals. I have avoided some on one side of my property because the bozo neighbor uses a pest control service that sprays and the house sits right on the property line.

[Darienne]

I will wait until I hear the answer. Given that the roses look completely unprumed this year...some stalks being about 10 feet high...it may be that no one tended them at all. And they are not near any other green things. We live in hope...

Thanks, Heidi.

[janeer]

I love using rose hips. But I gather them from along the shore--wild. You could check with your local agricultural extension through closest university with ag department, but I am pretty sure pesticides penetrate the plant, and would be likely to concentrate in the hip. But if there are lots of bushes growing as hedges, they may not be sprayed at all. Meanwhile, if you get some usable hips, here is a recipe.

[Darienne]

End of my rose-hip hopes for this year. Although the roses were not tended properly, they were sprayed with Round-Up according to the owner. Case closed for now.

Thanks for all the replies.