Have you ever wondered what are rose hips and how to eat rose hips? Then you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll look at exactly what is a rose hip and how to eat them with recipe ideas to try at home.
Related: Growing Roses for Hips: Grow Guide for Edible Rose Hips | Eating Nasturtium – Tips for Using Nasturtium In The Kitchen | Elderflower: What it Tastes Like and How To Use Them
Table of Contents
What are Rose Hips?
What do roses and apples have in common? Nothing? You’d be wrong. It turns out they’re both from the same family. That’s why rose hips look so much like a tiny crab apple.
Rose hips are the fruits produced by a flowering rose bush. These fruits are the seed pods of the plant. They come in many colors, depending on the variety of the rose. Usually, they’re a reddish-orange color.
Mostly, we prune or deadhead our roses to encourage more flowering. However, if you don’t prune at the end of the season, you’ll have rose hips. These are left on the tips of the stems after the flower and leaves have fallen.
Can You Eat Rose Hips?
Rose hips are beloved by many. Squirrels and rabbits love them. If you happen to live in an area with a bear population, you might find Mama Bear snacking in your rose garden.
So yes, rose hips are edible. So are rose petals. Rugosa roses are said to produce the prettiest, largest, and best-tasting rose hips. Rugosa roses are native to Eastern Asia, growing in the coastal regions and often in sandy areas. Even though they’re not native to North America, they can be grown here. They favor temperate climates, coastal areas, and sandy soils.
Rose hips have a tart taste. And they’re a great source of Vitamin C. There are many ways to eat rose hips. One of the most popular is tea. If you’re a beginner, brewing up a cup of rosehip tea will give you a good idea of the taste.
You can use ¼ cup of fresh rose hips to 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and steep for 10-15 mins. You’ll need to strain the pulp out before drinking. A coffee filter works great to remove all the tiny bits and seeds.
On its own, the tea is a bit mouth-puckering. However, a drop of honey and a mint leaf or two will pair perfectly.
Are Wild Rose Hips Edible?
Foraging wild rose hips is a popular activity! Humans have been foraging and consuming rose hips for centuries.
With more vitamin C than an orange, rose hip tea was historically drunk during cold and flu season. It was also used to prevent and treat scurvy.
If you’re going foraging, don’t forget the leather gloves and long pants. Wild or not, rose shrubs come with thorns.
If you enjoy the tartness of rose hip, the best time to harvest is early fall, before the first frost. However, if you gather them just after the first frost, you’ll find a sweeter fruit. That brief cold snap increases the sugar content, leading to a slightly sweeter fruit.
Before you set out on your first foraging trip, you can find dried rose hip here or in the tea section of most grocery stores. You can brew a cup to see if the taste is to your liking.
Are Rose Hips Edible Raw
If you want to eat a rose hip raw, it’s much like eating a berry. It would be best to take care not to eat the tiny hairs inside, where the seeds are found. These tiny hairs will irritate the linings of your digestive system. It can cause some serious distress!
You should also be careful when handling those tiny hairs and seeds. Pranksters across the world have been known to dry and grind these hairy seeds. They make a wonderfully itchy itching powder. Medical scientists use these techniques when testing anti-itch medications’ efficiency and creams, so watch out!
When Are Rose Hips Ripe?
Rose hips will ripen in the early fall after the flowers and leaves have fallen. Even before the leaves fall, you’ll be able to see the tiny berries.
If you have any shriveled or super-soft berries, leave them for mama bear. The birds and other animals will still enjoy them, but you likely won’t.
You should make sure to harvest your rose hips before the first hard frost. A light frost won’t hurt them. In fact, a light frost will enhance the sweetness of the berry. The hard frost, on the other hand, will make them inedible.
How Do You Prepare Rose Hips for Eating?
To prepare your rose hips for use, you first need to clean and process them. You should never eat any rose hips that have been harvested from a garden that has had any pesticides or other chemicals applied.
That’s true for all the food you grow. Whatever you put in your garden will end up in your food. Natural and organic solutions for your garden will protect the health of your plants, soil, and the animals who visit your vegetable patch. And you. Organic gardening is better for your health, too.
To process your hips, first, start by trimming the stem and blossom ends. Rinse with cool running water, drain, and pat try. This first step removes any garden debris left on the berries.
If you’re making a tea or jelly using whole rose hips, you’re done and ready to use your rose hips.
However, for most uses, you’ll need to remove those tiny hairy seeds. Start by splitting the rose hip in half. It will help to keep a firm two-finger grip on the berry. They’re small and prone to moving around.
From there, you can scoop the center bit out and discard it. Give them another rinse in cool running water and pat dry.
How to Eat Rose Hips
After you’ve finished cleaning and processing your rose hips, they’re ready to eat! Toss them in your mouth and chomp away.
To extract the juice, add the processed rose hips to a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for 15 mins, cool, and strain with cheesecloth or coffee filter. One pound of hips will yield 2 cups of juice. The juice can then be used in many recipes for sauces, soups, jellies, and even soda!
Cockta is a fruity carbonated soft drink, and the main ingredient is rose hip! It’s the national beverage of Slovenia!
Recipes using Rose Hips
As we have seen, rose hips can be eaten in many different ways. So here are some recipes to try using rose hips.
- Rose Hip Jelly
- Rose Hip Jam
- Traditional Alaskan Rose Hip Simple Syrup
- Fermented Rosehip Soda
- Rosehip Soup
Conclusion
So there you have it, the wonderful world of eating rose hips. I hope you’ve been inspired to grow your own rose hips and use them in the kitchen to make a tasty rosehip tea or delicious rosehip jam.
Some of My Favorite Kitchen Items:
Further Reading:
- Lychee Fruit: What is a Lychee and How to Eat One
- Eating Hops And Uses Beyond Beer
- Pomelo Fruit: What is a Pomelo and How to Eat One
- Eating Yacon With Recipe Ideas
- Put an End to Small Gooseberries – 8 Causes and Solutions
- Tips For Eating Dandelion Greens, Flowers, and Roots
- Eating Purslane the Edible Weed (with Recipe Ideas)
- Kaffir Lime Fruit Uses In The Kitchen And Home
