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Welcome, Rosehips Season! 

Date
Oct, 09, 2022

Welcome, Rosehips Season! 

By late fall, when nothing else is blooming and most other berries are long past harvest time, brilliant orange-red rose hips take center stage. 

Welcome, Rosehips Season! 

It’s officially rosehip season and the perfect time of year to forage the brightly colored hips for mash, powder, and purée. Each year, we pick lots of rosehips, dry them, and crush them into flour that I use to make rosehip soup and rosehip tea in winter (my kids’ favorite!).

Not only are rose hips delicious, but they’re also rich in vitamin C, putting them high on the list of fantastic immune boosters. Did you know that one cup of rose hips can contain as much vitamin C as 35-40 oranges?

Rosehips are also:

• packed with carotene, a potent immune system aid that works to keep viruses at bay

• known for their incredible anti-inflammatory properties

• rich in several different antioxidants!

• great when used topically as rosehip seed oil for smoother skin and smaller scars or stretch marks

I always dry rose hips for tea, which tastes delicious prepared hot or cold. To prepare, use a tablespoon of dried rosehips to about 2-3 dl of water. Bring to a boil in a pan and allow it to steep for a few minutes. Strain and sweeten if you like!

Side note: the seeds are full of fatty acids like omega-3, 6, and vitamin A, so when I make rosehip powder, I always leave the seeds. However, since they can be a bit scratchy, I remove them when making tea.

We also make rosehip soup, a traditional Swedish snack or treat. It’s served as a beverage or as a dessert with vanilla ice cream along with small almond biscuits. Packed with vitamin C, it’s a perfect snack for the kids. They love it, and it boosts their immune systems. Win-win!

All rose hips are edible; however, many rose bushes in gardens are sprayed with pesticides. Be sure to pick wild rose hips growing chemical-free and far away from a busy road. I recommend picking ripe, bright red-orange hips, and if you’re going to pick a lot, it might be a good idea to wear gloves. I like to use the larger varieties of rose hips because it takes a bit of hard work to remove the seeds for making tea or rose hip seed oil. 

Speaking of oil, I also love making rosehip oil. This beautifully nutritive oil is laden with omegas and vitamins A and C. It’s fabulous when used topically to reduce scarring and pigmentation, soften wrinkles, reduce inflammation, and increase hydration. Rosehip oil also soothes dry heals. I even use it to tame my curly hair when it feels dry. 

Rosehip Oil

·      ½ cup dried rose hips (with seeds)

·      1 ½ cups oil (You can use olive oil, jojoba oil, or almond oil)

·      Mason jar with lid

Place the dried rosehips in the jar and add the oil. If you have any leftover rosehip seeds from making tea, you can add them too, which makes the oil extra rich in the nutritional properties of the rosehip fruit and seeds. Screw the lid on and warm the jar of rosehip oil near a heater or in a sunny window for at least four hours, preferably longer. Stir the jar every few hours. You can also slowly heat it up in a water bath. Strain the oil before using. 

Here is our youtube video showing how to make reship oil:

Enjoy!

Our family enjoying foraging and eating from natures pantry and here you can read more about our foraging and what we forage for and how we use it.

Fredrika Syren

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