If you are looking for a simple, tasty way to get your daily dose of vitamin C, along with plenty of antioxidants, look no further than your rose bush! Rose hips’ benefits are plentiful—here’s how to grow, harvest, and enjoy them.
LoriAnn’s Green Blessing:
This article was reviewed by herbalist LoriAnn Bird. This is not to be used as personal medical advice; always consult your health care professional for individual concerns.
Here is what LoriAnn had to say:
Rosehips are sought after by birds, squirrels, rabbits, wild game, and bears! Considered a herb dietary supplement, rosehips are often fed to horses and dogs recuperating from illness or injury as they help to restore the immune system and aid tissue repair. Feeding rosehips as part of the daily diet is beneficial for preventing illness. Chickens LOVE rosehip seeds, and like wild birds, they don’t seem bothered by the hairs.
Rosehips are so loaded with nutrients! Like a superfood, they contain Vitamins A, B complex, C, E, K, and minerals including calcium, silica, iron, and phosphorous. Rosehips are particularly high in bioflavonoids which are rich antioxidants including rutin that help strengthen heart and blood vessels as well as prevent degeneration of tissue. The natural pectin found in rosehips is beneficial for gut health and removing toxins from the body.
What Are Rose Hips?
If you grow roses in your garden, you may get the added benefit of rose hips, a cool-cat fruit that packs a healthy punch!
Rose hips are the rose plant’s seedpod/fruit. Although most home gardeners don’t get many as we prune back our roses to encourage strong blooming. This year, decrease your pruning and see if you can encourage a crop of tasty, healthy rose hips to bloom!
Which Variety Should I Harvest?
The rugosa roses are typically harvested for the tastiest hips, but all roses will produce them in the late summer and fall if left alone by secateur-wielding gardeners.
What do Rose Hips Look Like?
Identifying these edibles is not too challenging. They look like an oblong cranberry or perhaps a miniature cherry tomato.
Rose hips are typically a vibrant reddish-orange. In some species, hips can even be dark purple or even black.
What do They Taste Like?
Rose hips are tart and reminiscent of a zesty crabapple in flavour, although not quite as tasty. They are, however, prized for their health benefits and are jam-packed with Vitamin C.
Did you know that the rose petals are edible, too? Yes, they are! Read more about Edible Flowers here.
Rose Hips Benefits
Now that you know what they taste like and what they are, let’s chat about why you may want to consume or use them. Here are some of the most important rose hip benefits
High Levels of Vitamin C
As mentioned above, rose hips are prized for their high concentration of vitamin C in particular. In fact, they contain 50% more Vitamin C than oranges!
Vitamin C is essential for our immune systems and can help our bodies stimulate white blood cell production.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
If you suffer from an autoimmune disease, adding these cherry buds to your daily consumption can help reduce pain. In fact, a study conducted showed that 65% of participants with osteoarthritis had a reduction in pain.
High in Antioxidants
While your body produces antioxidants on its own, changes in diet and increases in stress can leave your body out of whack. Antioxidants have been shown to help reduce the potential for chronic conditions in healthy people, meaning your risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease can be mitigated.
Other Benefits
Rose hips also strengthen capillaries, regulate blood circulation, and relieve teething problems in infants. Rose flowers also have a lot of healing benefits as well
Medicinal Uses
Rose hips have been historically used for many treatments. A few of these ailments include:
- arthritis
- heart disease
- diabetes
- menstrual cramping
- varicose veins
- bladder or urinary irritations
How to Grow Rose Hips
If you are growing hips in your own garden, do not use any chemical sprays or pesticides. Make sure that you grow natural, organic roses for edible purposes.
Do not prune or cut back roses after blooming. The hips are coming. Get ready! You will see them decorating your rose plants in autumn, and can start picking them fresh at any time.
Harvesting Tips
The best time to harvest Rosa rugosa is in the winter when they turn soft, particularly after the first frost. But if you live somewhere with lots of rain, the rosehips can get soggy. If you’re growing a Rosa canina, then it’s best to pick them when they are firm and bright in colour.
- Rose hips are ripe when they are bright red and soft to the touch.
- Harvest them with pruners to protect the shape of your rose plant. You can harvest rose plants heavily, and they will thank you for it.
- It’s best to prune them back in winter so that the new growth is delayed until spring.
- Remember, roses come with thorns, so protect yourself with rose gloves, long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, and closed-toe shoes.
- Place the rose hips in a colander and rinse with water, and they are ready for use!
LoriAnn, our herbalist mentor, also suggests abiding by the honourable harvest. Harvest only what you need in a way that doesn’t hurt the plant or the other wildlife that enjoys the rosehip.
Preparation Tips
When preparing the rosehips, the hairs can get everywhere. To prevent this, try cutting the rosehips and then placing them in water. This way, you can scoop out the seeds and the hairs so that the hairs are not flying around.
There are several different ways you can enjoy rose hips. Here are some of my favourites:
Make Tea
Perhaps the most popular usage of this edible is making tea. To make the rosehip tea, crush the hips with a pestle and mortar to help release the goodness. Then steep the rosehips in boiling water.
Jams and Jellies
You can also use rose hips to make preserves. It’s best to remove the seeds before you use them to make syrup, jams, and jellies. Wash, then trim off the two ends and slice them in half to remove the seeds.
Dry Them
While you will get the most rose hips benefits with fresh buds, you can also dry rose hips and keep them for use all year.
After harvesting, wash the rose hips and cut off the blossom end and stem. Set them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet to dry for a few weeks in a cool, dark place.
Or if you are in a hurry, add them to a food dehydrator until they are hard, wrinkly, and darker in colour.
Add dried rose hips directly into hot water for tea, or grind dried hips into a powder using a food processor. Dried deseeded rosehips can be made into a delicious jam or added to a variety of dishes, including soups, sauces, and desserts.
Add the dried rosehips to wet ingredients, or rehydrate them by mixing them with a little water so they are not hard in baked goods. You will be surprised to discover that powdered rosehips add depth and tartness to chili or black bean soup!
Crafting Projects
Not only are they good for you, but rose hips are also gorgeous! Check out this stunning Rose Hip Wreath as part of a round-up of Fabulous Fall Wreaths!
More Herbal Tips for Autumn
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
