Rose Hips, originally uploaded by Bates’ Photography.
A long forgotten fruit. Roses are now primarily used for the floral industry. But rose hips were once commonly used from jams to candies. They have one of the highest levels of Vitamin C among fruit. If you’re interested in exploring rose hips try growing some Rosa rugosa plants as they are the main species of rose that have been utilized for their hips. They have gorgeous shocking magenta single blooms as well.
Ah, yes…rose hips. They bring back memories. When I was a kid, I roamed around the hillsides around my house building shelters, making animals snares that never caught anything, and carving bows and arrows from eucalyptus and willow branches. I also collected rose hips from the wild rose bushes up on one of the hills. I'd read in "Tom Browns Field Guide to Wilderness Survival" about making rose hip tea, along with other novel ideas such as frying water-lily seeds like popcorn. The hips made a dark tea, which I remember as being somewhat bitter and marginally fruity–but most of all I remember I didn't much like it! For all my wilderness survival ambitions, I was still in the ten-year-old-who-doesn't-like-exotic-herbal-teas phase of life, so I don't think I gave it much chance. I'll have to try again to see if the late-twenties me appreciates it more… the same wild roses are still just a 15 minute walk away.
-Emmett
http://wisdomoftheradish.wordpress.com
oh I love my rugosa hips. I grew my plants from seeds, I have white and red and though I love the white flowers more, the red one has larger, more fleshy hips for me that ARE SO SWEET after they've frozen 🙂
I made jelly out of the hips that ripprened way before winter came and I tend to eat the ones that are ripe after the cold.