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Harvest Rose Hips and Process Them into Jam or Tea

Whether freshly picked, as tea or jam – the bright red rose hips are real vitamin bombs. The fruits of wild roses from the garden can be processed into tea or jam.

Wild roses or dog roses are not particularly conspicuous all year round. But their fruits, the rose hips, pack a punch. Above all, they are full of vitamin C – but they also contain plenty of vitamins A and B. The small vitamin bombs now shine in autumn like bright red dabs of color between the yellowing leaves of the wild roses. Like strawberries, they belong to the group of nut fruits. When it gets cold, rose hips are an important food source for native birds.

Harvest only firm and mature rose hips

But rose hips are also valuable for us humans – and not just because they are so healthy. They also taste great. Good reasons to stock up on a small winter supply. When picking, it is very important to harvest only the firm fruit. Well colored but still hard, the rose hips contain the most vitamins. It should be dry and sunny when rose hips are harvested. There are several ways to process rose hips. Whether fresh, dried, or preserved – there is the right preparation variant for every taste.

Halve the hips, clean and eat raw

If you want to eat the rose hips raw, you should remove the stalk and calyx. The small seeds from the red fruits have to come out – also the fine hairs surrounding them. The inside, also popularly known as itching powder, is unsuitable for consumption. Once that’s done, the cleaned bowls can literally be nibbled away. Its taste is reminiscent of a sour apple. Never throw away the cleaned kernels. They can be brewed as tea to treat rheumatism and gout. This tea also has a lot to offer in terms of taste: Its light vanilla note is particularly good in the wet and cold seasons.

Cook jam or mush from rose hips

The tedious removal of the cores does not have to be mandatory. When boiling the rosehips into a sauce or jam, the whole fruit is first pre-boiled in water. Instead of water, you can also use quince or apple juice – the alternative for an even fruitier aroma. After a good half hour, the rose hips will be soft enough to strain. The use of a so-called fleet Lotte is ideal for this. During the straining process, the pulp is freed from seeds and skins. Depending on your taste, simply boil the fruit puree with jam sugar. The rosehip jam is ready.

Dry rose hips and make tea

If you prefer to dry the rose hips in order to make tea later, you should first cut the fruit in half and clean it. They can then be dried and spread out on a drying or baking tray. This can be done in the open air, on a heater, mantelpiece, or oven or in a special dehydrator, and of course on the home stove. In general, the temperature should not exceed 50 degrees. Before brewing, chop the dried rose hips so that they can develop their aroma better. Two-level tablespoons for 250 milliliters of hot water are sufficient. Leave for ten minutes and enjoy.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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