John Myers
Rose hips often grow on fence roses or dog roses in the garden. The red fruits can be processed into a delicious tea. We will show you step by step how to make your own rosehip tea from fresh rosehips.
Here’s how it works: Homemade rosehip tea
Fresh rosehips hang on many wild rose species in autumn and are not just a feast for the eyes. The red fruits are also full of good nutrients. Among other things, they are rich in vitamins C, A, and K as well as calcium, magnesium, copper, and manganese – real vitamin and mineral bombs that are worth harvesting. You can eat fresh rosehips, use them to make jam, or make your own rosehip tea. For a naturally sweet-tasting fruit tea, it is best to wait for the first frost, otherwise, the rose hips will taste tart and the harvest can begin at the end of September. In addition to the garden, forest edges and embankments are good collection points. Tip: take thick gloves with you to avoid injuries from the rose thorns.
Process rose hips fresh and dried into tea
Before processing in the kitchen, wash the fruit thoroughly and cut off the stalks and flower heads. For the tea, you can halve whole rose hips and scrape out the seeds – for example with the handle of a fork or spoon. It is best to wear household gloves when doing this, because the hairs irritate the skin. The notorious itching powder consists of it. Simply pour boiling water over the halves and let them steep for about ten minutes. Six halved rosehips are enough for half a liter of tea. For a stash of homemade rosehip tea, dry the fruit by simply laying the halves out in the sun for a few days. If you want it to go faster, you can also dehydrate it in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes at a low temperature. For large quantities, you can also put the whole rose hips in an electric chopper and let the mass dry in a dehydrator for about 8 hours at 40 degrees.
Make rosehip tea yourself and benefit from your health
If you make your own rosehip tea, you can be sure that it does not contain any unwanted substances. In addition, the tea can be refined as desired. Add, for example, pieces of dried apple, mallow or hibiscus blossoms, or sea buckthorn – you can also pick them yourself. Incidentally, rosehip tea is an alkaline tea and can thus increase well-being according to the theory of the acid-base balance. It is also used as a medicinal tea: it is said to relieve sore throats and coughs, regulate digestion and stimulate appetite, among other things.
