I’m finding rose hips particularly abundant and beautiful this time of the year. They are a seasonal favourite for supporting the immune system and preventing colds and flu. It’s easy to see why, as in addition to being full of pigmented antioxidants, as little as 100g of cooked wild rose hips contains over 700% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C. And yes, you can use any species including planted and garden varieties. One of my favourite recipes can be found below.
- Genus: Rosa
- Species: sp. (Western Canada: gynocarpa, nutkana, acicularis, woodsii)
- Family: Rosaceae
- Lifecycle: Perennial
- Key features:
- Pinnate leaves with a minimum of 5 leaflets
- Woody shrubs often with thorns present
- Fragrant flowers with 5 petals (usually), fruit a hip
- Parts used: hip (fruit) in the autumn when ripe (red and soft), flowers (spring/ summer)
- Harvesting considerations
- Beware of thorns
- Avoid eating seeds (irritant hairs)
- Picking after a frost produces sweeter fruit (or after having been put in the freezer)
- Don’t pick more than 10% of wild fruits to leaves food for other wild beings
- How to prepare:
- Strain out seeds after processing, seeds have irritant hair that irritate the digestive tract (may cause itchy bum)
Rose hip juice
This nourishing juice is well worth the effort of harvesting and processing. It’s actually one of the easier ways to deal with rose hips with little flesh. The taste feels like a hug that says ‘I love you’, best to share with the ones you love.
- Wash rose hips
- Put rose hips in pot and cover with water, simmer until rose hips are soft (~20 minutes). I recommend 1 part rose hips to 2-3 parts water depending on thickness desired.
- Blend rose hips (hand blender) or hand mash
- Strain out seeds and large matter with a fine mesh sieve, pushing through as much pulp as possible
- Honey, maple syrup or other sweetener may be added to taste. Or use the the unsweetened juice/ purée in savoury dishes like tomato sauce.
- Allow to cool, drink and enjoy!
Rose hip syrup
Some people want to preserve their rose hip juice all winter long. The easiest way to do that is to add sugar.
- Traditional syrup: Add 2 parts sugar to 1 part rose hip juice, heat until sugar is dissolved, pour into sterile jars and allow to cool. This can be stored at room temperature and will keep for a year at least.
- Honey syrup: Add equal parts syrup honey to rose hip juice, gently heat until honey dissolves, pour into sterile jars, and allow to cool. This must be stored in the fridge and will last a few weeks to a few months (but doesn’t too sweet!).
- Syrup add-ons: Cedar, fir, pine or spruce needles and branches finely chopped. Add these to the rose hip juice and simmer for 20 minutes, or simmer for 1 hour, strain tree material, and then simmer rose hips (in the same water) as described above. This makes a syrup that really packs a punch.
Good morning Latifa,
Is there a good location to harvest rose hips?
In Kananaskis off Hwy 40 I could drive with my husband and bring a map so I am avoiding the park region.
But perhaps I don’t need to go that far. Maybe Edworthy Park has some – I just worry about spraying for any harvesting I do in the City. Sorry Renée and I missed your classes when you were here. We were in Scotland 😉 Hope all is well! Looking for your class in Oct. in Calgary.
Hey Louise!
No worries. I have found some rose hips just off of McLean Creek Trail. I find there are lot of bushes, but not necessarily a lot of fruit on each one so it takes time to harvest and of course you want to leave some for the rose to re-seed and some for the wildlife to eat. I think it took me at least an hour to get a couple cups full 2 years ago.
This year I just harvested from my neighbour’s yard, she had a very abundant bush (took 15 minutes). They were more savoury, so I’m planning to make a stew with the juice I make from the hips. Hope this helps!