Hello Fellow Steemians,
With the winter weather in full force here in South Dakota, I thought it was the perfect time to tell you all about a wonderful little thing called Rose Hip Syrup. Rose Hips have one of the most concentrated amounts of Vitamin C (A handful of Rose Hips contain the same amount of vitamin C as sixty oranges) and therefore are my favorite for making an immune boosting syrup to keep us healthy through the winter months. We are lucky enough to have them growing wild on our property and have a tradition of picking them in the fall to make syrup for the winter. Dried Rose Hips are readily available online as well.
What are Rose Hips?
Rose Hips are the fruit of the Wild Rose plant and are one of the most nutritionally packed fruits of any plant. The reason that Rose Hips are so popular is because they are extremely effective in treating a wide variety of health conditions. How? The vitamins, minerals, organic compounds, and other essential nutrients in Rose Hips pack a very powerful punch. Some of these beneficial components include vitamin C, A, E, and vitamin B-complex, as well as minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, silicon and zinc. Pretty impressive huh?
Rose Hips have been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments. The Native Americans all over the Dakotas used Rose Hips to treat respiratory infections and were a very important source of vitamins for them during the winter months when plants were scarce.
During World War II, when the government urged households to grow food in "victory gardens" as part of the war effort, Rose Hips were stressed as the highest Vitamin C food. Because of this, there were many recipes available that called for using the fresh berries as a dinner vegetable, along with in soups and salads.
To Make Syrup:
Rinse berries well and remove stems.
Place in heavy pot and fill with enough filtered water to cover berries. Throw in a cinnamon stick and a couple whole cloves then boil uncovered until berries burst and liquid begins to thicken.
Strain liquid using cheesecloth. Then add about a Tablespoon of Local Raw Honey and the juice of half of a lemon, stir until incorporated.
Let mixture cool and then store in the fridge in a glass container. Take a spoonful everyday through the winter or when you feel something coming on. We personally take it as a daily vitamin and it has helped us keep illness at bay.
Hope this post was helpful!
Happy Homesteading
#howto
this looks delicious - who doesnt love a vitamin rich, delicious treat?! thank you for posting & sharing this recipe.
@jonpetrich, check this out!
Right?!? Vitamins are always so much easier to take when they taste amazing. I never have to fight my kiddos to take this...they try to sneak it out of the fridge!
Thank you so much!
i'm also imagining other ways to incorporate them - maybe make ice cubes to add to a sun-brewed tea in the summer. dehydrate them to make a powder to add to smoothies. i'm sure the internet has more options, too.
I love to throw some in whatever herbal tea I am drinking as well. They add a nice tart flavor, I think they would make a delicious iced tea as well. I love the idea of adding them to smoothies as well!
great post! do you do anything to remove the little hairs on the inside of the hips?
I have been told to harvest them after the first freeze because they are much easier to work with then. do you find that to be the case as well?
Unless you are eating them fresh, the hairs aren't a problem at all. Everything is filtered out when you strain it. The end result is a smooth semi thick syrup.
Yes, after the first freeze seems to make them sweeter. They always seem easier to remove from the plant as well. Always look for the ones deep red in color and always when foraging, be sure it isn't in an area being sprayed with herbicides.
I hope this post encourages you to make your own! Let me know if I can help at all!
cool! I will try making this syrup. I made rose honey this year :) It was amazing! I also made a rose witch hazel. I am excited to get to know rose hips better. Thanks for the inspiration~!
Lots of Nootka Roses around here! This is a great idea of what to do with them, Thanks! And yes, vitamins from their natural source! Another project to add to the list this summer :)
I love vitamins from their natural source....I mean, how could it get any better?!? The nootka roses have the most vibrant petals, just beautiful. I'm happy to hear you have them where you are. The ever growing list....love it. Happy Homesteading 🌸
And the petals are tasty little snacks while hiking or salad toppers!
Nootka Rose caught my eye as we grow a garlic variety (from where you live!) called Nootka Rose :) <3
Tell me more about this Nootka Rose garlic please!!!
I will be trying this recipe. I use rose hips dry and for tea. great to see a fellow south dakotan! ill be following
I'm sorry I'm just seeing this! I was wondering where all the south dakotans were.... I knew there had to be at least a few on here. Glad to meet you and followong as well.
Welcome to steemit! I see you're new here. This is a fantastic post and I'm going to resteem it and hopefully it will get more views!! I love rose hips and these tips are great. In winter, we all definitely need all the VIT C we can get :) Again, welcome, the homesteading community is really sweet :)
Thank you so much for the resteem! Yes, I truly believe that prevention is key. I am excited to be here and can't wait to explore more on here.
Yep - great post, I am resteeming and following too! I have used rose hips or vitamin C but never boiled down. Soaked in vodka... hehe!
Thank you! I love it, I'm going to have to try an adult version in vodka ;)
I have known about rose hips since I was a little girl. My grandmother made this syrup as well. I had forgotten. Thank you for the reminder! Now if I can just remember what they are called in spanish!
You are so welcome! Grandmother's are so full of amazing information...
Is the spanish word for it Rosa Mosqueta?
I don't have rose hips growing near me; wish I did. I have heard about some GREAT recipes and uses for them.
Adding this one to my file for future reference. Maybe I'll eventually find some somewhere locally.
They are known to grow wild all over the country, but sometimes the flowers themselves look a bit different. If you can't find them fresh you can find good quality berries online (I trust the quality of mountainroseherbs.com). Also, elderberries are one of the other powerhouse berries that are nice to get your hands on if you can. Thank you so much for the warm welcome, I love this place already 💓
Thank you for contributing your knowledge to help others! Sotall.org Knowledge Directory of Steemit Posts has linked to this post. You can see your link here.
I really like your 3rd photo of all the rosehips together. I'm a big fan of using rosehips in food, too. I put them in a nice salad here. And I made a great rosehip-pennyroyal syrup. It is interesting how much variation there can be in the size and quality of wild rosehips and different varieties of garden rosehips. Some can be huge! Enjoy your rosehip syrup and your good health!
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