As we journey through fall and into winter and the earth gets ready to cover herself in an ever growing blanket of snow, we often forget that there are still wonderful wild edibles to explore. One of my favorites is the rose hip, the crimson colored fruit of the rose. It stands out, illuminated against the white snow, calling us to take a closer look. Winter is the perfect time to venture out and harvest these beauties. They are fabulous for tea, syrup, jelly, honey or even pie.
One of my favorite family traditions with rose hips started many years ago while on a winter hike with our young children. We happened upon the most exquisite batch of wild rose hips, frozen on the bush. Being easy to harvest, we soon filled our hats and pockets. Upon returning home, we prepared a batch of rose hip jelly that evening. Carefully covering the hot jelly jars with a kitchen towel, we tucked them in for the night as we, too, went to bed. In the morning, waiting to top our pancakes, stood the most beautiful jelly. It was sweet and a bit spicy. It was the perfect way to start a new day and a New Year, as we celebrated the bounty of the earth.
Since then, we still continue to gather and make rose hip jelly for our New Year’s breakfast, but new recipes have also been explored. One of the easiest and most nutritious ways to utilize the gift of the rose is to harvest and make “rose hip honey”. It is not only easy, but preserves all the vitamin C the rose hips give to us. It is an incredible treat for the palate as well. I encourage all of you to venture out and explore the wonderful wild edibles that thrive even in the heart of winter.
Rose hip honey recipe
You'll need 1 cup ripe rose hips & honey.
Split and de-seed the rose hips with a small spoon.
Make sure all the little hairs are scooped out.
Pack hips into a glass jar and cover with honey.
Let sit overnight and serve on fresh muffins in the morning.
Store any unused honey in the fridge.
This is a wonderful way to preserve the great vitamin C in your rose hips.
