i found a rose bush with thousands of rosehips turning red. when should i pick them and what do i do with them? i don't have a juicer, but i do have a blender!

wait untill their really red otherwise they will be a bit bitterish .. but dont wait till the frost cuz then their no good apparently but ive used them after frost for tea

The rose hip, also called the rose haw, is the pomaceous fruit of the rose plant. It is typically red to orange but may be dark purple to black in some species.

Rose hips of some species, especially Rosa canina (Dog Rose), have been used as a source of Vitamin C. Rose hips are commonly used as a herbal tea, often blended with hibiscus and as an oil. They can also be used to make jam, jelly and marmalade. Rose hip soup is especially popular in Sweden. Rhodomel, a type of mead, is made with rose hips.

Particularly high in Vitamin C, with about 1700–2000 mg per 100 g in the dried product, one of the richest plant sources.
Rose hips contain vitamins A, D and E, and antioxidant flavonoids.
As an herbal remedy, rose hips are attributed with the ability to prevent urinary bladder infections, and assist in treating dizziness and headaches. Rose hips are also commonly used externally in oil form to restore firmness to skin by nourishing and astringing tissue.

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Pardon my ignorance, but is the "hip" the same thing as the "petal"? Anyone have a picture?

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2007 03:43PM by Jgunn.

Do the rose hips appear before,after or simultaneous to the roses on the bush?

the hips appear after the petals have fallen off .. they are green untill then then go orange then bright red by autumn

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

It's best to wait until they are really ripe, they should be soft, and I've eaten loads after frost and they were still good.

I like to eat them as they are, but it can be difficult to get the seeds out and they can be irritating if you swallow them. But I find that the riper they are, the less problem the seeds are.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

great, i'll wait until they are soft and see what i can do with them. maybe blend them with some sweetener into a jam/jelly...

yep ive used them after frost ..honestly i kinda like them better with a touch of frost they same *done* then

much like the lastest craze in frosted grape wines ..

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist