Roses are not only a beautiful autumn decoration, but also a very healthy fruit. Besides the legendary tea, what can you make from them?

When we think of a rose, most of us think of a beautiful majestic flower with thorns.

But a rose can take many forms.

While walking in nature, we often come across a rose hip bush.

Its beautifully fragrant flowers will form rosehips in autumn.

How to prepare rosehip tea in such a way that it preserves as many valuable substances as possible?

When is the best time to pluck rosehips?

How is rose hip wine made?

We will tell you all this and much more about this exceptional fruit in our guide.

What are darts?

Rosehips are generally considered to be the fruits of the wild rosehip (Rosa canina), however, of course, rosehips are also produced by a number of other rose bushes, for example, rosehips (Rosa villosa) or shriveled rose (Rosa rugosa). Rose hips grow freely in Europe, Asia, America and North Africa, most often along roads or on the edge of forests.

In fact, rosehips bear fruits, but they are synovial, in the construction of which the achenes and some parts of the flower participate. Classic rosehips originating from wild rose hips have an elongated shape and a red or red-orange color. At the end of the rosehip are the remains of a flower. Inside the rosehip are many small yellow seeds with hairs.

Rosehips are most often consumed in the form of delicious rosehip tea, but they can also be used to make syrup, wine, marmalade, liqueur, vinegar and, of course, rosehip sauce.

How to collect and dry rosehips?

Although it is easy to buy rosehip tea, most of us prefer to pick our own rosehips. On the one hand, we know where they come from, and on the other hand, we can prepare many other delicacies from them.

Collecting rosehips

It is best to pick rosehips when they are fully ripe, when the fruits are firm, shiny and deep red, usually at the turn of September and October. That’s when they have the highest content of health-promoting substances. Orange or, conversely, brown coloring is not desirable. If you want to use the rose hips for canning, you can let them go through the first frost, the rose hips will be softer.

Equip yourself with scissors and gloves to collect rosehips. It is best to collect rosehips in a cloth bag, they could easily steam in a plastic bag. Avoid collecting rosehips near roads and railways, always wash rosehips thoroughly under running water before use. Then let them drain and remove the stem and any remaining sepals from them.

Cleaning rosehips

If we want to make marmalade or sauce from rosehips, we have to clean them before using them, i.e. get rid of grains and unpleasant prickly hairs. It is advisable to carry out the cleaning with gloves.

The simplest procedure consists of cutting it lengthwise and scraping out the grains and hairs. Subsequently, it is necessary to rinse the rosehips thoroughly in water.

Drying rosehips

Rosehips can be dried in many ways, in an electric dryer, in an oven at a temperature of around 50-60°C or classically over heating. Too slow drying at low temperatures can lead to mould, too high a temperature will burn the rose hips and negatively affect the content of valuable substances.

Properly dried rosehips should have a dark red color. Many of us dry rosehips whole, but in that case it is often necessary to crush the dried rosehips before use and then take care, for example, to strain the tea well so that there are no unpleasant hairs left in it.

For this reason, it is sometimes recommended to chop the rose hips or blend them lightly in a blender before drying, as it is then easier to remove the hairs from the fruits by rinsing them under running water.

Storage of rosehips

You can store dried rosehips in airtight jars in a dark, dry place for up to one year. Fresh rose hips can be stored in the fridge, but should be used within a week. Last but not least, the rose hips can be put in a bag and frozen.

What can be made from rosehips?

If you like home-made wines, liqueurs, vinegars or syrups, rosehips will provide you with many opportunities in this regard.

Rosehip tea

Rosehip tea is by far the most frequently prepared drink made from rosehips. It can be prepared with whole or crushed rose hips. Since most of the vitamin C is lost from rosehips with heat, it is important to prepare them correctly.

If we want the tea to retain its valuable substances, we have to take into account that its preparation is more time-consuming. Put the fruits, whole or crushed, in a kettle, cover with cold water and leave to infuse overnight. In the morning, heat the mixture slightly and then pour the tea through a strainer into mugs. It is not necessary to drink the tea all at once, let the rosehips continue to infuse in the teapot and, if necessary, heat only the required amount.

If you want to water rose hips with warm water for various reasons, it should not be more than 50°C. The usual amount of rose hips for one cup of tea is six to eight. By the way, the same rose hips can be used at least twice to prepare tea.

Rosehip syrup

In addition to fresh rose hips, you will only need water, sugar and lemon to make rosehip syrup. Cover the chopped rosehips with water and let them soak for 24 hours. Then heat the mixture, but be careful not to boil it.

Then strain the rose hips and add sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice to the strained infusion. Stir until the sugar dissolves. In addition to sugar, you can also use honey to sweeten the syrup. You can use homemade rosehip syrup prepared in this way to prepare lemonades or add it to tea or smoothies.

Rosehip wine

For those who like homemade fruit wines, I can prepare rose hip wine. Put the cleaned rosehips in a glass and cover with a cooled mixture of water and dissolved sugar. Then cover the jar or wrap it in parchment paper and let it ferment for a week.

Then add cloves, cinnamon and allspice to the wine. Store in a dark, cool place and let it sit for about three months. You can tell when the wine is ready when all the arrows sink to the bottom.

Rosehip vinegar

If you like to prepare interesting vegetable and fruit salads, try flavoring them with rosehip vinegar, it will give them an interesting taste and many health-promoting substances. It is very easy to make rosehip vinegar, just mix fresh rosehips with apple cider vinegar and leave to infuse for three days. Finally, strain the vinegar through a fine sieve to remove the hairs.

Rosehip oil

In addition to apple cider vinegar, you can also mix cleaned fresh rosehips with olive oil, after about two weeks of maceration you will have a unique rosehip oil. Before use, strain it again thoroughly and then use spoonfuls for internal use or apply it to the skin.

Rosehip liqueur

Lovers of stronger alcohol will certainly be pleased that rosehips can also be made into liqueur. Its preparation is very simple, purified rosehips are poured with vodka or some fruit brandy, and a small amount of cinnamon and orange peel is usually added to the mixture. After two weeks of maceration, add a small amount of a mixture of boiled sugar and water to the liqueur.

What else can darts be used for?

Although the most famous is the use of rose hips for tea, many other delicacies can be prepared from them.

You can make homemade marmalade very easily from cleaned rosehips. All you need to do is boil the rosehips gently in water, strain them, sweeten and thicken with a gentle boil. Adding sugar is not always necessary, as rosehips have a relatively sweet taste by themselves. Marmalade can be used on bread and as a base for sauces.

The use of rosehips in compote is interesting. In this case, they are usually combined with rowanberries.

Most of us know wild boar with rosehip sauce mainly thanks to the movie Snow White Festival. How to make the best rose hip sauce? Did you know that in addition to venison, it also tastes great with pork tenderloin?

When we hear red soup, most of us think of recipes for tomato soup . However, red to orange soup can also be prepared from rose hips or rosehip marmalade.

Last but not least, rosehip marmalade can be used in the preparation of various types of sticky sweets . However, jam can be used not only for gluing. If you mix it with icing sugar, egg white and ground almonds, you can also prepare delicious rosehip cookies.

You can also use rosehip jam in lattice pie recipes in a similar way. It is especially well combined with cottage cheese.

What does an arrow contain?

Arrows contain a whole range of health-promoting substances, especially antioxidants. However, it is appropriate to say that the content of nutrients largely depends on the soil conditions and the method of their subsequent processing.

For example, heat treatment significantly reduces the content of vitamin C, rosehips that come from higher altitudes generally have higher amounts of antioxidants. The tables show values for 100 grams of fresh rose hips.

Arrows are known primarily for their high content of vitamin C. But they also contain a relatively large amount of vitamin A or E.

Among the minerals in arrows, we can find, for example, calcium, manganese or iron.

Medicinal effects of rose hips

Our grandmothers used to make us rosehip tea especially for flu and colds, however these small red fruits help with a whole range of other health problems and their regular consumption can be a prevention against many diseases. How and what do rosehips benefit our body?

• Antioxidants – rosehips are rich in various antioxidants, such as vitamin C, catechins, quercetin and ellagic acid. A diet rich in these substances can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. By doing so, it helps protect us from many chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

• Immune system – due to the high content of vitamin C, consumption of rose hips is also very beneficial for our immune system. The amount of vitamin C in arrowroot far exceeds the amount found in citrus fruits or apples. This vitamin plays a key role in the formation of white blood cells.

• Cardiovascular disease – regular intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduction in the level of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, which are the two main risk factors for heart disease. Roses also have a high content of flavonoids, which have a positive effect on blood pressure.

• Diabetes – some studies report that consumption of rose hips helps lower blood sugar levels. From this point of view, they could also be a certain prevention against the development of type 2 diabetes.

• Arthritis – polyphenols and galactolipids in rose hips are known for their anti-inflammatory effects. They have been proven to reduce inflammation and joint pain, especially in arthritis.

• Eye Health – Rose hips have a red-orange color due to carotenoid pigments known as lycopene and beta-carotene. These pigments have a beneficial effect on the health and condition of our eyes.

• Skin aging – in addition to vitamin C, which is important for collagen synthesis, rosehips are also high in polyunsaturated fats, which support a healthy skin membrane and protect the skin from inflammatory agents such as ultraviolet radiation, cigarette smoke and pollution.

• Weight loss – rosehips themselves contain a relatively small amount of calories and a large amount of fiber. In addition, they also contain the antioxidant tiliroside, which is known for its beneficial effect on fat burning.

Side effects of rose hips

Darts are generally considered safe. Although research is lacking on the side effects of consuming large amounts of rose hips, consuming high doses of vitamin C can cause nausea, upset stomach, constipation, and heartburn. Last but not least, excessive consumption of vitamin C can harm people with recurrent kidney stones, sickle cell disease and hemochromatosis.