How Rose Hips Crush Oranges (and Why You Should Eat Them)

What do red bell peppers, broccoli, and papayas have in common? They’re awesome sources of vitamin C. But there’s another source of vitamin C that blows these guys out of the water…

Rose hips.

I kid you not.

In fact, rose hips are so loaded with vitamin C that during World War II, they played a key role in children’s health. More on that in a bit.

Where can you find rose hips?

Perhaps at a farmer’s market? Or a natural food store or co-op. Even then, probably as dried hips.

You’ll find them outside, on rose bushes. As in, Rugosa roses, if you’re lucky.

I’m not saying that to be flippant. To keep company with a Rugosa rose is to be blessed with luxuriously fragrant, palm-sized blooms.

It doesn’t stop there. In the fall, these same bushes are ablaze with golf ball-sized red and orange rose hips.

Move over Sunkist oranges…

A rosehip is the edible fruit of a rose. Also known as haw or rose hep, these morsels are one of the richest plant sources of Vitamin C in the world.

If you’re like me, you grew up believing that oranges were the poster child for Vitamin C.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Two medium-sized rose hips have more vitamin C than a medium orange.[/perfectpullquote]

Plus, they contain an alphabet soup of vitamins such as A, B, and E.

Plus calcium, iron, and phosphorus. (Hello ladies: We need calcium from non-dairy sources. That’s another article).

What is vitamin C, anyway?

Sometimes called ascorbic acid, this vitamin supports your immune system. Big time. It also helps your body use the iron you intake from food. Your body also uses Vitamin C to make collagen. That’s the springy connective tissue that makes up parts of your body and helps heal wounds.

Oh, and it’s an antioxidant that protects your cells from damage. We need between 75 and 90 milligrams per day. FYI: A medium orange has about 70 milligrams, but many other foods are good sources, too.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]In China, the hips are known as jin ying zi and are mainly used as a kidney chi (energy) tonic, an astringent prescribed for urinary problems.[/perfectpullquote]

Yes, roses and their fruit “hips” have a long tradition of medicinal use. With our modern meds and fast foods, we often forget what real food is, or where it comes from.

Roses are good for the skin and the soul.

During WW II: Let’s help the children!

When German submarines were sinking commercial ships, it was difficult to import citrus fruits into parts of Europe.

The people of Britain were encouraged through letters to The Times newspaper, articles in the British Medical Journal, and pamphlets produced by Claire Loewenfeld, a dietitian working for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, to gather wild rose hips to make a vitamin C syrup for children.

Forget the bouquets, I’d rather eat a rose

I’ve never been a big fan of roses by the dozen. So don’t bother giving me a bouquet of red roses.

Nothing against flowers, but commercially grown roses are highly treated with chemicals.

And they have no scent. What’s with that?

I prefer wild roses, such as the rugosa roses that grow around my hometown of Kodiak, Alaska.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Wild roses are heaven scent![/perfectpullquote]

I use rose petals to make beautiful and tasty vinegar. I sprinkle rose petals on salads and bake them into muffins, cakes and quickbreads.

Have you ever used rose water?

For thousands of years, rose water has been appreciated as a natural facial cleanser or toner.

Since rose water is sweetly fragrant, it’s a natural air freshener–a much better alternative to chemical-filled perfumes.

Rose hips taste like…?

Rose hips, are tangy, like an apple.

And a little on the rich side.

If you’re curious, find a rose bush, and with a gentle twist of the hand, pick a hip and bite into it.

Now take a look…

Ruby-red on the outside. Salmon-orange on the inside.

So, all this talk of wild food, what can you do with rose hips?

Lots.

Rose hips can be used in a wide variety of dishes, including syrups, preserves (rosehip catsup is superb) jams (my favorite is rose hip-orange marmalade), jellies, teas (often mixed with hibiscus), sauces, bread, pancakes, muffins, and desserts.

How to eat rose hips…
And why would you do such a thing?

In my experience, it’s best to harvest rose hips in the fall, after they turn red or bright orange. Better yet, after they’ve been kissed by frost.

To dry hips, spread them on a cookie sheet. Place them in an oven set on the lowest setting. I prefer to use a food dehydrator. My favorite is the Excalibur. Or, depending on the humidity where you live, you can simply put them in a dark, well-ventilated area. After drying, store them in glass jars in a dark, cool place.

To prepare rose hips for tea, cut off the bloom stem, cut the hip in half (and again in quarters, if extra large), and scrape out the seeds and hairy pith. This can be very tedious with tiny hips, so save small hips for jellies, because it all ends up staying behind in the jelly bag anyway.

What’s my favorite jelly? A 50:50 blend of rose hip juice and apple juice.

When dried, use rose hips in place of raisins or currants. Bake them in banana bread or sprinkle them on top of oatmeal. And for a unique dessert, jazz up your next pumpkin, apple, or rhubarb pie by replacing some of the pumpkin with pulp made from rose hips.

Want a recipe? Try this one…

Rose Hip Nut Bread

Adapted from the popular Alaska cookbook, Cooking Alaskan

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup seeded and chopped rose hips
• 2 TBL melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts or sunflower seeds

In a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients. Sift together dry ingredients and blend with wet mixture, stirring only until moistened. Fold in nuts or seeds and spoon into a greased, 5×8-inch bread pan, muffin tins, or 9×9-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour (less for muffins and 9×9 pan).

If you don’t have time to make jelly, bread, or sauce, freeze the hips for later. Simply gather your rose hips, clean them and either chop them or put them in a pan with a little water and cook them gently until soft.

There you go.

Roses aren’t just beautiful to photograph and sniff during the summer. They’re incredibly edible, all year.

Thanks for checking in. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and I’ll put a pot of rose hip tea on for you.

Cheers,