Rose hips and excellent source of vitamin C

It's time to get out and pick those rose hips at least it is in my neck of the woods.  The best time to pick your rose hips is after a good frost.  Once you have picked your rose hips you can use them to make puree, jelly, or wine.  I like to make the puree and then use that later to make BBQ sauce.

These berries have so much vitamin C in them that 6 - 8 berries will give you your daily requirements.

After you have picked your rose hips, wash and remove the tassels.  In order to preserve as much vitamin C as possible you need to process the hips as soon as possible.
If you are going to be making syrups or jellies extract the juice by partly covering the hips with water, bring to a boil and allow to cook for approximately 15 minutes.  Extract the juice by putting into a jelly bag and dripping over a container.  You can make jelly with the rose hips alone or add other fruit to it.

For pulp I use a sieve to remove the seeds and skins.  This can then be used for making jams.  I have also made a rose hip ketchup that was really quite good.

Some people also dry the rose hips.  I have not done this but the process is simple.  Cut the rose hips in two and remove the seeds.  Then dry in a food dehydrator or in the over at 140 degrees.  Dried rose hips can be added to your baking, cereals, salads etc.

You can find some recipes in the recipe section of this blog.

Enjoy your rose hip harvest!