Rosehips.
I collect my Rosehips in the wild far away from towns and roadsides.
Autumn is the time to collect Rosehip. They grow wild everywhere in Otago. They are easy to dry and store and have as a tea. I also put them into Apple cider vinegar and later mix them together with elderberry and hawthorne berries to make a Vitamin C vinegar to add to your salad dressing or as you morning ACV drink. A great immune booster for winter. Just make sure you wear gloves as the hairs can get into your skin. Remember I also collect and dry them myself and sell all of these at Massage in Wanaka.
Rosehip Medicine
Rosehips are so loaded with nutrients that they can be considered a super food. They contain the Vitamins A, B complex, C, E, K, and minerals including calcium, silica, iron, and phosphorous. Rosehips are particularly high in bioflavenoid rich antioxidants including rutin that help strengthen our heart and blood vessels, and prevent degeneration of tissue. They contain carotenes including lycopene that have been linked with cancer prevention. Natural pectin found in rosehips is beneficial for gut health.
Perhaps the most common use of rosehips throughout history has been for prevention and treatment of colds and flu. Wild varieties have the highest concentration of Vitamin C, with some estimates reporting 30-50 times the Vitamin C of oranges. In the 50s and 60s in NZ, rosehip syrup was widely used as a form of Vit C.
Drying Rosehips
Harvest rosehips in autumn when they are bright red or orange. They get sweeter after the first frost but you run the risk of them getting brown spots soon after. Pick hips on a dry day to prevent molding. They are easy to remove from the plant with a little twist. I place them in a flat basket and process them by pinching off the brown sepals. This leaves a little hole in the hip that serves as ventilation for the drying process. Leave them single layered in a basket or paper bag in a dry room with good airflow. Keep them out of direct sunlight. Move them around every day and wait until they are completely dry before placing them in a storage container like a glass jar. Or even better a brown paper bag. This can take up to 10 days. You can also deseed rosehips to dry them if you have the time.
Rosehip Tea
Use 1 heaping teaspoon of rosehips per cup of boiled water and steep 15 minutes. Some people prefer to boil rosehips, which makes a stronger, darker brew. While you will lose Vitamin C content with boiling, it may increase extraction of minerals and pectin.
One of my favorite winter teas is “Rose Mint” — a combination of rose petals, rosehips, peppermint, and spearmint. It has a sweet and lively flavor that even dubious herbal tea drinkers enjoy. I also mix rosehip, elderberry and hawthorne berry for an immune booster tea. The combinations are endless. Enjoy......
