Do you C what I C? When autumn was on the horizon, we decided to do some foraging for wild rose hips.
Knowing that rose hips have high concentrations of vitamin C, are rich in antioxidants, and contain anti-inflammatory compounds, we wanted to grab some to make tea and other delicious treats before cold season.
The first go round we picked them a bit early. They were orange and even a little green and a bit mealy.
Though they are commonly red and orange, they can also ripen to shades of deep purple to almost black.
We waited for the red plump ones.
Man, what a difference a bit of time can make. These were juicy and delicious.
We processed them in two different ways…
1) We threw then into a blender and ground them. Then we brought water to a boil, turned off the flame, added the rose hips, and let them steep all night (12hrs or so). We strained the bag the next day and cooled the rose hip juice to drink. It was tangy and delicious. Definitely look for this method to be a utilized in a kombucha in the future.
2) We split all of the rose hips in half and pulled out the hairs and seeds.
The hairs are highly irritating to the GI tract, so it’s important to remove them. This was a most tedious and drawn-out process, but worth it. We ended up with hundreds of rose hip halves which we melded into a delicious tea blend.
With this method, the rose hips are subtle and have a bit more of a raisin/cherry character.
After these projects, we decided to forage more rose hips to make…
…an oxymel. That is, an elixir of herbs and vinegar and honey. The cut, de-seeded, and de-haired rose hips were chopped and combined with sliced ginger, a couple of cinnamon sticks, a star anise pod and some cardamom.
This mixture was placed in a glass jar and topped up with raw apple cider vinegar. Here it will sit for 4-6 weeks, infusing the vinegar with a variety of wonderful and beneficial compounds.
At the end of the infusion time we will strain the contents and mix the vinegar with half of its volume with raw local honey. So 2:1 of infused vinegar to honey.
The oxymel can then be used in a variety of ways. A teaspoon to boost one’s health, mixed with sparkling water for a fun and beneficial drink, or if you’re daring, added to a cocktail for a twist on an old classic.
We are excited to play more with rose hips. Maybe a saison, maybe a soup, maybe a ketchup….seems like there are endless possibilities!
*If you decide to go out foraging there are a couple things to keep in mind. If you’re doing it in an urban setting, make sure there are no herbicides or pesticides that have been sprayed. Keep those toxins out of your body. When foraging in the wild, be sure not harvest near roadsides. They are commonly sprayed with chemicals to kill plants, and toxins from car exhaust exist in the soil and in the plants that grow in the vicinity. Also, be kind and do not pick the entirety of whatever you are foraging for. Leave some for nature.