Rose hips can easily be made into a vitamin C rich tasty spread. I make this recipe with dates and apples to sweeten the rose hips. It is best to cook rose hips even though heat breaks down vitamin C. There is also an enzyme in rose hips that also breaks down vitamin C very quickly which is neutralized by heat. Therefore it is important to cook the rosehips long enough but not too long!

I like this method because it can take a really long time to clean rose hips individually and remove the hairs and seeds from them. Simmering them and then straining them through a moulie or sieve helps this process to go faster.

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Rose Hips on the Tree of Life written for Healthy Options Magazine June 2009

–Recipe for Rose Hip Soup–

Unlike people, roses probably do not consider themselves as having a purpose in life. But if a rose bush did have a mission, I expect its greatest sense of achievement would come from creating, not just a whole lot of beautiful flowers, but the grand array of round, red rose hips which come after them.

Elder Woman

When days are short and cold, most of us enjoy reading by a fire, legs tucked under a blanket, sipping hot rose hip tea to protect ourselves from unwanted viruses. Fortunately, the frantic Christmas shopping that consumes the shortest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, are not an issue in New Zealand, and we can take full advantage of this sacred time for going within and nourishing our roots. Winter is the traditional story-telling season, when the old folks share their wisdom with tales that allow the listener to gain various perspectives into their life experiences, as they process the year’s events.

My grandparents died when I was young so I missed their stories. But, I am fortunate to have a tangible way to connect with my Mormor (mother’s mother in Swedish) through her cookbooks, recipe clippings and the notes she added in the margins. One of the items I found scrawled on a scrap of paper was Nypon Soppa (Rose Hip Soup), which remains a Swedish favorite today. The preferred rose used is the dog rose (Rosa canina) but the rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa), which have large, flavorful hips, are also commonly used. These wild roses are packed with vitamin A, B3, E, D, C, K, lycopene, bioflavonoids, as well as the minerals calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, silica, magnesium and sodium. The dog rose hips have the highest amount of Vitamin C and bioflavonoids, and also contain proanthocyanidin glycosides which are antioxidants currently being tested for their effectiveness in assisting with cases of osteoporosis. Other uses for these happy red fruits include boosting the immune system, as a powerful painkiller and inflammatory, easing digestion and assisting the kidneys, circulatory system and heart.

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Mormor’s Nypon Soppa

This dish is a favorite in Sweden and contains high amounts of vitamin C. Rose hips also contain many other health enhancing properties. This recipe comes down to me from my mother’s mother (Mormor) who was Swedish.

• ½ pound (230g) nypon (dog rose hips),
• 1 cup raisins,
• 1 Tablespoon potato flour,
• Almonds
• Sugar to taste
• Cinnamon bark
• Lemon, juice and rind

Method: Cook nypon (rose hips) fresh or dried in 4 liters of water for about 2 hours. Stir often and when cooked press through a fine sieve. Add raisins, cinnamon and lemon. Cook 15 minutes. Thicken with potato flour. Add almonds cut in shreds. Add sugar to taste. Serve with whipped cream and macaroons, warm or cold.

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