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.
- 2 c fresh rose hips (you can also use 1 c of dried rose hips)
- 1 c water
- 2 apples
- 1/2 c pitted dates
- 1/2 t rose water
Method:
Simmer the rose hips and peeled and cored apples in the water until soft (about 20 – 30 minutes). Add the dates for the last 5 minutes. Check the water level constantly to make sure that there is enough and it doesn’t burn.
When everything is very soft, if you have used rosehips that haven’t had the seeds and hairs removed strain through a sieve. Otherwise process it until smooth, add the dash of rose water and put into jars.
I like to eat at least a tablespoon of this rose hip jam or butter every day. Rosehips are high in bioflavonoids as well as vitamin C in a form that is readily used by the body.
This sounds so yummy. I used to eat rosehips when I lived in Washington…Anyway, I would love to try this. Where do you find fresh rosehips? I may have to used dried.
thanks!
I sometimes find fresh rosehips growing wild in parks and whatnot. But it is good to be careful of pesticides etc if foraging. It is actually easier to use dried ones, especially if they have already had the seeds and hairs removed. It makes the whole process much easier!
I like to forage wild rosehips but you need to be careful in case they have been sprayed with something poisonous.
Actually just using dried rosehips is the easiest method, especially if they have already been seeded! The seeds and hairs of the rosehips can be a real pain to clean.