Cooking with Rose Hips

You have had bananas, oranges and strawberries. You have even had cranberries and kumquats, but you yearn for something different - look no further than your rose garden. If you are lucky enough to grow Rugosa Roses, then you can have a fresh supply of rose hips. Rugosa roses are fragrant and vigorous as well as winter hardy and disease tolerant. These roses bloom repeatedly and come in a variety of colors from white to deep red. But what they are most known for are their rose hips. The rose hips appear after the rose has bloomed and stay on from late summer to spring. The hips can range in the size of a large cherry to almost the size of a crabapple (Source: Spring Valley Roses).

Rose hips are fruity, spicy and akin to a cranberry, further they are in the same family as apples and crabapples. These cherry red fruits are harvested after the first frost when the fruit is fully colored but not overripe as the frost helps sweeten the fruit. When choosing fresh rose hips, look for full colored fruit that yield to gentle pressure without being too soft and do not have the appearance of wrinkled skin. If you are unable to find rose hips in your local store, such internet shops as Starwest Botanicals offer a wide variety to choose from. They can be eaten raw and fresh; however, they do have seeds. The seeds have an irritating hairy covering that can "tickle" and irritate the throat, so it is best to remove them before consuming. You can trim or harvest the rose hips with a pair of kitchen scissors as they are too small for knife use.

Rose hips can be used in just about any dish from jams and jellies to sauces, soups and even as a seasoning. To try rose hips, it is a good idea to try rose hip tea which can be found at any grocery store or specialty shop in your neighbor hood. If you enjoy the taste of rose hips, you can expand your culinary uses with these following recipes (It should be noted that rose hips can only be found during certain seasons [late summer to spring]):

Three recipes (with thanks to Home Cooking) that are delicious as well as easy to prepare are:

1. Rose hip soup/pudding:

Ingredients: a. 1 quart rose hip juice or puree (fresh or canned); b. 2 to 4 Tablespoons honey; c. 1 to 3 Tablespoons lemon juice or homemade cider vinegar, optional (Omit if using canned juice or puree.); d.1 Tablespoon potato starch, cornstarch, or tapioca granules; and e. 6 (about) Tablespoons sour cream or yogurt, optional.

Preparation: Heat the rose hip juice or puree, honey, and lemon juice or vinegar. Adjust amounts of honey and lemon juice or vinegar to give a lively sweet tart flavor. Mix the starch or tapioca in enough cold water to moisten it, and stir it in. Cook till the soup thickens slightly and clears. Float a spoon of sour cream or yogurt in each bowl of soup when it is served.

Rose Hip Pudding:
Add honey to taste, and increase starch or tapioca to 5-6 tablespoons. After it has thickened pour the pudding into individual dishes or into a serving dish to cool. The flavor is brisk and very fruity.

2. Rose hip jelly:

Ingredients: a. 4 quarts ripe rose hips; b. 2 quarts water; c. 1 package pectin crystals; d. 5 cups sugar; and e. 1/2 cup lemon juice

Preparation: Simmer rose hips in water until soft. Crush to mash, and strain through a jelly bag. Should make about 4 cups of rose hip juice. Add to juice, lemon juice and pectin crystals and stir until mixture comes to a hard boil. Stir sugar in at once. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove jelly from heat and skim off foam with metal spoon. Pour jelly into hot sterilized jars. Yield: about 5 cups

3. Rose hip crumble pie:

Ingredients: a. Pastry for single-crust 9-lnch pie; b. 1 cup dried rose hips; c. 1/4 cup milk; d. 1-1/2 cups sifted flour; e. 2 teaspoons baking powder; f. Dash of salt; g. 1/2 cup shortening; h. 1-3/4 cups brown sugar; i. 2 egg yolks, beaten; j. 2 egg whites; and k. Pecan halves (optional)

Preparation: Prepare pastry and line a pie pan. Soften rose hips in milk.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream in shortening and brown sugar, mixing well. This makes a crumbly mixture - reserve 1 cup for topping. To the remainder add the egg yolks, milk and rose hips. Beat the egg whites until peaks hold form. Fold into the berry mixture. Spoon into pie pan and sprinkle with the crumbly topping. Garnish with pecan halves, too, if you wish. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 45 minutes or until pie appears well done.

One important tip to remember while cooking with rose hips - do not use metal pans or utensils (although stainless steel is okay to use) as it will discolor the fruit and you will further lose Vitamin "C" that is prevalent within the fruit.

Rose hips offer a new and unique flavor to add to your list of fruits to enjoy. Try and discover the spicy sweet fruit that can be found in your garden.