How to Save Rose Hips for Tea
Rose hips are the fruit that forms after the rose flowers fade. The bright red hips add a note of color to barren roses bushes in the fall and provide food for birds and animals. But the bright red hips are also popular with humans. High in vitamin C, rose hips impart a lemony-tart flavor to tea. Rose hips can be steeped by themselves for tea, or mixed with other herbs for a tasty and nutritious beverage. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Collect rose hips after the first frost. Clip the hips from the rose bushes with garden shears.
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Cut the hips in half with a knife and scrape out the seeds from the middle.
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Arrange the hips on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and turn the over to 250 degrees F. When the oven reaches this temperature, turn the oven off. Leave the hips in the oven overnight.
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Crumble the dried rose hips into a coarse powder. Store the hips in sealed glass or plastic jars.
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Tips & Warnings
Look for rose hips on wild roses and on old-fashioned varieties of hedge roses. Many modern rose varieties don't produce prominent hips.
To make rose hip tea, pour one cup boiling water over one tablespoon dried rose hips. Steep for three to five minutes. Strain to remove the pulp. Sweeten as desired.
Don't use rose hips from any rose bushes that have been sprayed with pesticides.
