How can you harvest rose hips and are the fruits of the wild rose actually poisonous or even he althy? We answer 7 questions about the rosehip.
When the sky is gray and overcast and the trees have already dropped their leaves, then it's time for the rose hips. The bright red fruits add color to gardens and bushes. Even under the white of the first snow, the rosehips shine unperturbed. The fruits are not only beautiful to look at, but also bring a lot of useful things with them.
1. Where do rose hips come from?
Rose hips have something folksy about them. For hundreds of years and over many generations, people have discovered the positive properties of the red fruit bodies. Actually, rosehips are aggregate nuts, as can easily be seen from the many small, hairy nuts inside the flesh. The shiny red fruits are formed by roses (Rosa). But not all roses form rosehips, because there are also sterile rose varieties that cannot form fruiting bodies. On the other hand, the hips of wild roses such as the dog rose (Rosa canina) are particularly pronounced. These are ideal for harvesting and recycling.
Of course you can also grow rose hips in your own garden. The roses with the most beautiful fruits - the wild or wild roses - are particularly suitable for rosehip hedges or individual bushes as eye-catchers in the garden. While the romantic blossoms enchant the garden with their beguiling fragrance in autumn, the glowing red rosehips transform your garden into a true paradise for birds in winter. Wild roses are an important habitat and food source for numerous insects and birds. Check out this article for more bird-friendly plants.
In addition, wild roses are very frugal and adaptable, they are also satisfied with dry and nutrient-poor soil. In the countrysidethey are therefore often found along paths and preferably in sun-exposed places. Satisfactory growth of wild roses can only be observed on wet soil.
3. When do you collect the fruits of the wild rose?
Rose hips ripen in autumn, so harvesting is generally possible from September. At this time of year, however, the hips are often still hard, if not immature. After the first frost, however, the fruit will soften and the skin will begin to become slightly translucent. It gives slightly when you press on it. Now is the optimal time to harvest, because in relation to the hard rose hips, these soft specimens are much sweeter and also easier to process. Theoretically, the fruit can now be collected throughout the winter, but over time the valuable vitamin C content of the fruit pulp decreases. The vitamin C content should be highest on dry days.
4. How do you harvest rosehips correctly?Harvesting rose hips is not complicated. Perhaps as a child you nibbled a rosehip straight from the bush on long hikes along the way? You have probably simply picked the rosehip from the bush and thus already revealed the entire secret of the rosehip harvest. The harvest of the red fruit is real manual work. However, be careful and wear gloves when harvesting so you don't prick yourself on the sharp spikes of the roses.
5. Are rose hips poisonous or edible?
Rose hips are not only edible, they are also very he althy and extremely tasty. This does not only apply to us humans, because numerous birds also enjoy the vitamin-rich variety in the mostly rather barren winter months. Incidentally, you can even enjoy the fruits raw straight from the bush. Choose a soft fruit and squeeze it out without squeezing out the hairy pits. Now enjoy the fruit pulp that oozes out.
Our pets can also benefit from rose hips: rabbits and other rodents like to eat the fruit raw. But are rose hips toxic to horses or dogs? In fact, rose hips have a he alth-promoting effect on dogs and horses. Due to the large amount of antioxidants and the anti-inflammatory effect of the rosehip, theAnimals develop strong immune systems, shiny coats, and strong nails.
6. Are rose hips he althy?Rose hips are extremely he althy. Lycopene, for example, the substance that gives rose hips their intense red color, is effective in preventing cancer and also helps against hardening of the arteries. The most well-known ingredient in rose hips is vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which has an antioxidant effect as a scavenger of free radicals in the body and is involved in many metabolic functions. This vitamin is especially famous for strengthening the immune system, which is known to need some support in autumn, when the rose hips are ripening. Rose hips even contain significantly more vitamin C than citrus fruits.
In addition, rose hips are also rich in vitamin A, which plays a role in night vision, fertility and skin regeneration. In addition, rose hips contain vitamins B1 and B2 as well as important mineral nutrients such as iron, zinc and sodium. Thanks to their valuable ingredients, such as the various polyphenols, vitamin C, galactolipid and several unsaturated fatty acids, rose hips have a proven anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, it is not surprising that rosehip and arthrosis and rheumatism are often associated. However, the effectiveness of rose hips against such serious diseases is not unrestricted - unfortunately, rose hips are not a miracle cure. Some studies that showed rose hips had an excellent effect against osteoarthritis were subsequently declared to be implausible. For minor inflammatory complaints, rosehip powder and ointment has been proven several times to have a sufficient to good effectiveness.
7. How to process and use rose hips?
The most strenuous part of the processing is probably the pitting to get the pulp of the rosehip. Because the numerous small rosehip seeds, which are actually nuts, are in the middle of the fruit flesh. They are adorned with fine hairs that are quite itchy on the skin and also not very pleasant in the mouth. The conventional method is therefore to cut off the tops of the fruit, cut the hips in half and then scrape out the seeds. That is of course a lot of work. If the fruits are to be processed into rosehip jam or mousse anyway, you can alternatively first boil them in water until soft and then pass them through a sieve. This method is not easy eitherbut can be facilitated by dilution with water. Of course, the water has to be boiled away again later, so that the jam or mousse doesn't become too runny.
There are many delicious recipes and ways to eat them. In addition to rosehip puree and jam, liqueur and fruit wines are also very popular. But rose hips are also good for savory dishes. Simmer one kilogram of pitted rose hips for about 90 minutes with 150 grams of diced onions, 100 grams of raisins and 125 milliliters of wine vinegar and you will have wonderful rose hip chutney. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, mustard seeds and coriander round off the taste of the chutney.
You can also easily dry pitted rose hips. If you don't have the space or patience to air dry the fruit, you can use drying equipment or the oven. However, make sure that the drying temperature remains below 40 °C to preserve the ingredients. Dried rose hips can be kept for many months if stored in a cool, dry and dark place. They are suitable as a he althy snack between meals or can be used to prepare rosehip tea. For the right strength of the tea, you should let it steep for about eight minutes. But don't be surprised: the rosehip tea does not turn red, but remains quite colorless.
Sloes are also a treat for both us and birds. For helpful tips on how to harvest sloe, see this article.