We’ve had our Rosa Rugosa for four years, but this is the first year I’ve been able to taste a rose hip.

Since before written history, rose hips have been harvested in the wild and used as a food source.  They are one of the most concentrated sources of vitamin C anywhere in nature.  They are used for teas, jellies, jams, and even soup.  During World War II, the government of Great Britain distributed rose hip syrup to families throughout the country to be sure children were receiving enough vitamin C, since access to many fruits was hampered by the war.

I eagerly watched my rose bush that first year, and it grew little green hips which then turned black and fell off.  The next year, many of the hips turned orange, but I was preoccupied with other things and did not harvest them.  Last year, I was determined not to let them go.  I watched as the hips grew and turned orange.  After the first hard frost, I dutifully harvested them and took them inside to dry them.

That was when I first tasted a rose hip.  I bit off a little piece in my mouth.  I spit it out along with a bunch of seeds.  “What’s all the fuss about this stuff?” I thought.  It was not pleasant at all.

This year, something remarkable happened.  I watched the hips grow and turn orange, but this time I didn’t have an inclination to harvest them.  Not after last year.  I figured I’d leave them on the bush for the birds to eat during the winter.

Then, one day last week I was walking out the door and past the rose bush and noticed something I had not seen before.  The hips were turning red.  They didn’t stop ripening at “orange,” but kept darkening.  Right in front of me was a rich, tomato-red hip the size of a crab apple.

I plucked it off and took a small bite of the flesh, almost cringing as I remembered last year’s experience.  Wow!  It was juicy, soft, and had a rich fruity taste.  It was something like a cross between an apple and a cantalope in flavor.

Sorry, birds.  No hips for you this year.  I harvested the ripe ones and set them inside to dry.  We’ve picked a couple more that have ripened off since then.  I can’t wait to try the tea.

My problem last year was partly one of bad information and partly of impatience.  The information I read said that the hips should be harvested after the first frosts but before a killing frost.  Well, they simply weren’t ripened off by then.  This year, we had at least three hard, killing frosts before I tasted that first, delicious rose hip.

Once they have dried and I’ve tried the first cup of fresh-from-the-homestead rose hip tea, I’ll let you know how it was.

Some more information about rose hips:

• Rose hips in wikipedia
• Wild Roses: Hips, Haws, Vitamin C
• Rose hip tea (About.com)
• East you Rose — recipes for rose hip jam, puree, and tea.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 pm and is filed under Food, Natural / herbal remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.