Rosehips - the fruit of roses, our next winter remedy
They don't need much description as roses are so well-known
Rosehips from any species of rosebush can be used
although you will see a difference in
shape, size and colour between 'hips'
they can range in colour from orange to deep-ruby red
and be small, oval-shaped or relatively large and round
Rosehips have been traditionally used
to treat coughs and diarrhea
becasue they are also high in vitamin C
they are a useful addition to our diet in the winter
when our immune system needs an extra boost
Rosehip syrup is a popular way to preserve and use rosehips
Rinse the Rosehips
Top and tail them and remove any leaves still attached to them
Be very careful if you cut open the hips
the tiny hairs surrounding the seeds are extremely irritating
to the skin, mouth, nose and lungs
after all, they were the original base of itching powders!
Weigh your rosehips
In a measuring jug, add twice as much water as you have rosehips
Blitz the rosehips until the rosehips are a mushy paste
Add half of the water to this paste
pour the whole mixture into a pan and bring to the boil
Once boiling, remove from the heat
let sit for about 15 minutes while you prepare the muslin strainer.
you must use a piece of material like muslin
a clean old pair of tights, or a clean old cotton sheet or pillowcase
Remember, even a fine-meshed sieve is not enough
to separate those tiny irritating hairs from your mix!
pour the mix in and let the pulp sit and be strained for at least
and let the pulp sit and be strained for at least half an hour
so that all the juice can pass through the tiny holes
Once this is done, put the pulp back in the pan
and add the remaining water
remove from the heat
let sit for 10-15 minutes
then strain through your cloth again
You now have pure rosehip juice
but this won't last very long before going mouldy
If you want to preserve and use the medicinal qualities
of the rosehip throughout the winter
you need to take extra steps
wash your pan
Mix the two juice extracts
return to the pan
bring to the boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes
or until the juice has reduced to 1/3 of its original volume
Weigh out twice as much sugar as juice
This sugar will help preserve our rosehip juice
Add the sugar to the rosehip juice in the pan
bring the whole mix to a boil, reduce the heat
reduce the heat and let simmer gently for about 5 minutes
any longer and it will become toffee, which you don't want
Pour into sterilised jars or bottles
and seal immediately with sterilised lids
you can sterilise bottles, jars and lids
by placing them in a pot of cold water which covers them completely
boil the lot vigorously for at least 20 minutes
It's better to use small jars and bottles as, once opened,
the syrup lasts about a week, if refrigerated
Take a spoonful a day straight from the jar
or drizzle over pancakes, toast, ice-cream, yogurt or fruit