Roses Are Red, and a Culinary Treat

At this time of year, finding rose hips is as easy as going into your backyard.

That cherry-sized fruit left behind after the rose blossom dies is actually a highly-nutritious culinary gem—so don't be too quick to toss it in with your other dead clippings. It's also something you may be pressed to find in a fresh version at your local grocery store or farmers market, so appreciate your home-grown treat.

Rose hips are higher in antioxidants than green tea, and also loaded with vitamin C, so it isn't hard to see why they have been used medicinally for centuries. 

In the kitchen, rose hips can easily be turned into teas or infused into simple syrup to pour over a bowl of vanilla ice cream for an impressive party dessert, or to lace a refreshing summertime cocktail with a delicate floral note.

If you have a surplus of rose hips and you want to get really fancy, consider making rose hip jelly or candied rose hips. 

To make rose hip simple syrup, bring 1 cup fresh rose hips to a boil in 2 cups of water. Once they have simmered for about 20 minutes, remove from the heat and mash the rose hips to infuse the syrup with the maximum aroma and flavor. Add the sugar and return to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour through a strainer to remove the rose hip pieces and store your rose hip simple syrup in the fridge for up to a year.

This recipe courtesy of the Cauldrons and Crockpots Blog. 

Have you ever cooked with rose hips? Tell us how they came out in the comments!