Rose Hips

[orangehen]

Rugosa rose bushes have lots and lots of large, fat "hips" on them right now, but should I pick and dry them for tea at this time of year (they're so nice and plump), or wait until after frost? Maybe they dry out better then. What do you do?

[culpeper]

Pick hips when ripe, before the first frost and use either fresh or dried. Seeds contain irritating hairs and they should be removed from the hips before hips are used.

[doulanobles]

How red do they need to be to be ripe?

[Cande]

ok let me be the dummy here, what is a rose hip?? please help me!!! LOL!!

[mistletoad]

A rosehip is the fat part left behind after the petals fall off. In most domestic roses it isn't very big, but on the Rosa Rugosa it can be an inch or more across. They turn a beautiful orange/red colour and are very high in vitamin C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:H...osa_rugosa.jpg

[Cande]

thanks...........(blush)......just never knew what to call that....!! LOL!!

[ozark mike]

Cande, the rose is in the apple family....mike

[Cande]

Thanks again....!! LOL!! I'm always in a learning stage.......

[orangehen]

Thanks, Culpepper!

[culpeper]

My pleasure! The 'hip' is the fruit of the rose plant, and contains the seeds from which it can propagate itself. It appears after flowering, as with most fruit-producing plants.

[debbiebofjc]

Here is an article about rose hips from Backwoods Home magazine:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/butler95.html

I had forgotten about rose hips, I want to try some. We should have plenty down in our woods.

[Woodpecker]

Originally Posted by debbiebofjc

Here is an article about rose hips from Backwoods Home magazine:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/butler95.html

I had forgotten about rose hips, I want to try some. We should have plenty down in our woods.

thanks for posting that article it was interesting.