First Frost, But Not Hip Time Yet
I have been looking forward to this. The almanac says first frost is rose hip time. Frost sweetens them, and so it certainly can be. I have seen huge bushes just full of ready rose hips.
But those were in places I could not be certain were not sprayed, and all my private bushes are not yet ready to cooperate. First frost came, and I went out hoping for a big haul. Instead, they are still giving roses. I got one single hip.
So it waits. Nature does not always cooperate with your calendar. Watch the plant, not the calendar.
Here is what I would do with a big haul, when the bushes are actually done blooming. I put it all together as printable sheets, and here is everything on them:
How to spot them
- They grow on rose canes, left behind after the petals fall.
- Bright red or orange, round or oval, about the size of a small grape.
- A little star-shaped crown on the end opposite the stem.
- Firm to the touch, not mushy.
How to harvest
- Bring gloves, pruners, and a basket.
- Pick the firm, bright red ones.
- Leave the mushy, brown, or shriveled ones.
- Only pick from roses you know have not been sprayed. If you are not sure, ask. Sprayed hips are not for tea or skin care.
Still blooming? The hips are not ready yet.
What they are good for
- Vitamin C tea, one of the richest natural sources.
- Jelly, jam, and syrup.
- Infused oil for skin care.
- Drying for winter use.
How to dry them
- Dry them whole, no need to scoop anything out first.
- Or halve them and scoop the seeds and hairs out first, if that is how you like to do it. Halved hips dry faster, and the clean flesh is ready for jam or puree.
- Spread them in a single layer with air moving around them, and dry until hard and brittle all the way through.
- When you brew tea, crush them and strain well through a coffee filter. The tiny hairs inside are itchy and you do not want them in your cup.
- For skin care oil, crush the dried hips, cover with oil, and strain twice, cheesecloth then coffee filter.
- Fully dried hips keep for months in a jar, out of direct light.
Dealing with the itchy hairs…
- The hairs live inside, packed around the seeds, and they itch if they touch your skin or get in your tea.
- If you want them out: wear gloves, cut the hips in half, and scoop the seeds and hairs out with a small spoon, over a bowl.
- Do it somewhere easy to clean, the hairs get everywhere, and do not touch your face until you wash your hands.
- You do not have to do this for tea or oil, straining through a coffee filter catches them just fine. Separating is for when you want the clean flesh, for jam or puree.
The itch powder
- Those hairs you just scooped out? That is the classic itching powder, no extra ingredients needed.
- Dry them fully, store them in a jar, and that is it.
- Dust them on skin and they itch, that is the whole prank.
- Keep them out of eyes, do not breathe them in, and wash off with soap and water when the joke is over.
- Save them for willing victims only.
Anyway… for now, we wait. The bushes will tell me when the time is right.
