Rosehip is a naturally occurring abundantly wildly growing shrub.
The best time to harvest rosehips is in September and October during dry and sunny weather. At those times, the plant retains its highest content of vitamin C.
How to dry rosehips?
There are many ways to dry rosehips – without special equipment, it’s easiest to dry them in the oven at a minimum temperature. If you have a food dehydrator, set it on it’s lowest setting overnight or until completely dry. Or lastly, you can do like me and dry them the basic way: in the sun.
To dry them on the sun spread rosehips on a baking sheet and dry them until they are hard to the touch – it takes around a week or so, depending on the weather. Here are other possible methods how to dry the rosehips.
Rosehip tea:
Use a handful of dried rosehips for 1 quart of water. Soak rosehips overnight in water. Bring them to a boil in soaking water, turn the heat off and let them sit for 15 minutes. Strain into a cup.
Rosehip tea with orange peel and cinnamon:
- 1 cup rosehips
- 1/2 cup orange peel (you can dry your organic orange peel leftovers or buy it here)
- 4 pieces of whole cinnamon (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
Mix all ingredients together and store it in a sealed jar in a dark place.
To make the tea, place 2 teaspoons of the mixture in a tea pot. Let steep the tea for 10-15 minutes and strain into a cup. Add honey and enjoy your tea on those cold days!
Rosehips (Rosa canina) benefits:
Most used as a means to increase the organism resistance to infections and are a prominent source of vitamin C, especially in winter.
