I'm interested in growing rosehips for tea. I purchased a "Katy Road Pink" a couple of years ago because I was told it produced large hips.
When and how do I harvest the hips? The rose bush has stopped blooming and has hips now, but I would like to have some more blooms. Do I have to wait for the hips to get bigger and turn red before harvesting them. Thanks for your help.
Signed,
Clueless
It’s always a wrench, trying to decide whether to leave the hips until they ripen reddish, or take them green to encourage more bloom. A good toss up is to take half from each bloom flush and leave the others to ripen.
You can make rose hip tea from fresh green or yellowing rose hips or ripened, frost-nipped red or orange ones. Although - the more ripe; the more vitamins. Here’s some general guidelines.
For fresh green rose hip tea, chop 3 or 4 hips per cup, pour boiled water over them and steep for at least 30 minutes.
To use ripe red/orange hips, cut in half and remove the seeds. The remaining hip case can be brewed or eaten immediately or left out to dry more thoroughly before storing in freezer or fridge. About 1 tsp per cup brews a nice strength. It is said that metal pots or utensils - other than stainless steel – will reduce the vitamin C content. The species and old roses such as Rosa rugosas are reported to be the tastiest. Your pre-1850 Katy Road is a good choice, esp because it repeat blooms.
You can doctor the flavor with vanilla, honey or spices such as cinnamon or cloves.
Please let us know how it goes for you.
Hello,
I would like to try my hand at growing rose hips for decorative use in vases etc. Could you recommend a plant for Southern California area. I am a total novice! Thank you!
There are so many old varieties that would work for you in your hot climate. My fav in this garden for huge beautiful hips is the ‘Dortmund’. It has beautiful single red and white blooms that make really pump seedpods.
But it is a climber, and you may prefer a shrub type. If so, decide the shape and size that best suits your needs, then research the 'old rose' or 'heirloom' and 'antique' rose categories to find just the right one for your garden.