Rosehip - Herbal info and recipe
Today I come with another beautiful recipe!
A Rosehip Jam
It is commonly thought that the rosehip is a variety of rose, but in reality the term refers to many wild species of rose that produce a fruit after flowering called rose hip.
These wild roses are, for example, the Rosa canina, Rosa rubiginosa, and the Rosa moschata or “Musk Rose” is also used.
Here in Northern Ireland these species abound and for my recipe I used fruits of the dog rose and rubiginosa rose, allies that I find on the route of my frequent walk for recreation and recognition of species in the area ❤️
Harvesting is recommended after a few weeks of the first cold weather of the year, here in the northern hemisphere they can be harvested until the end of November, if the first frosts have already occurred and the fruits seem to be a little wrinkled and withered, it is actually the best moment! Because the plant pushes as much of the active ingredients into the fruits as it can before the death stage begins, so that the fruits can develop strong for the next season.
With which collecting after the first frosts we have the fruits most loaded with active medicinal principles!
Properties of the Rosehip:
It provides a high content of vitamin C. For every 100 gr of dried fruit, between 1,700 mg and 2,000 mg of this vitamin are obtained. In addition, it provides vitamins A, D and E and antioxidant flavonoids.
Therapeutic properties are attributed to it, such as preventing bladder infections; help with dizziness; with the headaches Also, as a curious fact, in Spain they are given the name of tapaculos for their anti-diarrheal action. This is so due to its high tannin content.
It is also a very effective astringent and a good help in the prevention of urinary infections.
The fruits are also useful to combat fatigue and physical exhaustion, they also purify the blood and are diuretics. Recommended for gout and rheumatic processes.
The petals of the Rosehip flower also have properties, the infusion made with them is diuretic and cleanses the kidneys. The infused petals clean irritated eyes, can be gargled to soothe sore throats and reduce inflammation of the gums, and can be eaten raw in salads.
In addition to being an excellent ally for the skin, its small fruit has a laxative, diuretic, antioxidant and body-stimulating effect.
Jam Recipe:
I’ll tell you what I used:
-approx about 200g of rosehip fruits
-1 cup of water
-1 cup of sugar of preference-1 taza de agua
-1 taza de azucar de preferencia
Preparation:
The procedure is very easy, although it requires patience because something very important to take into account with rose hips is that inside it contains seeds covered in fluff that is very irritating to the skin and stomach.
Then you have to open the fruits one by one and remove the seeds and fluff, wash them well and we are left with the shells.
Once the fluff has been removed, we place all the peels, the water and the sugar in a saucepan and heat slowly until the entire content boils gently and reduces until it becomes thick. In the middle of the boil, I decided to process the mixture so that there are little bits of the fruits are not so large. Once reduced to the thickness that we like, we can bottle it.
This jam contains many medicinal properties and above all it is an elixir prepared from the heart of the earth for the heart of the home.
The Plant Alchemist
