Does anyone use wild roses?

bcabrobin

This the fields and fence lines are white with wild roses. They smell heavenly and would love to do something with them. I picked a pint jar full (that took forever, just picking petals)

Can I use the leaves, parts that will turn into rosehips but still have the petals on yet?

Can I make a vinegar with rose petals?

LaurieLovesLearning

@bcabrobin You can use the petals to make flavored & scented honey through infusion, in ice cream, cakes or biscuits, & as cake decorations (sugared is beautiful).

Rosealee de la Forêt had an ebook recently that covered their many uses & health benefits. I am not sure if it might still be offered or not through instagram/FB/her site?

I am sure that @torey will have great suggestions.

Torey

@bcabrobin

You can make a vinegar with your petals. About 3/4 of a jar and then fill with the vinegar of your choice. I would probably use a mild white wine vinegar (a darker vinegar like red wine would mask some of the scent as well as the colour) but you could use any vinegar of your choice. Makes a nice salad dressing. If you use apple cider vinegar, you would have a cooling solution for sunburn as well as for dressings or other cooking. Other uses for rose vinegar: hair rinse, add to cooling foot soaks, dilute in water for a facial toner.

You can make a rose petal tincture. Weight the petals and then use twice their weight in volume of brandy. So for 4 ounces of petals, use 8 oz. of brandy. You can add a bit of honey to improve the taste but personally I don't think it needs it. This can be taken in doses of 5-10 drops for relief of anxiety or grief. Take in larger doses (20 drops twice daily) to assist with skin inflammations.

Dried rose petals make a lovely tea or use in tea blends (I prefer blends as it is a bit overpowering for me on its own).

You could make rose petal jelly but that is a lot of work for the small return. @LaurieLovesLearning's suggestion of honey is a much simpler use of petals for something sweet.

There are quite a few recipes on the internet for wild rose face creams, most often made by infusing the petals in oil. I've never made any of them but it looks fairly basic. Make infused oils and add butters or waxes and continue as for any cream. TGN's Making Herbal Medicines course, Module 6, has complete instructions to follow using herbs or flowers of your choice..

LaurieLovesLearning

I bet you could make a lovely spritz for freshening up a room! I can't remember offhand what is all used in one, but possibly vodka is the carrier.

judsoncarroll4

Definitely! On salads, in salsas, for wine or jelly! The penultimate epicurean dish is quail with rose petals in wine. Don't forget the hips!

JaneMcTavish

I have dried the petals and used them as a tea. Loved tea parties with grandchildren.

They can also be covered with Vodka, adding a few drops of Rose Essential Oil for a body spritz or refresher.

I am just learning of a way to use them medicinally. Haven't finished reading and learning that just yet but it's just about there.

Slightly moistened, then covered with granulated sugar, then left to dry. Beautiful additions to cakes, cookies, and lovely plate presentation.

VickiP

The ones I have also produce a lot of hips which can be used as usual.

Torey

@bcabrobin Hope you still have some blooms left.

@LaurieLovesLearning mentioned Rosalee de la Foret having an e-book on roses. I couldn't find the e-book but following are some links to Rosalee's Herbal Rwmedies Advice website and a couple of others.

This is her page on Benefits of Rose Hips. Lots of recipes as well. https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/rose-hips-benefits.html

This is her page on Benefits of Rose Petals. https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/rose-benefits.html

This link is for rose petal shrub. https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/Rose-Petal-Shrub-Recipe.html

This link is for Rose Hip & Cranberry Compote. https://learningherbs.com/remedies-recipes/compote-recipe/

This one is for 34 Ways to use Roses from the Herbal Academy. https://theherbalacademy.com/34-ways-to-use-roses/

You also asked about the leaf. The leaf is astringent and can be used in an infusion to assist with diarrhea. The same infusion, cooled, may assist with minor dermatitis or cradle cap.

Torey

@bcabrobin There is also a rose petal wine recipe in another discussion, in case you haven't seen it, here is the link.

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/844261/rose-petal-wine-recipe-from-your-friendly-neighborhood-provocative-gourmand#latest

vickeym

Wow, this is great. Lots of ideas for how to use wild roses just as ours are blooming like mad. Can't wait to go pick some and see what all I have enough to make with them.

blevinandwomba

Just something to keep in mind when working with rose petals. Some species of roses carry their scent in the petals, and others in the centers. If it's the latter sort, the petals may not impart and fragrance/flavor, even though the rose itself is very fragrant. I don't know if that affects the medicinal uses.

@bcabrobin sounds like rosa multiflora. Do the blooms have a single layer of petals, kind of like a strawberry or raspberry blossom, and grow in clusters? I've eaten the hips from multiflora many times. They are super tiny and seedy but I love the flavor- like cranberry-apple to my taste.

Karen luihn

I had no idea that you could do so much with rose petals! Are all types edible as long as they haven’t been sprayed? I have knockout roses thanks