Monday, May 11, 2009

How can I make good rose hips tea from real roses I get?

I've got all these roses from last week. I think you dry them or cut the top or something but I'm not having luck finding instructions. Indians has such cool rose-water-like juice. That or rose hips tea would be great, and is it only with red or can I do it with the other colored roses too?

How can I make good rose hips tea from real roses I get?
Rose hips are the pomaceous fruit of the rose plant, not the flower. You cannot make rose hip tea from roses. You could, however, attempt to make rose water. I don't think color matters, as long as they are a fragrant variety.





Rose Water, Method #1





This recipe is the more traditional way to prepare rose water. Though it's a little more involved, its fun to do and the results are outstanding. You can make a quart of excellent-quality rose water in about 40 minutes. However, if you simmer the water too long, you will continue to produce distilled water but the rose essence will become diluted. Your rose water will smell more like plain distilled water, rather than the heavenly scent of roses.





Be sure you have a brick and heat-safe stainless steel or glass quart bowl ready before you begin.





Ingredients





2-3 quarts fresh roses or rose petals


water


ice cubes or crushed ice





1. In the center of a large pot (the speckled blue canning pots are ideal) with an inverted lid (a rounded lid), place a fireplace brick. On top of the brick place the bowl. Put the roses in the pot; add enough flowers to reach the top of the brick. Pour in just enough water to cover the roses. The water should be just above the top of the brick.





2. Place the lid upside down on the pot. Turn on the stove and bring the water to a rolling boil, then lower heat to a slow steady simmer. As soon as the water begins to boil, toss two or three trays of ice cubes (or a bag of ice) on top of the lid.





3. You've now created a home still! As the water boils the steam rises, hits the top of the cold lid, and condenses. As it condenses it flows to the center of the lid and drops into the bowl. Every twenty minutes, quickly lift the lid and take out a tablespoon or two of the rose water. It's time to stop when you have between a pint and a quart of water that smells and tastes strongly like roses.
Reply:Don't use just any roses you get to make rose hip tes. Most roses have a lot of insecticide still on it. Only use rose hips or rose petal that you grew yourself or bought for food. Rose hip and roses are two different things. Rose hip is the fruit that follows after the flower petals fall. Thats the round green thing on the rose plant. Just steep them with what ever, like tea. It has a lot of vitamin c.


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