Join Your TownHealth 
Good eats right out of the back yard
By Diane Battistello
Wed Sep 12, 2007, 09:13 AM EDT
The first time someone said to me, "Eat Your Yard," I thought they were, well, a little crazy. Over the past few years, though, I've come to learn that it can actually be both quite practical and healthful to incorporate into our diets many of the plants we have growing in our yards. Take, for instance, rose hips, the fruit of the rose bush.
Roses are a member of the apple family. Historically Native Americans used rose hips in soups and stews. As our farmers went off to battle both World Wars the domestic foods supplies dwindled and the United States and British Governments encouraged people to grow their own "Victory Gardens" saving the commercial canned goods for the troops. During this time of food rationing rose hips were served as dinner vegetables and often made into jams. Rose hips were given to the British troops as a source of Vitamin C when citrus imports became limited.
Today the vast majority of Vitamin C tablets and capsules, sold in U.S. stores are manufactured in China for American companies. While many US companies operating in China are known to follow GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) there are many concerning stories about lax public food inspections. There are those of us who still get a little queasy when remembering the stories about tainted pet foods. Many people are beginning to move away from purchasing and using products made in China. In addition to the current quality assurance problems, according to The Natural Foods Merchandiser ("Deficiency in vitamin supply drives up cost," Sept 2007), by the end of this year we could be seeing a 20 - 25% increase in the cost of supplements containing Vitamin C. So, maybe it is time to "eat your yard."
Rose hips are significantly higher in Vitamin C than oranges, grapefruits and broccoli. They are also known to be excellent anti-oxidants. All roses produce hips, but Rugosa roses are a good choice for hip consumption. This variety is highly resistant to powdery mildew, blackspot and other diseases. In addition, the Rugosa is cold hardy and survives in poor, dry soils. This type of rose is easy to care for and doesn't need to be sprayed with chemicals. The only difficulty might be in resisting the temptation to cut the beautiful flowers as rose hips develop on the plant only when the bloom is not cut off, or deadheaded. So, stop cutting the rose flower after August and leave the withering flowers on the stem.
Within a few weeks of the falling petals the hips will appear as a green color seed pods at the blossom's base. They mature to about the size of a cherry. Harvest time is after the first frost, generally mid Sept. through Oct. You'll see the rose hips turn bright in color (red, orange, or purple. Trim off the stem and blossom ends, cut the hips in half. The skin of the hip is where the nutrition is so remove and discard the seeds and inner hairs, then wash well. Dry rose hips on a cookie sheet for a couple of weeks until completely dry. When they become dark, hard and semi-wrinkly they are ready for storage. Glass containers, preferably dark glass, preserve the precious quality of the fruit the best. Store them in a cool, dark location.
What about people who don't have a garden? Dried rose hips are available at many health food stores. Check on the internet also for other resources.
Since Vitamin C is water soluble you can extract the nutrient from the hip simply with boiling water. For tea the hips may be used fresh or dried. For fresh brewing, steep a tablespoon or two of clean hips in a cup of boiling water for about 10 minutes or longer if desired. To make a tea of dried hips, use only two teaspoons to one cup of boiling water and steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Honey makes a great sweetener for rose tea. It is easy to find rose hip recipes for puree, jams, syrups and baked goods.
