Fresh Rose Hips

Fresh Rose Hips

            ROSE HIPS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE VERY RICH IN VITAMINS A, B,E, and K and are one of our best native sources of vitamin C. Three hips can contain as much as a whole orange(something to remember when the price of oranges and orange juice goes up for the winter). Remove the seeds and fluff from centre of rose hips. Cut into halves and combine with an assortment of other fresh fruits.

During World War 2, when oranges could not be imported, British and Scandinavian people collected hundreds of tons of rose hips to make a nutritional soup.

           Rose Hip Puree

1. Clean 1 pound of rose hips as described, simmer in water for about 30 minutes, or until soft; low bush cranberries can be added the last 15 minutes

            2. Press through a sieve or use a blender

            3. Sweeten to taste

         

           Rose Hips are also dried as tea.               

Preserving Wild Berries

Wild berries will keep well in the ground. Dig a hole, deep enough for a wooden barrel, place barrel in the hole and fill with berries. Cover with a weighted lid, and year- round you can scoop out berries as you need them. Glass jars or crocks can also be used.

            Berries to be frozen in a home freezer may be put in plastic bags, wrapped securely, and frozen. Thaw in a cold place preferably, and use for puddings, sauces, compotes or baked dishes. A simple way to dry wild berries is to spread them out on a white sheet in the sun. Shake the sheet to turn berries.

            When dry, hang them up in porous sacks to keep. When you wish to use them, soak berries in water for about an hour.

Baked Apple Berry or Cloud Berry (Rubus Chamaemorus)-

          Is a sweet, golden- amber coloured berry, found in peat bogs and muskeg. It grows 2-6 inches high, and the flower is white

            Black Bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina)

            Is a trailing shrub, and usually found growing in the mountains. The leaves are wrinkled with veins, and the flowers are pinkish-white. The berries when ripe are purple-black and juicy but insipid. The taste is improved by cooking