Sacred Succulents has a hip rose they say is good for eating, with a mild pineapple flavor: a cultivar of Rosa roxburghii, the sweet chestnut rose. I’ve been meaning to acquire one for breeding (it’s a diploid, as is pomifera/villosa; I think rugosa is tetraploid), but I haven’t taken the time to do so.
http://sacredsucculents.com/medicinals-edibles-other-plants-of-interest/
I got an R. roxburghii from Almost Eden Plants. It’s a tough rose so far, but while it handles some dryness, it seems a heavy drinker… I recently put dishes underneath most of my potted plants to keep them hydrated a bit longer, and the rose always empties it’s dish in a couple of hours, suckin’ it all up. I wonder if it’s the roots, or just the extra absorbent soil.
From Raintree I got a Rosa pomifera, and a diploid R. rugosa “Jubilee”, but I didn’t re-pot the Jubilee in time, so I didn’t realize it was developing root rot until it was too late, and I lost it (with the speed of drainage, I had thought it was drying out instead). I’m going to try for another one as soon as I’m able. The pomifera has been growing well so far, sending out new branches from the base.
With what happened to the Jubilee, I wonder if I should remove the Roxburgh’s dish. The pomifera is in a bigger pot, no dish.
Lots of vitamin c! During the world wars rose hips were an important source of vitamin c and could be gathered wild.
I never did get another Jubilee, but I did get a “Rubra”, so I’m covered for Rugosa genetics. My first hip is currently on the way:
I have used dried rose hips bought at a brew supply store, along with some yarrow leaf, to preserve & flavor ales, instead of preserving with hops. Both yarrow leaf & this rose hip combine to bring a citrus (mostly orange) taste to the ale.
Can anyone recommend a rose hip that has this flavor?
Rose is pretty easy to grow from the cuttings.
That specific rose doesn’t look like Rosa multiflora to me. Hard to tell from the picture, but the hips look big enough that they could possibly be Rosa canina.
I’ll try to take a better picture next time I go past it, probably when I go pick the hips.
Good old fashioned Rugosa made great jam.
Do you happen to have your recipe?
Betweentwoponds: Roses can be grafted, which gets you fruit faster than rooting, if that can be done with this species. Most of the States are host to at least two species of rose. There are two quite prevalent in far eastern Washington state, one with hips at least twice the size of the other.
It is likely you could graft this one & get even better hips because you care for the rose. Ask around, somebody near you grows roses & can connect you with a suitable rootstock.
I would have to google it. That is where I found it.
Rugosa available from many sources here in the States. Very thorny & spreading from the roots in some situations.
No worries, I’ll look them up.
Cut in half and remove seeds and the bristly hairs around them (these can irritate your throat). Then you can eat raw, cook it down or brew it into tea (if you’re straining the tea you don’t have to worry so much about the bristles depending on how fine the strainer is).
Ive noticed that a minority of multifloras here have quite a sweet and delicious flavor. The majority are quite bland, but when you happen upon a multiflora bush with flavorful hips, it’s incredible how much flavor is packed in there!
