Rose Hips Are Harvested in The Fall.

June to September is the best time to harvest this nutritious fruit. The blossoms have come and gone. The green fruit has changed to a deep color. Some of the fruit is orange, some red. I have heard of purple and black rosehips, but I have not tested them out. They are not in my area.

The best time to get very ripe rosehip fruits are after the first frost. I think of it as sealing in the flavors. Harvest the fruit by cutting it from the bush. Leave part of the stem attached. The fruit should be just barely soft, never not mushy. If it is mushy then it is too ripe. That just means that the quality of nutrients will not be at its peak level.

You can get a bit carried away with making sure that they are healthy plants, not contaminated and the soil is not contaminated also. I just get a good idea of how much content I might get from the plant by its appearance and location. Not to stress about this too much while you are harvesting natural rose hips. It is more concern when you purchase them or purchase a product with other ingredients.

The fruit can sit and dry for a bit but preserving your harvest right away will seal in all the life-giving healthy qualities. Just make sure you add healthy, quality ingredients with it. I love honey for jellies and jams because it is a whole food. Make sure that your source has not been contaminated by toxins. Sometimes you can purchase an inferior quality of rose hips fruit and waste your efforts.

Prepare the Rose Hips according to the way they will be used.

Remember the fruit can be dehydrated as whole or crushed fruit. Make sure that it is dried thoroughly in a cooler environment. Heat can destroy much of your nutrients. Then container it up in a safe storage container. I really prefer glass for many reasons. Because we live in an imperfect world, there is no perfect way for anything. So, use what clean, sterile and convenient containers as you can.

Always remember to sift out the hairs that grow with the seeds if you include the seeds. They can be very irritating and itchy to the skin. I am so happy that my kids did not know about this quality. I may have had to deal with pranks like throwing the itchy seed hairs in someone else’s clothes!

Please try this fruit canned as juice or make jam or jelly. The rosehip has natural pectin in it, so it will thicken on its own. That is why I prefer the juice. If you are introducing it to others or want a variety, try making the jam or jelly from the juice. You can also add apples, or another fruit or pectin to thicken it. But I prefer the natural set of the hip berry.

A wonderful, easy and healthy way to preserve it is so it can be used as an herbal medicine. There are so many ways to use this wonderful vital nutrient! Use in soaps, ointments, oils, extracts to vary the healthy virtues of this amazing fruit!

In Summary

1. Harvest this fruit at peak ripe time in the Fall
2. You can eat them as fruit from the bush but pucker up!
3. Use low heat to preserve the nutrients
4. Use quality ingredients in preserving your harvest
5. Rosehips have natural pectin which makes it easier to thicken for jams or jellies
6. Use sterile, clean containers for storage