Hello Fellow Steemians,
With the winter weather in full force here in South Dakota, I thought it was the perfect time to tell you all about a wonderful little thing called Rose Hip Syrup. Rose Hips have one of the most concentrated amounts of Vitamin C (A handful of Rose Hips contain the same amount of vitamin C as sixty oranges) and therefore are my favorite for making an immune boosting syrup to keep us healthy through the winter months. We are lucky enough to have them growing wild on our property and have a tradition of picking them in the fall to make syrup for the winter. Dried Rose Hips are readily available online as well.
What are Rose Hips?
Rose Hips are the fruit of the Wild Rose plant and are one of the most nutritionally packed fruits of any plant. The reason that Rose Hips are so popular is because they are extremely effective in treating a wide variety of health conditions. How? The vitamins, minerals, organic compounds, and other essential nutrients in Rose Hips pack a very powerful punch. Some of these beneficial components include vitamin C, A, E, and vitamin B-complex, as well as minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sulfur, silicon and zinc. Pretty impressive huh?
Rose Hips have been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments. The Native Americans all over the Dakotas used Rose Hips to treat respiratory infections and were a very important source of vitamins for them during the winter months when plants were scarce.
During World War II, when the government urged households to grow food in "victory gardens" as part of the war effort, Rose Hips were stressed as the highest Vitamin C food. Because of this, there were many recipes available that called for using the fresh berries as a dinner vegetable, along with in soups and salads.
To Make Syrup:
Rinse berries well and remove stems.
Place in heavy pot and fill with enough filtered water to cover berries. Throw in a cinnamon stick and a couple whole cloves then boil uncovered until berries burst and liquid begins to thicken.
Strain liquid using cheesecloth. Then add about a Tablespoon of Local Raw Honey and the juice of half of a lemon, stir until incorporated.
Let mixture cool and then store in the fridge in a glass container. Take a spoonful everyday through the winter or when you feel something coming on. We personally take it as a daily vitamin and it has helped us keep illness at bay.
Hope this post was helpful!
Happy Homesteading
#howto