How to Get Vitamin C From Rose Hips

Rose hips, also called rose fruits, are rose bushes' seed pods. They are not widely recognized since most gardeners tend to prune dead or dying blooms in order to encourage the plant to produce more flowers. However, if you leave these dying flowers alone, they will eventually produce a small red seed ball about the size of a large blueberry or a cherry, depending on the variety of rose bush. Birds love these seed balls, but they are not just for the birds. Rose hips are extremely high in vitamin C, which scientists believe can prevent serious health problems like heart disease, cataracts, gum disease and even cancer. Not all of these findings are conclusive, but it is generally acknowledged that average adults should consume some vitamin C every day. To determine exactly how much you should be getting, consult your doctor as this amount is greatly influenced by health and lifestyle . Rose hips can be prepared in many different ways and are a great way to get your vitamin C in a natural form rather than from taking a pill.

Things You'll Need

• Paring knife
• Rose hips
• Strainer
• Pot
• Cutting board

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Instructions

• 1

  Trim off the stem and blossom ends. These are at the "top" and "bottom" of the rose hip where it used to be attached to the bush and where the flower used to be attached to the rose hip.

• 2

  Cut the rose hip in half. Press the rose hip lightly onto the cutting board, then slice it open. Your knife needs to be very sharp to avoid simply crushing the fruit.

• 3

  Remove the seeds. You can scrape them out with a knife.

• 4

  Boil the rose hips to make a tea. Boil 10 to 20 rose hips in 3 cups of water. They will create a semi-sweet infusion that you can drink and that is loaded with vitamin C. Just strain out the fruit before drinking.

• 5

  Dry the rose hips to make a crunchy, nut-like candy. You can dry rose hips by spreading them out in the sun or baking them in the oven until they are crisp. They are just like any other dried fruit and will keep indefinitely. You can coat them with brown sugar and butter if you wish before drying to make them a little sweeter.

• 6

  Serve the rose hips in a fresh salad. Rose hips are a great garnish for a lettuce salad or you can base the entire salad around them. Recipes similar to apple salad recipes are a great way to serve rose hips.