And did you know that a simple, so familiar to us rosehip during the Second World War was a real strategic raw material? Yes Yes.
It turns out that hundreds of British volunteers were sent to an organized collection of rose hips, which were highly valued as a source of vitamin C, so needed by the undernourished population and the army. Moreover, in the United States, hundreds of acres of undergrowth were planted with valuable rose hips as part of the Victory Gardens program, and almost all of the harvest went to war-torn Europe.
They say that now these rose hips have settled there, naturalized and captured vast areas in the forests, continuing to grow and bear fruit.
And what about us? And in our country, the majority of the population simply forgets about such an affordable valuable plant as rose hips, preferring to spend money on expensive and much less useful synthetic vitamins and dietary supplements. Truly, having, we do not value!
Useful properties of rose hips
So, once again about the healing properties of rose hips. Its berries contain a whole range of vitamins and minerals necessary for a person. Among plants, rose hips are truly the champion in the content of vitamin C. The concentration of this vitamin in rose hips is higher than in lemons, oranges and black currants. It is also rich in iron, carotene, rutin, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, as well as antioxidants (pectins, flavonoids), tannins, phytoncides and organic acids. In a word, everything that is extremely necessary for our health.
Now remember that the essential oil extracted from rose hips is included in expensive natural cosmetics to nourish, moisturize, rejuvenate and improve the appearance of the skin. The use of the rosehip itself helps to strengthen the immune system, increase the body's resistance to bacteria, heal the digestive system and, as a result, slow down the aging process. Rosehip is especially useful in the cold season, when the body is so in need of vitamins and strengthening the immune system.
Rosehip berries can be bought in a pharmacy in dry form, or you can collect them fresh yourself - fortunately, this plant is very common in the wild.
Read also the article Rosehip: medicinal use.
Rosehip harvesting
When to collect rose hips? It depends on what specific purpose you need the berries for. The fact is that at certain times the amount of vitamin C in berries decreases, while the amount of sugars, on the contrary, increases. These conditions can be recognized by the appearance of the berries - over time, when there are more sugars, they darken. Changes in the composition also occur during frosts or the first autumn frosts. Therefore, if you need sweeter berries, then it is worth waiting for a cold snap to collect them. And if you want more benefits, pick the berries as they ripen. As a rule, having collected enough berries, we do not consume them all at once, but leave them in reserve. This means that you need to know how to properly process, store and even preserve this crop. By the way, many are sure that it is enough to pick the berries, pour them into some container and leave them for storage. A common delusion. In fact, rose hips need to be processed and it will take time as well as patience.
Incidentally, the time and effort spent on processing is precisely one of the reasons for the high cost of finished rosehip products. True, many, having collected the rose hips, often simply use the berries by cutting them in half. But it should be borne in mind that the fine hairs in the fruit can irritate the digestive system. Therefore, it is worth using unpeeled berries only if you thoroughly filter the final product: broth, syrup or rosehip tea.
And now about how to properly prepare a rosehip.Surprisingly, very few people still know that rose hips can be preserved. In fact, it is possible and necessary! But only after special treatment.
So, rinse the rose hips. Cut off the top and bottom ends of each berry. Cut them in half and remove large seeds and fine hairy fibers. The berries are now ready for canning.
To dry the berries, spread them in a single layer on paper in a dark and well-ventilated area until they are completely dry. Place dried berries in sealed plastic bags or jars. As such, they can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. Dried berries are good for making rosehip infusion or tea.
You can make rosehip puree and store it that way. To do this, grind the processed berries in a food processor. Now transfer the puree to airtight plastic bags and store in the freezer.
To prepare a rosehip broth, pour hot water over the berries and heat in a water bath for 20 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, chop and wipe the berries, then pass the broth through the same sieve again to preserve the beneficial substances of the rosehip in the broth as much as possible. Pour it into ice cube trays and store in the freezer.
And if you want to make a syrup, pour the broth back into the pot, add sugar and continue heating in a water bath until the sugar dissolves. Pour the prepared syrup into bottles and store in the refrigerator. Ratio: for 4 cups of rose hips - 2 cups of water and a glass of sugar.
The blanks that you made can be used in the future not only for treatment. Dried rose hips, as well as mashed potatoes, broth, syrup can, for example, be added to fruit cocktails, or can be used as a separate dish in small portions to raise the tone or as part of herbal teas. By the way, frozen cubes of rosehip decoction are also an excellent cosmetic product that tones up the skin and saturates it with vitamins.
The simplest use of rose hips is a healing vitamin tea. Pour a tablespoon of berries into a thermos and pour a glass of hot water (not boiling water). Infuse the tea for several hours, then you can reuse the berries. Together with rose hips, you can insist a couple of sticks of cloves or a little mint for taste. You can add honey to the finished tea if you don't like the sour taste.
"Ural gardener", No. 49, 2019
