Rose Hips
Rose hips are the fruits on rose plants, including Alberta’s Provincial flower - the prickly wild rose. These shrubs can be found in open forests, thickets, river banks and clearings. The rose hips can be identified by their spherical or pear shape and bright red to plum colouration. They stay on the plant throughout the winter, which makes them a great food source for birds and mammals who don’t migrate south for the winter. Despite their prickles and thorns, rose plants are actually very palatable for a lot of wildlife - they don’t seem to mind!
While they are rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, they should be eaten in moderation as overconsumption may cause some unwanted symptoms… It is also important to make sure that you do not eat the rose hip seeds inside, as they are covered with tiny hairs that can irritate the digestive tract and cause ‘itchy bum.’
Did you know? Rose hips are said to contain as much vitamin C as a whole orange!
Before foraging for the required ingredients, we recommend taking a look at our Sustainable Foraging Guide!
Culture Connection
ᑲᒥᓇᑲᓭ kâminakasê
Rose hips were important to many nations for medicine, sustenance and crafting. Rose hips were made into jellies, juice and ice-cream by the Iñupiat. The Nîhithaw (Woodland Cree) strung rose hips into necklaces. The Anishnaabe (Ojibway) would use rose hip skins for stomach troubles and indigestion.
Other parts of the rose plant were important for medicine as well. The Nîhithaw used a decoction of prickly rose roots to help treat coughs and an infusion of the roots to treat sore eyes. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) mixed together rose leaves and bark into an infusion to make eye drops to help treat some types of blindness.
Rose hips are best foraged after the first frost
Ingredients
2 pounds of rose hips to make 4 cups of rose hip juice
7 1/2 cups sugar
1 box (2 pouches) liquid pectin (6 ounces)
Method
First, make your rosehip juice.
Harvest the rose hips after the first frost for the best ripeness and flavour. Remove the stems and blossom remnants and wash the hips in cool water.
In a small saucepan, add your rosehips and enough water to cover them. You will need 4 cups of juice for the recipe, so add a little more to account for evaporation. Two pounds of rose hips should yield approximately 4 cups of juice.
Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the rose hips are soft.
Cool the mixture and strain through a fine cheesecloth. Make sure the strainer or cloth is small enough so no little hairs get through.
Add the 4 cups of juice to a large pot and stir in the sugar. Bring to a full, rolling boil.
Add the liquid pectin and heat until boiling. Once it has reached a full boil, boil for exactly one minute.
Remove from heat and skim off any foam off the top.
Pour the jelly into hot, sterilized canning half-pint jars to 1/4 inch from the top. Seal with two-piece canning lids.
Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Note that this time is for Edmonton, and processing times vary by altitude.