
Rose berries, called rose hips or just hips, are very attractive in the fall. Most turn bright red, although some are purple, and generally they persist through a good part of the winter. And when the fruits do disappear, it’s usually because birds have discovered them. So, if you don’t remove them (the unfortunate mania of excessive gardeners is to remove all faded flowers and therefore they never see the beautiful fruits that follow!), you’ll have a “two for the price of one”: beautiful fall/winter fruits and an invitation to birds to visit your winter garden.
Edible

In fact, make that a “three for the price of one”: rose hips are edible and indeed very rich in vitamin C (20 times higher than citrus!) as well as vitamin B, carotene (provitamin A) and minerals. Since they are usually acidic and rather astringent, they are rarely eaten fresh, but rather cooked with sugar. Wait until the fruit softens before harvesting, usually after one or two hard frosts. They can then be made into syrups, jellies, marmalades, ketchups and even soups (rose-hip soup is a traditional recipe in Sweden).
An Unpleasant Side Effect

It’s important, however, to remove the seeds before consuming the fruits. In most species, including the popular rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa), the seeds are covered in irritating hairs that can cause unpleasant reactions to the skin and mucous membranes. And the irritation is carried right through the digestive tract. As a result, the French call rose hips “gratte-culs” (butt scratchers), while Amerindian tribes described the result as “itchy bottom disease.” I figure you get the picture!
The fine hairs can even be ground up and used as itching powder, popularly used as a practical joke … although you can be pretty sure the butt of the joke (couldn’t resistant that one!) won’t be laughing!
So, remove the seeds before you cook up that fantastic family rose hip recipe you just discovered in great-grandma’s cookbook … and the whole family will be grateful!
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Wish I had read this before eating fresh hips. I have rugosa roses and they produce quarter sized hips which starts ripenening in june. I scraped out the seeds before eating, and now noticing some itchy sensation around my mouth. The ripe hip has a nice tart flavor.. Thanl you the excellent article.
I’ve had the same thing. How long did it last for, I think I might have ingested more than I thought as well. I have irritation in the back of my mouth, throat and chest. I’m nervous, it is uncomfortable.
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Are cultivated hips edible as well as wild?
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I see them as a perennial flower, that could be a sources of vitamins, should food shortages
became a reality in the future.
I love rose hips! I actually just did a post on my blog Earth, Food, and Fire a few weeks ago about using rose hips to make tea! A good way to get around the itchy bum problem and still get the health benefits!
I have found drying them is the easiest way to store them for tea, after steeping, simple strain out all the pulp!
I think I’ll leave them right where they are on the bush and take a Vitamin C. 🙂