Rosehips or rose hips are loaded with Vitamins C and have many health benefits. They have a sweet and mild flavor and can be used in various recipes, including Rosehips Syrup. Enjoy this sweet syrup as a cordial, in mixed drinks, or poured over pancakes or ice cream.
Why This Recipe Works
Rose hips are known for their medicinal benefits. They are naturally sweet and perfect for making rosehips syrup.
Long after the delicate and fragrant pink wild roses have faded, the red and orange rosehips make their appearance.
Whether you may find them in your own back yard, or along your favorite hiking trail, these overlooked jewels are ready to be enjoyed by wildlife and foragers alike! Besides being very good for you, rose hips have a sweet and pleasantly mild flavor.
When to harvest Rosehips
When Fall finally arrives, I look forward to plucking a few rosehips off of the rose bushes that line our ½ mile driveway on my daily walk with our dogs, Winston and Holly.
I carefully eat the rose hips' outer flesh, avoiding the seeds and the irritating hairs in the center of the pod. Interestingly enough, the hairs are used to make itching powder.
Then comes the day that I make the trek around our property with a bag over my shoulder, ready to collect rosehips to use in various recipes including this rosehips syrup recipe. Don't worry, I leave plenty behind for the birds, deer, and the bears.
If you have extra Rosehips, use them to make this delicious crabapple and rosehip jam!
What Goes into This Recipe?
Ingredient Notes
- Rosehips — Rosehips come in different sizes and colors. If possible, choose rosehips that are darker in color. Larger rosehips are preferred because they're fleshier and you won't need to pick as many to get the amount that you need. Shriveled/dried rose hips can also be used because they will rehydrate while cooking.
- Sugar — This recipe calls for plain white sugar. However, you can use honey for a healthier option.
- Orange Slices — Fresh or dehydrated orange slices add a nice hint of citrus flavor to the syrup.
- Rose Water — The Rose Flower Water is optional but intensifies the rose flavor. All you need is ½ to 1 teaspoon.
How to Make This Recipe
Wash the rose hips and remove the stems and the dried part on top.
Measure 5 cups of rose hips, then add to a clean pot. Add the orange slices and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Mash the rosehips during the last 5 minutes of cooking to extract their juices. Strain through a strainer, set over a large measuring cup. Reserve the rosehips.
Pour the strained liquid through a soup bag to clarify it even further.
While the rosehip juice is straining, add the reserved rosehips back into the same pot and cover with 2 cups of cold water. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Repeat the straining process, first through a strainer, then through a soup bag.
For every 1 cup of juice, add ½ cup of sugar. I had 3 cups of juice, so I used 1½ cups of sugar.
Add the rosehip juice, sugar, and rose flower water to a clean pot. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Skim foam if necessary.
Cool the syrup slightly before pouring it into a 16-ounce bottle. Store the bottle in the refrigerator and consume it within 6 months.
Recipe FAQ's and Expert Tips
The rosehip is the round, seed-filled bulb that is left on the stem long after the rose fades. Rose hips are normally found underneath the rose petals and get larger as the seeds grow inside the bulb. The nutrient-packed outer flesh is used to make vitamins and used in various recipes.
Rosehips are ready to be picked in early to mid Fall. However, it is commonly suggested that the rose hips will be sweeter if picked after the first frost.
According to Healthline.com, rose hips may lower signs of aging, aid in weight loss, reduce arthritis pain, lower cholesterol levels, and reduce high blood pressure.
Rose hips are naturally loaded with high levels of vitamin C. The pigments that give rosehips their orange-red color contains Beta Carotene and can promote both skin and eye health.
Image borrowed from Rosehip Farm.
Rose hips can be steeped in hot water to make tea, dried and ground into a powder, or used to flavor soups, stews, and make delicious marmalades and jellies.
A tablespoon of rose hip syrup can be taken daily to build up the immunity system and as a preventative to the common cold and flu. The syrup can also be mixed with water, unflavored carbonated drinks, and alcohol.
Rose hip syrup can also be added to tea, or poured over ice cream, pancakes, or used to flavor frosting. The possibilities are endless!
- Rose Flower Water is used throughout the Middle East in various sweets including Baklava. However, a little goes a long way so use it sparingly.
- Some recipes call for removing the seeds and tiny hairs from the center of the rosehips before boiling them. However, it's not necessary for this recipe, since we will be double straining the rosehips and liquid before making the syrup.
- To can this syrup, fill sterilized jars with the hot syrup, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims and tighten the lids/rings. Process in the canner for 10 minutes.
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Rose Hip Syrup
Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh rose hips
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 slices fresh or dehydrated oranges
- ½ teaspoon rose water (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Wash the rose hips and remove the stems and the dried part on top.
- Measure 5 cups of rose hips, then add to a clean pot. Add the orange slices and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Mash the rosehips during the last 5 minutes of cooking to extract their juices. Strain through a strainer, set over a large measuring cup. Reserve the rosehips.
- Pour the strained liquid through a soup bag to clarify it even further.
- While the rosehip juice is straining, add the reserved rosehips back into the same pot and cover with 2 cups of cold water. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Repeat the straining process, first through a strainer, then through a soup bag.
- For every 1 cup of juice, add ½ cup of sugar. I had 3 cups of juice, so I used 1½ cups of sugar.
- Add the rosehip juice, sugar, and rose flower water to a clean pot. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Skim foam if necessary.
- Cool the syrup slightly before pouring it into a 16-ounce bottle. Store the bottle in the refrigerator and consume it within 6 months.
Notes
- Rose flower water is used throughout the Middle East in various sweets including Baklava. However, a little goes a long way so use it sparingly.
- Some recipes call for removing the seeds and tiny hairs from the center of the rosehips before boiling them. However, it's not necessary for this recipe, since we will be double straining the liquid before making the syrup.
- To can this syrup, fill sterilized jars with the hot syrup, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims and tighten the lids/rings. Process in the canner for 10 minutes.
Faith Foust says
I just found some more rosehips but don't have time to do anything with them before our trip. Can I safely freeze them and cook them later?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Faith, you sure can! Thank you for the comment! ❤️
Faith Foust says
Made a small batch off of my one wild rose bush. I'm excited about all the good Vitamin C packed into that bottle!
Faith Foust says
Forgot to mark my 5 stars!
Hilda Sterner says
I've been drinking mine this week to ward off cold symptoms that I was having. I felt better the day after!
Lanny Kaufer says
Great recipe with lots of useful and important info. Thanks for sharing.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Lanny! Appreciate the comment and hope you're doing well!
Kelly Methey says
I had no idea that rosehips are such a powerhouse of health benefits! I will be trying this recipe as soon as I can find some! Thanks, as always, for the good info your provide along with your recipes!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, kelly! If you get here quick enough, there's a ton off of Mee Road!