Wild crafting Rosehips

We went rosehip hunting in the woods today, rosehips are such a clever food, full of vitamins A, B, C, E and K, pectin and organic acids.

It was a small harvest, as we left it a bit late, not enough to make the rosehip soup our Swedish neighbor keeps telling me about, but enough to brew, for a few weeks of tea. This will help boost our immunity for the coming colder season.

Wild rosehips become abundant in our area by the beginning of march, they seem to like growing amongst the wild blackberry bushes. It is tempting to include picking them with the berries, but by waiting another month, they become even more vitamin rich and turn an almost crimson red…but don't leave it too long or you will come second to the birds as we did today.

Rose hip tea

Chop the fresh rosehips and place with or without the seeds, in a vessel to steep for 10 plus minutes, the brew will have a tart taste and can be sweetened with honey and enjoyed hot or cold.

Rosehips can be mixed with other herbs such as peppermint, lemon balm, and nettles, which helps to mellow the strong flavor.

So, if I had collected enough, to make the rosehip soup (Nyponsoppa), I would use this recipe.

When we are collecting herbs and berries, from wild uncultivated places, we never strip bushes or pick the lot, but in a spirit of respect and a remembrance of our interconnected world, leave plenty for propagation and the animals.