Rosehips, foraging and vitamin C
Start making your own Rosehips products part 1 - roseships jam
It is September and the beginning of autumn in my part of the world and rosehips are now an integral part of the scenery. This will carry on until late November so don’t worry if you don’t have time to go and pick up your punnet of rosehips this weekend.
I picked up mine last weekend while on a walk by the sea, on the hills in East Sussex. Ever since I became interested in foraging, a plastic bag joined my car keys and house keys in my rucksack. One never know what one might find so it is better to be prepared. This time, on one solitary walk when I was asking the Universe for guidance (the scene from “Eat, pray, love” comes to my mind) I came across a small woodland and right at the end of it … a few beautiful bushes with lots of red smiling berries, demanding my attention. OK I took it as a sign from the Universe, said thank you and started to pick the beautiful berries. Yes the thorns are a bit of a pain but hey … it is all part of the joy of being in nature, of being alive, feeling the feelings.
You will notice that the process of picking berries is addictive. Just when you think this is it, another cluster of red gorgeousness will send you a signal from the many layers of green and here you go another step towards more adventures.
I had no clue what quantity I needed for a jar of jam so 400 grams later I called it a day.
Once back at base gave them a quick rinse, picked a nice pot, a sharp knife, a towel, select a nice tv series on TV (in my case I watched a few episodes of Bosch) and took my second step towards making a rosehip jam - cutting the top of the rosehip and as I was doing it I cut the berries in 2. The idea is that it would be good to crush them before adding to the pot. I will share another option in the next blog post.
By the way! This is meditation. Meditation in action.
Third step, add them to a pot and top it up with a double amount of water. Add another 1/4 cup of water and put them on the stove- a moderate heat. Stir it occasionally. In about 30 minutes you will notice that the rosehips paste looks like in the images below
You are almost there. Next step, strain it, use a spoon to push all of that goodness through the sieve. Are you disappointed with the quantity? I know I was but think about your next trip, your next foraging experience and the many months ahead of you when more and more rosehips will be available to harvest :)
Once this process is finished you will be tempted to taste the silky, smooth, red rosehip pulp. I had no clue what to expect and the natural sweetness of the pulp came as a surprise. Yes it is sweet it has a tangy kick as well, no wonder given the level of vitamin C it contains (see photo below). You can definitely take a teaspoon of goodness and enjoy it next to a cup of tea right away. Want to store it in a glass jar? Do it and keep it in the fridge. You can also add it in the ice cube containers, freeze it and consume is as tiny ice-cream bites.
Next, add the sugar, the squeeze of lemon, simmer for about 20 minutes and spoon it in the jars. If you are making a small quantity you can store it in the fridge. If you would like to keep it for winter month, go through the usual water boil canning process.
You can enjoy it on a slice of sourdough bread, simply next to a cup of tea or coffee, in your natural yogurt and much more.
What do you need to know about the rosehip!
Rosehips contain vitamins C, E, and B as well as other minerals and antioxidants. During the second world war when the import of citric fruit was challenging the population was encouraged to collect rosehip, use it fresh in tea, prepare rosehip syrup, jams as well and dry it for future useage. One can freeze them as well. Some people recommend this when one wants to make jams or syrup.
ROSEHIP JAM IN A NUTSHELL
500 g rosehips
250 g sugar
1 l water
a squeeze of lemon
Last but not least I came across this chart. You might also be interested and for sure .. surprised. Until next time stay strong, be curious and love yourself!
I have a few options for you to support me
Subscribe for free to my Substack blog
Buy my creativity workbooks and journals from
Buy my art related products from
Buy my 2024 diaries from