Rose Hip News

What have I been doing the last weeks of November? Take a look at "Rose Hip News", a way of sharing my discovery of homemade rosehip tea with members of my family who don't use the computer. The text of article titled "drying & processing rose hips" reads: Learn how to dry rose hips, make puree and turn puree into fruit leather.Fruit leather directions are for sun-drying, but can be done in oven on lowest heat. Important caution: remove all seeds; they are covered with sliver-like hairs that irritate the digestive system. Prep: 1hr. Cooking time: 30 min. Ingredients: 4 cups (1litre) rosehips.

Prep: Just after a frost is best to gather rose hips.Scrape off small leaves, cut in half and partially dry on clean surface. When skins begin to feel dry and shrivelled, scrape seeds. (Too much or too little drying will make seeds difficult to separate from skins.) When completely dry, store in small sealed plastic bags, which will keep indefinitely in freezer or several months in refrigerator. Packed with vitamin "C", they are good to munch on when you need a boost of energy or a moderately sweet, nut-like "candy".

Making Puree: Use about 4 cups of soft, ripe hips (the riper, the sweeter) for 2 cups of puree. Remove stalks and blossom ends. Rinse. Put into pan with enough water to just about cover. Bring to boil, simmer 10-15 minutes. Press pulp through strainer. All that is left in strainer should be returned to pan, covered with enough water to almost cover again, and heat, but do not boil vigorously, so as to disolve a little more of the fruit that will strain through the sieve. Press again and repeat one more time. By now only seeds and skin should remain in sieve to be discarded.

Drying Puree: Line 12x17 cookie sheet with plastic wrap. Spread puree or(fruit leather) evenly over plastic, but not to edges of pan. Place in hot sun to dry 6 to 8 hours. May also be dried in warm oven.