by the handful

Wild Rose Immune Boosting Tea

The summer flowers of the rambling rose are appreciated but as the petals fall, the plant is mostly forgotten and a great opportunity is often missed as the rose hip (the fruit of the wild rose) emerges in fall and usually persists on the plant well into the winter. The rose hip is an excellent source of vitamin C and can be dried and stored for long term use.

I like to make my herbal teas with multiple ingredients and cranberries really round out the flavor and nutrition of this tea. Cranberries are grown in bountiful amounts in Oregon and are fresh and inexpensive and can be kept in the fridge for a long time. Cranberries are also high in vitamin C as well as containing antioxidants. Rose hips can be picked, dried and stored for several years. It is a simple as laying them out on a towel and allowing them to dry for about a week but make sure that they are completely dry before storing. I encourage people to be on the lookout for rose hips to collect. Several varieties of wild rose are native or grown in forests, yards and city landscapes from Alaska to California. If you are unable to locate them in the meantime, one pound bags of high quality dried rose hips can be purchased at some grocery stores or ordered online.

This tea fills a crucial nutritional gap in the winter and the tea just tastes like a fresh flower and fresh vitamin C. I like to begin making this delicious tea for the whole family in the fall and drink it through the winter.

Wild Rose Immune Boosting Tea

4-5 fresh or dried rose hips 

4-5 fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup (8 oz) water

raw honey to taste

I tend to make herbals teas in smaller, more concentrated portions than the usual cup of black tea or coffee. I use one cup (8oz) per person. A coffee cup is about 12 oz.  Rose hips tend to have 2 stages, one in which the fruit is soft and easy to remove and the other where it is solid or dried. If they are fresh I remove the outer fruit (skin & flesh) and separate out the seeds.  Just cut around the rose hip equator and pull flesh away from the seeds (see pic). If they are dry simply grate the surface of each with a cheese grater getting most of the color off of each. Slice each cranberry in half. Add rose hips, fresh cranberries, and water to small pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, turn heat off, and cover on burner for 20 minutes. It’s important not to allow the temperature to get too high as vitamin C is sensitive to high heat, the idea is to slowly leach out the nutritional constituents into the liquid. Add a squirt of honey to cup, pour tea into cup through strainer and stir. If you want to make a big batch this tea can be kept in the fridge for later use.