How Do You Save Rose Hips For Tea?
Rose hips are the fruit that forms after the rose flowers fade. The bright red hips add a note of color to barren roses bushes in the fall and provide food for birds and animals. But the bright red hips are also popular with humans. High in vitamin C, rose hips impart a lemony-tart flavor to tea. Rose hips can be steeped by themselves for tea, or mixed with other herbs for a tasty and nutritious beverage. Collect rose hips after the first frost. Clip the hips from the rose bushes with garden shears. Cut the hips in half with a knife and scrape out the seeds from the middle. Arrange the hips on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and turn the over to 250 degrees F. When the oven reaches this temperature, turn the oven off. Leave the hips in the oven overnight. Crumble the dried rose hips into a coarse powder. Store the hips in sealed glass or plastic jars.
