Fall is the season for rose hips, and one of my favorite things to make with them is rose hip syrup! It's a delicious foraged recipe that can be served drizzled on pancakes or ice cream, or stirred into cocktails. Rose hip syrup can also be used medicinally for immune support!
Remove any stems, leaves, and brown flower bits (called the calyx) from the hips, if needed, and rinse them well.
Put the rose hips in a food processor and pulse them several times to break up the rose hips in smaller pieces. This step may not be necessary if you are using dried rose hips that are already broken up.
Add the rose hips and water into a small pot with water and and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the water has reduced by about half.
Turn the heat off and let the rose hip tea cool for a bit while it continues to steep, mashing a few times with a potato masher to extract all of the rose hip juice.
Strain out the rose hips with a very fine mesh sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze the rose hips to get all of the liquid out if need be. Rinse out the mesh sieve (and the cheesecloth if you’re using it), and strain the tea through again. You may even want to do this a third time to remove all of the irritating hairs.
Once the rose hip tea has cooled down to room temperature, stir in the honey.
Store the rose hip syrup in the refrigerator and it will keep for up to 6 months. It can also be frozen for longer storage.
Notes
If you end up with less than one cup of rose hip tea, you can add more water to the rose hip mash and boil it again, repeating the simmering and straining process.
Rose hips have varying levels of natural pectin, and if you happen to get some with a lot of pectin it can sometimes cause the syrup to become more jelly-like, especially after being refrigerated.
To use medicinally, I recommend adults take 1-2 tablespoons of rose hip syrup 2-3 times per day at the onset of a cold or flu, and throughout the duration of the illness. It is also safe to be taken as a preventative.
Rose hip syrup is safe for children over the age of one. Just be sure to give children a smaller dose based on their size. For small children (ages 1-5), 1-2 teaspoons twice per day is good. That amount can be increased as the child grows.
Rose hip syrup should not be given to children under the age of one due to the raw honey.