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The rosehips are starting to look fabulous this year and I rather fancy having a go at making rosehip syrup. I've trawled the recipes and advice on the site (useful!) but I still have a few questions which I hope those of you who've made it before can help with:

- What exactly does rosehip syrup taste like? I've seen descriptions of 'old-fashioned' flavours but in no recipes does it say what it actually tastes like. Earthy & sweet? Fruity? Aroma of roses?

- Many recipes suggest allowing the minced hips to stew for 2 or 3 times in hot water, each time straining and collecting the liquor. Just wondered how long does the straining take? If this is done 2 or 3 times just thinking it might be a recipe that takes all day.

- do you need to strain the resultant collected liquor again to remove hairs? Some say yes, other recipes don't mention it. And would you strain again before boiling up with the sugar?

Just a few thoughts but it would be great to have some tips from old hands at this.

i would also like to know too ;D  Last yr, was really keen to make some but didn't have time in the end when I had other preserves to make. I've never experienced an original taste of rosehips before other than my childhood favourite cordial syrup that you get from Boots back then but would would love to replicate the flavour of this. If not then a easy recipe that'll be medicinal enough to combat colds/or have high vit C content. thanks.

It tastes very sweet with a flavour not at all like roses, hard to explain a flavour, if yoy want a roses flavour you need to make rose petal jelly, I used to make it from the dark red Rugosa roses we had as a hedge.

If you strain through wet double fine cheescloth you should not let the hairs through.Don't squeeze. It is a long time since I made it,  I am not certain if I still have kept my own recipe but I will look for you, I think I do still have Rose Petal jelly and Rose Hip Jelly  though.


Oh and if hairs do get through they are not irritant once cooked.
XX Jeanninre

Like Jeannine i used to make it many years ago when we couldnt afford to buy it for the children.It has a taste all of its own sweetish and very pleasant.Children used to love it and its an xlent source of Vitamins

Thanks very much for all your replies. And if anyone else has memories/tips of rosehip syrup or other rosehip products then please do add!

And Jeannine if do find your recipes for the syrup & jellies then I'd love to see them.

fao: jeannine (or anyone else)

have you got the recipe for this, i wonder. have 3kg of (dog) rosehips that i've foraged recently, and would like to make some syrup with them soon. they're midway between hard and soft in texture, so i'm unsure whether they're meant to be soft before cooking with.

thanks :) :)

I've just had a look in my Grow Your Own drugs book James (sigh) Wong & he has a recipe for it. I was about to type it & suddenly thought, am I allowed as it's from his book? What do you think please moderators ;D.

http://www.greenwisdom.co.uk/2009/11/27/time-to-gather-rose-hips/

Oh why do I have to be the only mod on line ;D ;D ;D
Not sure really, we all seem to copy recipes and post them, and to me it just shows how good the book is so someone may buy it because of the recipe. I've just had a look on Amazon and the book is one you can open and read so to me that means it's ok.
However I'm not that good on legal stuff which is what I know is the issue regarding copyright.
Maybe wait til someone else more experienced comes on but I would say it's ok.
Oh heck it's wobbly on this fence!!!! ;D

Hold tight PKL. I'll wait. I don't want to upset James ;D.

Quote from: grannyjanny on October 02, 2011, 18:23:40
Hold tight PKL. I'll wait. I don't want to upset James ;D.

No that wouldn't do -but he could always make himself a brew to calm himself! ;)

Just had a look in the book & it says not to be reproduced in any way shape or form. What a shame, it looks good. Goodlife & I met him last year at the GYO exhibition ;). Very tasty, the food he was talking about ;D ;D ;D.

Oh that's a shame :(
I'm sure that's the publishers not James.
Taken advice re copying recipes-
For future reference-for any of us, need to check the book first, if no outright ban, then probably ok to post one recipe- giving credit to the author and book- or another website. :D

The link I posted has the original wartime recipe on it.

made 2 litres of it, not syrup but a cordial and frozen. Not tried it yet  ;D
and yes, it does take all day and i won't be bothering again unless it keeps all the nasty bugs away  ;D

If you copy out a recipe it may be the wrong thing to do but no problems with posting a link.

You are only directing someone to the info. :)

As long as you give credit to whom first printed the recipe and where it was found, I think no harm will come.     Cheers,     Tony.