Rose hips
On Gabriola, what can compare to rose hips for cheery winter colour?
Rose hips are useful as food, too. They’re very high in vitamin C, and can be used in all kinds of recipes.
Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples notes that the Vancouver Island Salish ate the outer rind of rose hips. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada points out that
The hips remain on the branches throughout winter, so they are available when most other fruits are gone. Hips can be eaten fresh or dried or used in tea, jam, jelly, syrup, and wine.
Almost every source I consulted has a warning about the seeds in the middle of rose hips. From Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada:
The dry inner
seeds(achenes) are not palatable, and their silver-like hairs can irritate the digestive tract and causeitchy bum.All members of the Rosa genus have cyanide-like compounds in their seeds that can be destroyed by drying or cooking.
Well. That’s good to know.
More about rose hips
- Rose hip – Wikipedia
- Rose-hip ‘remedy’ for arthritis – BBC
- Rosehip ‘better than glucosamine’ for osteoarthritis – Telegraph
- Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of native Rosa sp. from British Columbia, Canada – informahealthcare.com
Filed in First Nations,food,Gabriola Island,native plants 2 Comments so far
2 Responses to “Rose hips”
Island blog on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:54 am #
“On Gabriola, what can compare to rose hips for cheery winter colour?”
Holly berries, of course! Being a native of England, I actually like having a holly bush in my Gabriola garden! Maybe I’m just being invasive. I promise to try harder.
Have a very happy Christmas
Gabriolan on 15 Dec 2009 at 11:36 am #
Happy Christmas to you, too, Island blog!
(I love holly trees, though I am sad about their effect on our forest.)