Sugar Free Rosehip Syrup recipe

Rosa canina is a beautiful delicate flower, turning to red sexy hip gracing many of our hedgerows. Growing abundantly often intertwined with her equally protective and prickly cousin Hawthorn. Her pale pink heart shaped petals give us a clear indication of one of her medicinal virtues – to sooth any anxieties especially of the heart and issues of love and grief, her hips full of vitamin C nourishing and nurturing.

Her delicate floral flavours are uplifting and cooling, her scent attractive and calming. It is important to take care whilst harvesting as her barbed shaped thorns can be oh so vicious –we take it as a no nonsense message to move on to another bush. Her sexy fruity hips out right now in Autumn, encompass the reproductive system in their juicy red nourishing shells filled with thousands of seeds – When preparing these it is important to be aware that the tiny hairs are extremely irritant and in fact are the origins of itchy powder.

Rosehips are renowned for treating arthritic complaints with great results interestingly especially the knees.  Perhaps the mode of action for this is through her amazing effect healing the gut, as well as the anti-inflammatory effects she imparts.

Emotionally we have used the the rosehips especially in syrup from to put nurture back in when you’ve been giving out to others.  This is a particularly maternal quality, the constant Giver.

Ingredients:
• rosehips
• apple juice concentrate
• spring water

Method:
1. place the washed rosehips in a large pan
2. cover with spring water
3. bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 mins
4. mash it all up with a potatoe masher
5. Put it through a food mill (see picture)
6. Pour through a jelly bag/or muslin square
7. Add the apple concentrate at a ratio of 2 parts apple to 1 part rosehips and boil rapidly for another 5 minutes. Pour into hot sterile bottles and seal immediately.