A rose by any other name...
September 7, 2012 7:46 PM Subscribe
I bought dried rosehips for tea. They were hard as rocks and didn't steep at all. What now?
I've searched AskMetafilter and while this post mentioned re-steeping, I can't find the recipe (ratio of rose hips to water, how long I should boil them, etc.) and the thread is closed. A Google search yields info about growing one's own rosehips, not the ones you find in a health store.
I've searched AskMetafilter and while this post mentioned re-steeping, I can't find the recipe (ratio of rose hips to water, how long I should boil them, etc.) and the thread is closed. A Google search yields info about growing one's own rosehips, not the ones you find in a health store.
YMMV
But what I would do is crush them/grind them and put in a tea ball.
Or let them soak overnight in initially hot water just a little more than covering.
posted by edgeways at 8:22 PM on September 7, 2012
But what I would do is crush them/grind them and put in a tea ball.
Or let them soak overnight in initially hot water just a little more than covering.
posted by edgeways at 8:22 PM on September 7, 2012
Have you called the store you bought it from and asked them? They may have some advice. Also, in reference to a comment above, heat destroys vitamin C so you aren't going to be getting it from things you steep in hot water.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 10:02 PM on September 7, 2012
posted by MaryDellamorte at 10:02 PM on September 7, 2012
Response by poster: All helpful answers - thank you!! I laughed at the hammer comment, but will try. Food processor might be a good option too.
posted by luciddream928 at 10:43 PM on September 7, 2012
posted by luciddream928 at 10:43 PM on September 7, 2012
If they're that hard, seriously, don't put 'em in the food processor. You'll just dull the blade and scratch the bowl all up. Hammer is honestly genuinely the way to go.
posted by mollymayhem at 11:02 PM on September 7, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by mollymayhem at 11:02 PM on September 7, 2012 [2 favorites]
If you're worried about them going anywhere when you hit them with a hammer, put them in a baggy (or a few layers of bag, since the shards can rip through at least my flimsy plastic bags) first.
posted by Lady Li at 12:16 AM on September 8, 2012
posted by Lady Li at 12:16 AM on September 8, 2012
If you're going to hammer I'd put them in a plastic bag and wrap the plastic bag with tea towels otherwise stuff will go everywhere....plastic bag alone is going to get shredded by the bits and you'll still have stuff going everywhere.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:29 AM on September 8, 2012
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:29 AM on September 8, 2012
Response by poster: I realized they weren't as hard as I thought. I crushed one with the edge of a butterknife and it crushed pretty easily. So I put them in the food processor. It worked like a dream. Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Now I can enjoy my tea : )
posted by luciddream928 at 1:46 PM on October 12, 2012
posted by luciddream928 at 1:46 PM on October 12, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
That said, too hard implies too old - They'll probably still have a decent amount of Vitamin C, but the rest of the good stuff (antioxidants, mostly) in rose hips will break down with time. And if you just want the C, have a cup of orange juice. :)
If you do want to collect your own - Do you live near an ocean? Rosa Canina and Rosa Rugosa pretty much grow everywhere you have that nice interface between salty-wasteland and "real" dirt. They look like normal roses in bloom, then the petals drop off and leave something that looks basically like a small green tomato. They've already gone by for this year, but watch for the flowers next spring.
/ IAAH(erbalist) (though not by trade, just a hobby)
posted by pla at 8:21 PM on September 7, 2012 [1 favorite]