Rugosa Rose

Rosa rugosa. This is the standard rose for edible hip production. Rosa rugosa . rose family Rose species native to colder climes of Asia. It has been cultivated in both Japan and China for thousands of years. Plant : A widely spreading plant, done so through a long series of underground stems. It is tolerant of poor soil conditions, and to high salt conditions of seasides and road edges. Generally grows 3-5½ feet tall. Stems have thin but copious numbers of thorns. Makes for an attractive hedge and barrier. Adaptable to various pH conditions. Green foliage turns yellow-gold in fall. Flowers : Very fragrant and plentiful. Blooms continuously through the summer. Flowers occur both singly and in clusters. They are 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches across and are magenta in color. Leaves : alternate leaf arrangement odd, pinnately compound leaves 5 to 9 leaflets elliptic leaf shape serrate leaf margins pubescent underside rugose leaf surface medium green leaf color Fruit : ¾ inch to 1 ¼ inch. Orange to deep red. When picked early the fruit is the texture of a dried fruit and citrus like in flavor. Becomes sweet and softer when fully ripe. The edible portion is the fleshy part surrounding the seed cluster, which is separated by breaking the fruit in half and scooping out the seeds. You are left with two halves about the thickness of an orange peel. It can be eaten fresh, made into a cold or hot soup (somewhat tomato like in flavor), made into a tea. It makes a nice jelly or marmalade. Can be dried as well. Grinding the fruit and adding it to juices and recipes will give the food a large nutrient boost Nutrition: A 100g serving of rose hips provides 426mg vitamin C. The United States Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database estimates that a cup of fresh oranges (131g) contains 96mg vitamin C and a cup of orange juice provides between 75 and 83mg. Dried hips contain 1250 mg of vitamin C per 100 gm of fruit. . High in Vitamin C, rose hips are often recommended for strengthening the immune system. They are also one of the best sources for natural iron, calcium, biotin, pectin, phosphorus, tannin and Vitamins A B1, B2, C, E K and P. During WWII, volunteers harvested rose hips from the wild in order to make rose hip syrup, which was then given to the country's citizens to supplement their Vitamin C intake. The syrup, which was distributed by the Ministry of Health, was an answer to the limited importations of citrus suffered during wartime (rose hips contain 20 times more Vitamin C than oranges). Other concoctions, like marmalade and jams were regularly prepared and sent to the soldiers at the front. Flowers used for pot-pourri .