Floribunda Rose Petals

[Devonviolet]

When we bought our little farm last fall, the front of the house was planted with red Floribunda Roses.

This Spring, when they started to bloom, I was thrilled! They looked so pretty!

Then yesterday, as I stood enjoying them, it dawned on me, that I had a treasure trove of rose petals, that could be used for herbal medicine and possibly later, in the Fall, there will be Rose Hips to collect.

Some of you might think I'm crazy. But, I went in the house and grabbed 2 large stainless steel bowls to collect petals. I had to stop half way through, because It started raining, but even so, I got two bowls full. They smell heavenly!

DH brought the Excaliber Dehydrator in from the barn, and started drying the first batch. We still had a full bowl of fresh to do. This morning I took the emptied bowl out and filled it again, with newly opened and missed blooms from yesterday.

I have been using and growing herbs for herbal medicine for several years now. But have never used rose pedals. I'm wondering if any of you have suggestions for how I can use these divine gems for herbal creations?

 

[baymule]

Steep them in grapeseed oil for a bath oil. Use them in tea. There is a thread here about making wild violet jelly. @Carol Dee has the recipe, could use it to make rose petal jelly. What about making a syrup to sweeten iced tea?

And I don't think you're crazy, I KNOW you're crazy!! Haha! Cooling down with a glass of iced sassafras tea, so good! Been driving T-posts, have 7 more to go. Also pulling up old T-posts with chain and tractor. I sure would drink some of your rose petal tea right now! Back to work.....

 

[Nyboy]

Ask @baymule what she does with dandelion flowers

 

[Devonviolet]

Steep them in grapeseed oil for a bath oil. Use them in tea. There is a thread here about making wild violet jelly. @Carol Dee has the recipe, could use it to make rose petal jelly. What about making a syrup to sweeten iced tea?

And I don't think you're crazy, I KNOW you're crazy!! Haha! Cooling down with a glass of iced sassafras tea, so good! Been driving T-posts, have 7 more to go. Also pulling up old T-posts with chain and tractor. I sure would drink some of your rose petal tea right now! Back to work.....

Thanks for your suggestions, Baymule. And thanks for confirming that I actually AM crazy!!! You would know!!!

We don't have a bathtub, so no need for bath oil, but I might make the oil to add to a face lotion recipe. Great idea!

I really like the idea of Wild Violet Jelly! Adapting that to make Rose Petal Jelly or Rose Petal Iced Tea Syrup are good ideas. Since I'm Diabetic, I couldn't use those. But, maybe I could package them nicely and sell them, when I start doing Farmer's Market.

 

[Devonviolet]

Ask @baymule what she does with dandelion flowers

Okay. . . I'm game. @baymule, what do you do with Dandelion flowers???

 

[baymule]

I made dandelion jelly, wine and dried the petals for tea. At our old house, I let dandelions grow in the garden. I had so many, I researched what to do with the. The young greens are packed with nutrition. The roots are a liver cleanse. From a weed!

 

[ninnymary]

I can attest that bay's dandelion jelly is delicious!

Mary

 

[baymule]

I scattered two quart Ziploc bags of dandelion seeds here last fall. I spotted two yellow flowers in the weeds this morning!

 

[Devonviolet]

I scattered two quart Ziploc bags of dandelion seeds here last fall. I spotted two yellow flowers in the weeds this morning!

I plan to do a controlled planting of 100 Wild violet seeds, that I bought online. We are calling our land Devonviolet Acres. So, we feel its only right that we have an abundance of violets on our give acres. We tried to bring some plant's with us when we moved here, but they didn't survive the move.

We miss the wild Lamb's Quarter, that we picked and ate in Pennsylvania. I have seen seeds, for Lamb's Quarter online, so plan to buy some and plant it here, in Texas.

 

[catjac1975]

I am still weeping at the dead roses....