Drying rose hips - this is how it's done

Harvest at the right time

First of all, the rose hips should be harvested at the right time. At best, harvesting should begin at the end of October at the earliest. The fruit does not lose any noticeable quality until December. Later on, there is a high risk that they will begin to ferment, rot or have already been eaten by birds.

As whole fruit or crushed?

The rose hips can be dried whole or crushed. It is recommended to chop large fruits. This causes them to dry faster. The rose hips should be washed beforehand. In addition, if you have not already done so, remove the stem.

With or without cores?

If the rose hips were picked while they were soft, preparation for drying is much faster. The reason: when soft, the seeds can be easily removed from the surrounding pulp.

If you later want to use the rose hips to make tea, you don't have to remove the seeds. Like the pulp, they are extremely rich in vitamins. They also contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. To remove the stone, the fruit is cut lengthways. Then the kernels can be scraped out.

Where and how is drying done?

You can use the following devices for drying: dehydrator, oven, heater. In addition, rose hips can be dried in the open air. To do this, they are spread out on newspaper or a baking sheet. An air-dry room, the balcony or the terrace are ideal for this.

If you want to dry the rose hips in the dehydrator or in the oven, do not set the temperature higher than 40 ° C. If it is hotter, enzymes and vitamins are destroyed and the rose hips lose their health value. In the oven, you should leave the oven door ajar. This allows the moisture to escape.

Please note the following:

Turn the rose hips regularly
let it dry longer than too short (reduce the risk of mold growth)
the hotter, the faster they dry
stow in an airtight container after drying

Uses for dried rose hips

Now the rose hips can be kept and stored for several months. When dry, they are suitable for the following purposes, among others:

tea
Fruit flour z. B. for (baby) porridge, pudding
Smoothies
Sauces
Addition to animal feed, for example for dogs
decorative purposes for autumn and winter time

Tips & Tricks

Often the kernels of the rose hips can simply be pulled out from the former part of the flower, to which brown to black and dried up stamens tend to stick.

KKF