Rose petals delight the eyes, nose and palate
Fragrant rose blossoms, alone or mixed with the petals of other types of flowers in a potpourri, conjure up a pleasant olfactory note in every living room. But what flatters the nose also pleases the palate. The petals of many types of roses - especially those of the so-called old roses - can be used for sauces, creams or desserts in the kitchen, they can be used to refine jams, cakes, salads or drinks. If you want to use rose petals in the kitchen, choose some from your own or organically grown. In contrast, the container roses available in supermarkets or garden centers should not be eaten because they have often been treated with toxic pesticides.
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Delicious recipes with rose petals
Rose petals go very well in jams or jams made from raspberries, apples or peaches, but can also be used in sauces for fish and white meat (e.g. turkey or chicken). For cakes, gateaux and desserts, we recommend sugared or candied rose petals. Candying the delicate petals is done as follows:
- Beat an egg white almost firmly.
- Brush the petals with the beaten egg white
- and sprinkle with fine sugar.
- Shake off any excess sugar
- and dry the rose petals in the oven for several hours at 50 ° C.
The candied petals are ideal for decorating chocolate cakes or creams.
Preserve rose petals
But rose petals are not only used to decorate edibles. For a blooming living room or romantic wedding decoration, you can use preserved rose petals. You can buy them, but you can also easily make them yourself.
Dry rose petals
The rose petals spread out over a large area on a cloth are best dried in a warm, dry and dark place. This type of drying takes several days. However, it is faster in the oven, where the petals dry for several hours at 50 ° C.
Dip the rose petals in wax
Alternatively, you can dip the petals in warm, liquid wax and preserve them in this way. This method also has the advantage that the colors remain more authentic and the flowers look fresher. When preserving, you should only make sure that the flowers are absolutely dry, otherwise mold can develop. The wax must not be hotter than 60 ° C, as the delicate leaves cannot tolerate higher temperatures.
Rose leaves indicate the health of the roses
You should also always keep a close eye on rose leaves, as this is a sure indicator of the rose's health. This is why the leaf health information is so important when buying a new variety. In addition to the various fungal diseases such as star soot, powdery mildew, rose rust or ring spot disease, many pests also prefer to settle on the rose petals.
Rose petals curl up - what to do?
Measures must be taken as soon as possible, especially if the leaves are rolled up, as these are a sign of an infestation with the rose wasp. This sawfly lays its eggs on the leaf edges, which then roll protectively around the larva. After a while, the rose petal yellows and falls off. You should dispose of infected leaves and also collect them from the ground. Dispose of the leaves with household waste, as the larvae continue to develop on the compost.
Rose leaf has many small holes - what is the problem?
Many small holes in the rose petal, the so-called "window corrosion", are caused by the larvae of the rose petal wasp. These mainly eat on the upper side of the leaf and cause unsightly damaged areas that dry out after a while and leave holes. Remove the infected leaves and dispose of them with household waste.
Tips
To prevent the diseases mentioned, you should collect and dispose of the fallen leaves in autumn. Fungal spores in particular like to hibernate in the warming piles of leaves and infect the rose that has just awakened from hibernation anew in spring. For the same reason, it is advisable to also collect the leaves that remain on the shoots.
