Alleviating depression, lifting bad moods and cleansing the blood – regular rose petals, part of a common plant that grows in every garden, can do all that! Plus, they even smell great and taste fantastic.
Rose Syrup with Honey
Ingredients:
4 handfuls of pink rose petals
34 Fl oz. / 1 l. water
Juice of half a lemon
17 Fl oz. / ½ l. honey
Preparation:
Put the washed rose petals into a suitable container. Pour boiling water over it and let it infuse for 24 hours. Then decant and warm the liquid up – but to no more than 140°F / 60°C. Add lemon and honey. Mix it all very diligently and pour the finished syrup into a bottle. It tastes great with sparkling water and a slice of lemon.
Rose Petal Marmalade
Ingredients:
5.3 oz. / 150 g. rose petals
13.5 Fl oz. / 400 ml. water
14 oz. / 400 g. cane sugar
Juice from a whole lemon
1 spoonful of citrus pectin
Preparation:
Pick the rose petals from the flower carefully. Remove those that are damaged and cut off the white tips. Put them all into a sieve, wash them and let the water rinse off. Then put them in a bowl and cover them in sugar. Let it stand like that for at least two hours. Then add lemon juice, water and citrus pectin and put it on a stove. Cook until the pink mass starts thickening. Once it does, you may start pouring it into clean (ideally sterilized) jars. Seal them well and store bottom up, letting them cool down completely.
Exclusive Rose Liquor
Ingredients:
3 handfuls of rose petals
9 oz. / 250 g. cane sugar
7 oz. / 200 g. honey
5 cloves
A whole cinnamon stick
A pinch of ground ginger
A quarter of a nutmeg seed
17 Fl oz. / 0.5 l. 80% alcohol
17 Fl oz. / 0.5 l. water
Preparation:
Put the washed rose petals into a pot and pour water over them. Add all the prepared spices and bring the water to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes. Then add sugar and mull the mixture, and sieve it through soft linen while it’s still hot. After it has somewhat cooled down add honey, mix it into it well and let it cool off completely. Finally, pour alcohol into the cold liquid, mix it and decant into a sealable container. Leave it for about a week like that. Afterwards, pour the liquor into bottles, seal them and let them relax in a cold, dark place for about a month.
(Taken from My Herbs Issue 13)
