The Rose is an herb! No doubt about it. Every year, The International Herb Association designates a herb as Herb of the Year. This year features the rose. To be selected the herb must be useful in multiple ways such as fragrant, culinary, medicinal and/or attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. The Rose certainly represents all of those!
Roses, as long as they are organic, are delicious to eat or drink. We use fresh rose petals in sandwiches (shown below). Dried rose petals are added to cakes, cookies or tea.
The old fashioned roses have very fragrant flowers and we love to dry the petals to use in pot pourri or in cosmetics. We will also add the rose petals to bath blends and sachet bags.
The "hip" or the seed pod of the rose is fabulous in tea, and in fact it is very rich in Vitamin C. In tea, the ascorbic acid of the rose hips gives it almost a citrusy flavor. Rose hips are often used to make jelly as well.
The Rose, 2012 Herb of the Year!
I've never thought of the rose as an herb. But it does meet the requirements. The Arboretum in Minneapolis always has a big display of the herb of the year in the herb garden -- there are no roses in the herb garden -- I wonder if there will be this year!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite flower! I love how you used the petals in your tea sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteI remember your mother feeding me rose petal sandwiches when we were in college. I have enjoyed them many times since then.
ReplyDelete