В Аляске открыли сезон сбора диких розоцветок: польза, способы заготовки и кулинарные рецепты

A couple weeks ago, I stepped out my backdoor, inhaled the cool evening air and heard a rustle of aspen leaves. Something about the leaves’ whisper said, “fall is coming.” Now, as a hint of yellow begins to paint the hillsides, I must admit that this is true. If you are having a tough time accepting that fall is here, don’t forget that berry season is not yet over. A recent chilly, soggy tour of my wooded yard rewarded me with ripe rosehips, highbush cranberries and currants. I also spotted areas of not-quite-ripe low bush cranberries for harvesting soon. Common wisdom is that all these berries are sweeter after a frost, but I am glad that I didn’t wait — the rosehips were quite soft already and the ones I tasted were sweet and brightly flavored. Rosehips are one of my Alaska favorites among our many wild edibles. All roses produce “hips,” small seed-containing fruits. In Alaska, the best hips can be harvested from the wild rose, Rosa acicularis, or the naturalized Rosa rugosa, sometimes called a Sitka rose. The wild roses produce a small oblong hip while the Rosa rugosa produces a much larger, round hip. Archaeological evidence shows that rosehips have been eaten for thousands of years. Many cultures use rosehips as herbal medicine and as part of their menus; and modern science has confirmed that rosehips contain many valuable nutrients and phytochemicals. Well known as a rich source of vitamin C, rosehips also provide vitamin E and pro-vitamin A. Rosehips’ deep orange-red pigments are carotenoids (such as vitamin A) and two of these are the potent antioxidants lycopene and zeaxanthin, which may be beneficial for the immune system and eye health. Some research has shown consumption of rosehip powder from whole hips (including the seeds) reduces knee pain from osteoarthritis. Even if you are not thinking about this little fruit as medicine, there are many ways to enjoy rosehips. They can be dried whole and crushed for use as tea; steeped in sugar syrup and eaten as a candy; chopped and added to scones, shortbread, muffins or quick breads; juiced or pureed and made into jam/jelly, fruit leather, catsup, syrup or a classic Scandinavian soup. Despite my affection for rosehips, they do require some work to clean. The small hairs at the blossom end and around the seed should be removed as they can be irritating to anything they touch and can really upset the digestive system. Remove the blossom and stem ends, rinse any dirt off and with a thin, sharp knife slice the hip in half (challenging with small soft Rosa acicularis hips). Very small hips can be dried in a low temperature convection oven or a dehydrator for a couple of hours and then you can carefully scrape out seeds and hairs. Larger Rosa rugosa hips do not need to be dried; after splitting the hip in half, insert a sharp knife blade under the thin membrane around the seeds and scoop out the seed, hairs and membrane. If you can’t find the membrane, just use your knife or a small spoon to remove seeds and hairs. If you want to make puree, rinse off any dirt and clean the hips by removing the blossom and stem and place them in a pot with a small amount of water. Cook them until they are soft and strain with a food mill or push the cooked pulp through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to remove the seeds and hairs. If you don’t use the cleaned rosehips or puree right away, they can be frozen in airtight containers. My favorite rosehip uses are fruit leather, rosehip candy and rosehip soup. If you have never tried these, enjoy the Fall with some wild Alaska fruit and some new culinary adventures. Contact UAF Cooperative Extension for more information about using rosehips.