Rosehips by the bin bag full

[Meekle]

OK - might be a slight exageration, but by us the hedgerows are scarlet with rosehips. apart from the infamous flu busting rosehip syrup any other ideas what to do with this free and bountiful crop?

[veg girl]

I'm making rosehip wine with mine. It's the first year I've tried it so goodness knows what it will taste like! It fermented fine tho'. I got it from a book on making natural/country wines. Give me a shout if you would like the recipe ...

[Meekle]

if alcohol is the subject, i will have any recipe!

just started to bottle the bullace wine and the ribena wine, the mead is finishing off and i am starting the ale for christmas.................... 28 units of alcohol allowance .... is that daily?

[veg girl]

Here you are then, Meekle. The book says (quote): "a cheering, silky wine. Ready to drink 10 months after the fermented wine has been transferred into storage vessel to clear and mature. Alcohol content about 12% per vol."

To make 1 gallon: 1 kg rosehips, 227g raisins, 907 g granulated sugar, half a cup of strong tea, juice from 2 oranges, half teaspoon yeast extract/marmite, dried wine yeast and water to 1 gallon. You just need to mash the rosehips and chop the raisins and start fermentation off with the rest of the ingredients in the usual way. I won't bore you with the rest of the instructions, as you're obviously well versed in winemaking! We must compare notes when we come to drink our rosehip wine next year!

[Meekle]

assuming i havent gone blind by then!

thanks veg girl for the recipe. I will give it a go. I made some more hedgerow jelly today with rosehips, hawberries, sloes and crab apples, mind you gets to a pint when you could have more jam than you could take, so i might start filling christmas stockings with it!

[Nat]

We're not wine drinkers so we made apple & rosehip jelly aswell as the syrup - very nice and goes with most things. sorry if that's a bit dull

[Editor Paul]

Nothing dull about that!

[katie]

!'ve got that country wine book and made the rosehip a couple of years ago. It really is ' silky' and well worth making. In fact I think I'll make some more!