Did you notice the critter? I love the Alberta wild rose. On the Fat Ewe Farm there are tons of these invasive rose bushes. Last year it was my intention to pick the petals for rose face cream and rose petal jelly, but they were here and gone by the time I got around to it. They do have a short bloom time, only a couple of weeks. Highly fragrant, they attract many bugs other than the pollinators. Eating wild rose petals as I stroll along is a joy, but I have learned to carefully inspect the entire petal individually so as not to ingest any unwanted critters, especially those that like to hide in the still furled edges of the newly opened rose. The goats and sheep also love the roses when they get a chance to eat them and the llamas smell like roses for two whole weeks. This year I am planning once again to pick the petals and make the jelly as well as a rose infused oil for later creating hand and face creams and salves. Rose is lost in soap, being way to delicate for the lye process. In order to use rose at all in soap, it is best made, hardened, grated and melted with some additional water and just before molding, the rose petal oil added. Even so, the scent will be very faint.
Rose jelly is amazing, but we do not use much jam or jelly at the farm because it is made with white sugar generally. I have found a recipe for honey jelly and it would be worth a try. To make the rose infused oil, petals should be layered in a sterile jar, sans bugs, and the jar then filled with the oil of choice. The oils that are the least fragrant on their own, such as macadamia nut or rice bran are excellent for true rose scents. The jar can be located in a sunny window for several weeks, turning the contents upside down twice daily to ensure the oil is penetrating each petal. Then the petals are strained from the oil and voila! rose infused oil ready to use as is or to add to lotions, salves and creams for soft, fragrant skin. And to think, this is all free from nature! Amazing.
Rose jelly is amazing, but we do not use much jam or jelly at the farm because it is made with white sugar generally. I have found a recipe for honey jelly and it would be worth a try. To make the rose infused oil, petals should be layered in a sterile jar, sans bugs, and the jar then filled with the oil of choice. The oils that are the least fragrant on their own, such as macadamia nut or rice bran are excellent for true rose scents. The jar can be located in a sunny window for several weeks, turning the contents upside down twice daily to ensure the oil is penetrating each petal. Then the petals are strained from the oil and voila! rose infused oil ready to use as is or to add to lotions, salves and creams for soft, fragrant skin. And to think, this is all free from nature! Amazing.
The wild Alberta rose in the long driveway to the farm.
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