Did you know there are about 35 species of roses native to North America, and all roses have edible parts, the quality and size varying with the species?  If space is limited and you have room for only one rose shrub in your herb garden, the apothecary's rose is recommended.  This rose combines beautiful flowers with intense fragrance and petals that dry well, and is a good source of essential oils..  It grows 3-4 feet tall, has semi-double crimson petals with golden anthers in the center of each flower, and red hips in the fall.  The best time to gather rose hips (fruit) is in the autumn as they ripen (after frost) or during the winter.  Wash them and remove any dried flower parts from the top of the hip.  Split the fruit open, remove the seeds, and eat away, or prepare them as jellies and sauces. Rose hips can also be dried (whole or halved) for use at a later time.  Simply soak them overnight in warm water or grate or grind dry hips to make a powder to sprinkle on hot cereals or to make hot tea.  Young leaves can also be cut into small pieces and dried to make hot rose tea, and flower petals can be used in candy, tea, rosewater, jellies, and syrups, but the fruit is more nutritious - rich in vitamin C and essential minerals.

Rose Petal Pudding  (18th-century English dessert)

2 1/2 C whole milk
1 tbsp rose petal superfine sugar (see recipe below)
1 tsp unflavored gelatin (powdered)
2 tbsp triple rosewater
1 C heavy cream
crystallized rose petals - for decoration (see recipe below)

Heat the milk and sugar to boiling stirring to keep from burning.  Remove from heat and stir in the powdered gelatin and rosewater.  Pour into a decorative glass dish and leave, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until the pudding sets.  Once set, whip the cream and spread over the top of the pudding and decorate with crystallized rose petals.  Serve with fresh raspberries or strawberries.  Serves 4

Crystallizing Roses

Pull off each rose petal separately.  Whip an egg white until it is frothy and with a small camel hair paintbrush, paint the entire surface of the petal (both sides) to cover it completely and exclude the air.  Then sprinkle the surface of each petal completely (both sides) with superfine sugar.  Spread the sugared petals on wax or parchment paper and leave to dry for at least two (2) hours.  Store in single layers between paper in an airtight container.

Flavored Sugar

Store superfine and/or confectioners' sugar in small, lidded jars and flavor them with rose petals.  The amount of petals depends on the intensity of flavor and the quantity of sugar you require.  Experiment to find what flavor you enjoy most.  Before using, strain sugar to remove petals.

Rosewater

10 C fragrant rose petals
2 1/2 C distilled water
1 tsp liquid storax
1 tsp tincture of benzoin

Put rose petals and water into a pan with a tight-fitting lid (or cover the pan tightly with foil).  Bring the water slowly to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer very slowly for two hours.  Remove from heat and leave to infuse for about 48 hours.

Bring the water and the petals to a boil again, simmer for one hour and leave to cool.  Strain through a non-metallic strainer, pressing the petals against the sides to extract the maximum fragrance.  Stir in the storax and tincture of benzoin.  Pour into bottles, cover, and label.  Makes about 2 1/2 C.

Rose Garden Potpourri

2 C dried damask or apothecary rose petals
1 C dried rosemary flowers and leaves
1 C dried chamomile flowers
1 C dried lemon verbena leaves
1 tbsp ground allspice
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground orris root powder (fixative)
4-5 drops rose oil

To make this potpourri, all the materials must be completely dry.  Mix them together with the spices and other fragrances and store them in a covered jar for 3 to 4 days (stirring daily).  Add the fixative and essential oil, cover, and leave for six weeks (stirring daily).  The potpourri will them be ready for use.

Rose Petal Beads

These beads will last for many years and retain their fragrance.  Body heat releases their scent.

Place one (1) pound of red rose petals in an enamel pan and add enough water to cover.
Simmer very slowly for one hour - do not boil.
Cover and let stand over night.

Repeat these steps three more times.

By day 4, the petals and water will have become a smooth paste. 
Taking a small amount, roll it between your palms forming a bead 1/4 inch in diameter.
Pierce each bead with a needle (for stringing) and let the beads dry on newspaper in a warm closet.
Thread the beads onto silk thread adding the findings of your choice to complete your necklace.
Note: the finished beads will be a polished red sienna color.

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Quotes

You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.  You are responsible for your rose. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1900-1944

The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose. - Unknown

The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it's simple charm.  If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness. 
- Therese of Lisieux

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Poetry

This world that we're a-livin' in
Is mighty hard to beat;
You git a thorn with every rose,
But ain't the roses sweet! 
- Frank L. Stanton, This World

You love the roses - so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet: and it would be
Like sleeping and yet waking, all at once.
- George Eliot

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