# Rosehips



## geomel (Aug 26, 2006)

Hello-
I just picked 20 pounds of rosehips, and would like to make either some rosehip wine or mead. I'm leaning toward the rosehip mead. Does anyone have any recipes and/or type of honey recipes? My friend has a source with lots of alfalfa honey, but that sounds like it may be too light of a honey.Would something stronger be better? I prefer drier wines and meads to sweet. 


Thanks!


Mel


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## NorthernWinos (Aug 26, 2006)

WELCOME!!!
20 pounds of Rose Hips...WOW!!!! I have let my roses make hips but won't have but a few pounds...

Martina..Medpretzel makes rose hip wine...might be a recipe on her Web Page of recipes....

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*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## Joanie (Aug 26, 2006)

This may already be on Martina's page but I just read these about an hour ago! In a BOOK, no less! =)

Fresh Rosehip

Makes 1 gallon

2 1/2 pounds rosehips
4 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsps acid blend
1 crushed campden tablet
hot water to make one gallon
All purpose or Tokay yeast

Then there's...

Dried Rosehip

Makes 1 gallon

1/2 pound rosehips
1/2 pound chopped white rasins
5 cups sugar
1 tsp yeast nutrient
2 tsps acid blend
1 crushed campden tablet

hot water to make one gallon

All purpose or Tokay yeast


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## geomel (Aug 26, 2006)

Thank you! I'm excited to get started. But not today- my arms are too scratched up from delving into giant wild rose bushes. 


Thanks!
Mel


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## Joanie (Aug 26, 2006)

20 pounds sounds like you have enough rosehips to sink the QE II! =)


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## MedPretzel (Aug 28, 2006)

Sorry, just read this today.


I would make rose-hip wine AND a melomel/mead. You have enough for 2 5-gallon batches. I make mine out of dried rose-hips, and using the recipe link listed by NW. It's very good, tastes almost like a sherry. Because of this, I would expect the alfalfa honey to be perfect for a mead like this one. I think anything "heavier" would make the mead too heavy. 


I'm not a meadmaker, so it's hard to say for me. 


Rosehip wine is excellent, though. It tastes greate out of the carboy - but even better after a year.


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## Joanie (Aug 28, 2006)

Geomel, what kind of roses did you dehip? Wild? Garden?


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## geomel (Aug 30, 2006)

They are wild rosehips. Native to eastern Washington- although I can't remember the variety. I cleaned them up and put them in the freezer, like I do with most of the fruit for wine (apples, berries and cherries so far). My carboys are full for a couple more months, and I don't have space for more until they are bottled. Will that be a problem with the rosehips?


Splitting half wine/ half mead sounds good to me.



Better than choosing one or the other!


Thanks for your help!


Mel


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## Mikeymu1 (Aug 31, 2016)

I understand that traditinally wild rosehips are used. "Briar rose" looks like brambles/wild blackberries - on long stalks rather than a bushy shape plants.


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## Chirata (Feb 24, 2020)

MedPretzel said:


> Sorry, just read this today.
> 
> 
> I would make rose-hip wine AND a melomel/mead. You have enough for 2 5-gallon batches. I make mine out of dried rose-hips, and using the recipe link listed by NW. It's very good, tastes almost like a sherry. Because of this, I would expect the alfalfa honey to be perfect for a mead like this one. I think anything "heavier" would make the mead too heavy.
> ...





i am seeing this many years after you posted however am most interested in where you saw the recipe in NW. I made one once and it was divine, tasted like sherry. Can’t locate the recipe anymore


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## Johnd (Feb 24, 2020)

Chirata said:


> i am seeing this many years after you posted however am most interested in where you saw the recipe in NW. I made one once and it was divine, tasted like sherry. Can’t locate the recipe anymore



MedPretzel hasn't posted here in 9 years, so you probably won't get a response. Maybe someone else will respond............


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## photoguy (Jul 19, 2020)

Just came across this myself. As a young whippersnaper visiting my aunt in the country there were always jars of rosehip wine lining the shelves. Was too young then to pay much attention. On occasion I picked some but never enough. Not enough patience. Now I stick to choke cherries as there is abundance of them where I go with my dogs. Last year managed to pick 71 lbs. Now it's siting and aging.


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