When and how to collect wild rose for drying for the winter

It is necessary to collect wild rose for drying from mid-September to the first half of October. At this point, the berries are fully ripe, they are rich in color and contain the maximum amount of nutrients. It is impossible to delay with the collection, since the first frosts have a bad effect on the composition and taste. Overripe fruits lose vitamin C and cannot be stored for a long time.

What wild rose can be collected

For harvesting, you need to choose fruits that meet several criteria at once:

1. Rose hips should be harvested at the moment when they are fully ripe, i.e. will acquire a rich orange or light red color (depending on the variety).
2. It is important to determine the timing very accurately, since both unripe and overripe rose hips are not suitable for collection.
3. The fruits should be firm to the touch, not softened or spoiled.
4. For drying, it is better to collect only large and medium-sized rose hips: small ones are worse in taste, and they do not have many useful substances.
5. For collection, you need to choose only well-known, described varieties.
6. Bushes growing near the highway or industrial enterprises should be avoided. In the city, fruits are also not worth picking. For this, they specially go to the countryside, to the edges of forests, to river floodplains.

Is it possible to collect wild rose after frost

There are folk “traditions” that wild rose can be harvested after frost. But due to the decrease in temperature, many useful substances are destroyed. Berries lose their taste, they begin to taste bitter. In addition, they may deteriorate a little, and as a result, the yield of the finished product will decrease.

Is it possible to collect green unripe wild rose

Unripe, greenish or not too bright fruits should also not be picked. Unlike ripe berries, they do not have a rich vitamin composition. The taste and aroma of such a wild rose is not so bright.

Is it possible to collect overripe fruits

You can also take overripe (soft) berries. They have much less vitamin C, but more sugar. Therefore, such fruits are noticeably tastier. They are often used to make jam or fruit drinks.

For drying, it is advisable to use only ripe, but not overripe and not affected by frost berries.

In what month and when can you collect wild rose for drying for the winter

Usually harvesting of berries starts at the end of the season. The specific timing of the collection of wild rose depends on several factors:

• climatic conditions of the region;
• weather in the current year;
• crop varieties;
• part of the plant that is to be harvested (fruits, leaves, roots, flowers).

When to pick wild rose flowers

The flowering of the plant occurs at the end of May – the first half of June. It is at this time that it is worth harvesting flowers. They are taken fresh, not withered. It is important to be in time before the petals begin to fall.

When can you pick rose hips

Ripening of berries begins from the end of August (third decade) to mid-September (15–20). Therefore, the optimal collection time is from the last days of September to mid-October. The fruits retain the best texture, color and nutrients at this particular time. Often you have to hurry up with the collection due to the onset of frosts, which can come even in September.

When to Harvest Rosehip Leaves for Tea

Leaves are recommended to be collected during flowering (from late May to mid-June). At this point, they accumulate the maximum amount of nutrients and do not deteriorate. For collection, dry weather is chosen, and they go out during the day or in the evening so that the morning dew has time to dry completely. It is not recommended to harvest after rains. Wet raw materials take a long time to dry and may become moldy during storage.

When to Harvest Rosehip Root

Rosehip roots need to be collected for the winter 2 times a year:

1. In early spring, until early May, when the bushes have not yet begun to give flowers.
2. In the middle of autumn, during the harvest (September – October).

At these moments, the rhizomes are quite strong, because the plant either has not yet bloomed, or has already given berries and stopped growing on the eve of the winter period.

When to collect wild rose for drying in the suburbs

In the Moscow region, the collection begins in the second half of September, and ends in October. At this time, Indian summer falls, lasting 1-2 weeks. It is best to have time at this very moment – the berries will ripen and will be perfectly dry. When planning the day of collection, it is recommended to focus on the weather forecast.

In the Moscow region, wild rose is harvested from mid-September to the first half of October

When to collect wild rose in the Urals

In the Urals, the fruits are harvested before the onset of frost: it is better to have time at the beginning of the first autumn month. If the weather forecast is unfavorable, the procedure starts at the end of August.

When to collect wild rose in central Our Country

The collection time for wild rose in the regions of central Our Country is exactly the same as in the Moscow region: from mid-September to the first half of October inclusive. In the same period, berries are harvested in the Chernozem region and other regions of the Central region of Our Country.

When to collect wild rose in Siberia

In Siberia, wild rose is torn for drying from the end of August to the first half of September. At this moment, summer has not yet receded, frosts and prolonged rains are unlikely. If delayed to a later period, the berries may suffer from low temperatures.

How to collect wild rose correctly and faster

The collection is carried out on a fine, clear day. It is advisable not to do this in the morning, so that there is no dew on the fruits. There should be no rain on the eve – it is optimal if the berries and flowers are completely dry. Raw materials must be handled carefully to keep them intact.

How to collect wild rose flowers

You can pick rosehip flowers for drying:

• by hand (it is better to wear gloves);
• scissors.

The technology is the same – the flowers are taken together with part of the pedicel (not too large, 2 cm). During the collection, make sure that the inflorescence remains intact, and the petals do not scatter. They are placed in a container in several layers, and it is not worth pressing. Flowers should be kept as intact as possible. Then they bring it home, lay it out in one layer and dry it in a warm room or in the open air. Depending on weather conditions, the whole process will take 3-7 days.

Flowers can be prepared in another way by sprinkling them with sugar. Take 400 g of sugar and 1 teaspoon of citric acid per glass of petals, mix. Place the mixture in sterilized jars and close the lid. Instead of acid, you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The finished product has a pleasant taste and an interesting aroma of roses. It is used to make tea, as well as to treat sore throats and bronchitis.

Rosehip flowers need to be harvested from late May to mid-June

How to collect rose hips

The instructions for collecting rose hips are simple:

1. Select a branch, slightly bend it towards you.
2. Cut off the fruits so that the stalks and calyx remain on them.
3. Put the harvest in a container.
4. At home, sort out the berries and send them for drying or for harvesting (no need to wash).

You can only work with thorny bushes with gloves so as not to get hurt

This is the traditional way of harvesting with “bare hands”. To speed up the process, you can use the following tools:

• PET bottle;
• hoe;
• ladles, rakes;
• gardening scissors.

To speed up the process, you need to collect rose hips for drying using a 1,5 liter plastic bottle (from soda). 2 cuts are made in it: from the side of the bottom and the neck. Moreover, the latter should be narrow – so that only fingers, and not a palm, pass freely into it.

The bottle is put on the brush from the bottom side and the fruits are taken (the second hand supports the branch)

As soon as a handful is collected, they are poured into a container. The bottle has two functions:

• protects hands from thorns;
• does not let you lose a single berry.

You can also collect prickly rose hips with a chopper. It is quickly carried out along the branch, after which all the berries fall into the container. However, the shoots can strongly swing and even injure the skin, so they should be constantly held.

It is also convenient to harvest with the help of a rake with a built-in bucket. The side with the teeth is carried out along the branch, the fruits fall into the container, after which they can be quickly transferred to the main container.

Quick picking method – with garden shears

A bucket is placed under a branch, and the fruits are cut with blades. You need to work carefully to save the stalk and not cut off along with the branches, which then have to be removed manually.

Conclusion

It is recommended to collect wild rose for drying in September and October. This term is suitable for the Moscow region, the middle zone, the Chernozem region, as well as for the southern regions. As for the Urals and Siberia, they start collecting in the middle – the second half of September. It is necessary to try to be in time before the first frosts and prolonged rains. Raw berries in extreme cases can also be taken (if they are not overripe). In this case, they are laid out in one layer and allowed to lie down for several hours in a dry room. After that, they immediately proceed to the preparation (in an electric dryer, oven or air grill).