Best OGRS/Species for Rose Hip Production

14 years ago

Hi there! Quick question, I'm looking for ideas on what cultivars of OGR be good for Baltimore MD grown organically for hip production to sell at open markets as a fruit good i.e. for cooking as in jams and syrups, etc. I know apple rose pomifera might be a be a good one, right? Any that are particularly tasty? I know rugosas can make tasty hips from picking them at the beach, but they're awfully seed filled/prickly.

Any input would be appreciated, I might be helping someone set up an organic farm and be a worker/grower for them, so I'd like to know what would be the most productive cultivars so they'd have good crops with time. I know roses like Kanzanik, Ispahan and gallica Conditorium are good for their petals to use in syrups and rose water, etc, right?

Again, any recommendations would be awesome!

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Comments (10)

wirosarian_z4b_WI
14 years ago
The N. American species 'Rosa virginiana' produces a real good crop of hips & is a native plant to your area of the US
olga_6b
14 years ago
Rosa canina and Alba Semiplena are the most productive of all I ever had experience with. Some Rugosas that are not heavily hybridized ( for example alba, rubra, scabrosa) are also good. Virginiana is less productive for me.
Olga
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My best tasting rose hips for fresh eating are Rosa californica 'First Dawn' and Rosa canina 'Laxa'. The FD hips are small and chewy, about the consistency of dried apricots and also tangy but milder in flavor. The dog rose hips I tried when they were green--ugh, tasted like cardboard. But when ripe they are also chewy and tangy like FD's but around 3 times bigger. Both roses produce hundreds of hips. Their hips are "meatier" than some other roses (meaning not much fuzzy stuff inside). R. canina 'Laxa' is a once bloomer. FD repeats throughout the year. R. spinosissima also has tasty hips. Not quite as good as the other two and smaller than either. The Gift (white polyantha) produces lots of even smaller hips that have fairly good flavor. The small size is a drawback. R. primula produces hundreds of hips each year. Medium size. Blah tasting IMHO. However, wild creatures treat them like candy. R. alabukensis sets a big crop of large hips for a species. Not much flavor. Cassie sets a bazillion hips. Unfortunately they are so teensy I haven't even attempted eating. R. pomifera (the apple rose) is arriving soon. It is raised for its hips in Europe for eating. Funny thing I was just out walking the dogs with my neighbor, and we were discussing trying various rose hips in tea to see which taste the best. Both Rosa californica 'First Dawn' and R. canina are loaded right now, so they will be the initial volunteers. The Greenmantle website has a lot of info about using various parts of roses for food, perfume, etc. Scroll down on the link below for recipes and roses used. Melissa Here is a link that might be useful: Rose petals perfume, potpourri + hip recipes
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User
14 years ago
agree with Olga, a lot of rugosas have great tasty heps. I grow R.moyesii for the hips but mainly for decoration, not eating.
luxrosa
14 years ago
Of all the rugosa rosehips I've eaten there is one in particular I like for culinary use;
In Northern California 'Magnifica' grows to be a large plant, c. 6 feet tall by nearly as wide, and one plant when of a mature size, will produce hundreds of very large rosehips that are delicious in jam. 'Magnifica' rosehips also have a higher flesh to seed ratio, like most rugosa rosehips do, which makes more jam from each quart of hips than smaller sized rosehips can produce, if seeds and skins are strained out.

Best wishes,
Luxrosa
york_rose
14 years ago
I can confirm that Rosa alba semi-plena produces hips. I've never tried them so I can't offer an assessment of their meatiness vs. seediness, but the rose absolutely produces hips, and pretty easily. To the best of my recollection they aren't at all bristly/prickly, either.

Don't the Scotch roses usually produce a lot of hips (although I think they're supposed to be smallish)?
geo_7a
14 years ago
I like the taste of the hips on snow pavement (to me, like a cross between apple & cotton candy).

Have thought it might be nice to have eglantine rose, both for the hips & the strong apple fragrance of the leaves.
celeste/NH
14 years ago
I haven't ever eaten a rosehip before so I have no idea which hips are the tastiest, but I do know of several that
make plump hips. As others have mentioned, alba Semiplena produces smooth hips in good numbers. Also, r. eglanteria makes loads of hips, as does r. pomifera. Be forewarned about r. eglanteria....it makes a MASSIVE, thorny shrub. Even here in zone 4 it is 10 feet tall and wide....by far the largest rosebush I know of here. No kidding, my husband had to get out his chainsaw to help me prune the older canes on it! It has loads of thorns, too. The leaves do smell like apples, though, especially after it rains. Of course there are the rugosas with their large, tomato-like hips. R. canina also makes good rosehips.
I can vouch that birds absolutely love the hips of r. pomifera because they devour them soon after they turn red. I'm not a bird, but it seems THEY think those are some pretty tasty hips. If you look at my picture of r. pomifera you will see how plump and large the hips are. They are wonderful.

Celeste

r. eglanteria.....

{{gwi:224427}}
{{gwi:224428}}
flowers:
{{gwi:224429}}

The hips of r. POMIFERA.......

{{gwi:224430}}

r. CANINA.....

{{gwi:224431}}
celeste/NH
14 years ago
I haven't ever eaten a rosehip before so I have no idea which hips are the tastiest, but I do know of several that
make plump hips. As others have mentioned, alba Semiplena produces smooth hips in good numbers. Also, r. eglanteria makes loads of hips, as does r. pomifera. Be forewarned about r. eglanteria....it makes a MASSIVE, thorny shrub. Even here in zone 4 it is 10 feet tall and wide....by far the largest rosebush I know of here. No kidding, my husband had to get out his chainsaw to help me prune the older canes on it! It has loads of thorns, too. The leaves do smell like apples, though, especially after it rains. Of course there are the rugosas with their large, tomato-like hips. R. canina also makes good rosehips.
I can vouch that birds absolutely love the hips of r. pomifera because they devour them soon after they turn red. I'm not a bird, but it seems THEY think those are some pretty tasty hips. If you look at my picture of r. pomifera you will see how plump and large the hips are. They are wonderful.

Celeste

r. eglanteria.....

{{gwi:224427}}
{{gwi:224428}}
flowers:
{{gwi:224429}}

The hips of r. POMIFERA.......

{{gwi:224430}}

r. CANINA.....

{{gwi:224431}}
celeste/NH
14 years ago
I was informed that my original message was rejected, so
I tried it again.
Hence the duplicate. Sorry!
luxrosa
14 years ago
I've eaten rosehips from my Alba Semi-Plena, although they are especially beautiful rosehips they were a bit bland compared to rosehips from Rosa rugosa rubra, and 'Magnifica'.
Lux.

Best OGRS/Species for Rose Hip Production

Comments (10)

wirosarian_z4b_WI

olga_6b

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