When to pick wild rose – where is it better to take berries, is it possible to pick unripe and soft fruits?

Natural plants have effective healing qualities. Rosa cinnamomea, or cinnamon rosehip, prickly aesculapius with thorns and up to 1.5 m high. The berries contain a unique composition of useful compounds. It is important to know when to harvest wild rose and how to dry it properly so that all active substances are preserved for a long time.

Where to collect wild rose?

Of great importance is the place of collection of the plant. If there is a desire to prepare a healing culture on your own, the question arises, is it possible to collect wild rose in the city? It is impossible to harvest vegetable raw materials within the city limits, near major highways and railways. The best gathering places are: forests, thickets of shrubs, steppe slopes, river floodplains. Only well-known plant species should be harvested. Scientists have found that nondescript, wild rose hips that are not subjected to selection contain more healthy substances.

When to pick rose hips?

Before you start harvesting, you need to know when to collect rose hips for drying. Of great importance are the terms, which depend on regional, natural and climatic conditions. The collection time may differ not only in different areas, but also in neighboring areas. Each part of the plant has its own collection time. Ripening of berries begins in the third decade of August-early September. September and October are considered the optimal dates for picking berries – the most favorable period when you can pick wild rose. Harvesting of berries is carried out after ripening on dry, cool days.

Is it possible to collect unripe wild rose hips?

To preserve all the healing properties, the collection of wild rose is carried out only after full ripening. Ripe berries have a high content of ascorbic acid. The fruits contain a unique multivitamin complex, consisting of rutin, carotene, vitamin E, K. Unripe fruits do not have the healing power found in ripe berries. The composition of the nutrients of a mature plant is significantly different from that of an unripe one, so it is better to leave such fruits on the branches.

Is it possible to collect soft rose hips?

Overripe wild rose fruits soften and become sweet. The sugar content increases, and the amount of ascorbic acid decreases. It is possible to collect soft rosehip berries, but the medicinal properties in the fruits are reduced, and the taste is improved due to the high sugar content. Not having hardness and strength, softened fruits will bring little benefit to the body. Overripe rose hips dry for a long time and poorly and can simply rot and lose their useful qualities. Vegetable raw materials are more suitable for the preparation of compotes, syrups and jams.

When to collect rosehip leaves?

The leaves of the wild rose bush are harvested in early spring in the months of May-June. The plant begins a period of budding and flowering. At this time, the leafy part contains the most beneficial chemicals. When to collect wild rose for drying for the winter depends on the growing season of the plant, time of day and weather conditions. The collection of plant materials is planned in dry, sunny weather. Harvesting is preferably carried out after the morning dew has dried. An untimely collected rosehip leaf does not provide the body with the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals.

When to collect rosehip roots?

Healing qualities are possessed not only by berries and leaves, but also by the root part of the plant. It is interesting when to collect wild rose for home use, for example, roots and rhizomes are dug up after ripening and shedding seeds in good, dry weather. It is desirable to leave part of the roots and rhizomes in the ground for the resumption of plant growth. The dug out roots are cleared of the earth and prepared for the next stage of processing. The best time to collect wild rose is October. If for some reason they did not have time to procure raw materials, you can dig up the roots in early spring in April or May.

When to collect rosehip seeds for planting?

Rosehip grows well on any soil, except waterlogged. Rosehip seeds fruits or nuts are located inside the berry, in the amount of 10-100 pcs. For sowing, high-quality, seed material is collected from unripe, pink berries with a delicate, thinner skin that promotes germination in the first year of planting. When harvesting ripe fruits, the seed germinates only in the second year. Harvesting time varies depending on the region and climatic conditions from August to September. When figuring out when to harvest rose hips for seeds, they are guided by external signs of color and density of berries.

How to collect wild rose?

Before proceeding with the collection, it is necessary to be able to distinguish the desired plant, know the parts to be collected, and the optimal time for harvesting raw materials. Rose hips are used for medicinal purposes: seeds, leaves, fruits, roots. How to prepare rose hips, the basic rules for harvesting:

1. Choose a convenient time and good weather.
2. Each type of raw material is collected in a separate container.
3. You can not cut or pluck completely the leaves from one bush.
4. You need to know exactly which part of the plant, when to collect.
5. You can not collect rose hips in plastic bags, use canvas bags, baskets.
6. Do not collect plant materials in rainy weather.

How to process rosehip?

The collected plant material is to be sorted and prepared for drying. Drying rose hips is the most important link in the harvesting of plants. Undried parts of the wild rose lose their useful qualities. Recommendations for the preparation and processing of harvested fresh raw materials:

1. Examine the collected fruits and leaves.
2. Delete low-quality, damaged copies.
3. Rinse berries and roots with clean water.
4. To dry, spread a thin layer on cardboard, sheets of clean paper, a layer of 1-2 cm.
5. Before drying, hold the fruits in the sun from 1-3 hours.
6. Dry the leaves and seeds outdoors in the shade to preserve their beneficial qualities.
7. Only the roots can be dried in the sun.
8. In rainy weather, use artificial drying at a temperature of 40-50ºС.
9. Drying time is 4-7 days.
10. Turn plants over while drying.

How to store rosehip?

Well-dried medicinal material must be properly stored. Storage periods are set by the Ministry of Health. Leaves and flowers are stored for 1-2 years, and roots and fruits – 2-3 years. There are various ways to conserve vegetable raw materials. Basic rules on how to save rose hips:

1. Vegetable raw materials must be crushed.
2. Do not store in a hot and open, sunny place.
3. Rose hips are recommended to be stored in canvas bags, paper bags or glass jars.
4. Regardless of the container, there must be a label with the name of the type of raw material and the date of harvest.