Not everyone wants to use loads of sugar in their rosehip recipes, so here’s a good recipe for making the most of the vitamin C content in the rosehips that can be gathered now. Once the recipe has brewed for long enough, just add a dessert spoon full of the oxymel to a glass of warm water (not hot, as this destroys the vitamin C and also breaks down the vinegar mother, which has all the good stuff in it). Sip a glass of this a day as a great way to boost your immune system through the winter.
Rosehip Oxymel
Ingredients:
Plenty of fresh rosehips after the frost has softened them.
Unpasteurised cider vinegar with the mother still in
Plenty of local honey
Spices if preferred – cinnamon, star anise and turmeric all work well, as does fresh root ginger.
Instructions:
Roughly chop up the rosehips and pile them into a kilner jar, then pour over enough cider vinegar to cover the rosehips plus have four fingers width on top. You can add the ground up spices or finely grated ginger and turmeric now (or all of the above, if you want to!) Don’t forget to add plenty of local honey. I like to add at least two large tablespoons to this recipe, depending on how sweet you want the resulting oxymel. The advantage to not cooking the rosehips is that they do not get broken down, and the health giving vitamin C content remains intact, so its much better for immune boosting as a result.
You can also do a version of this recipe as an alcohol based drink, using brandy, vodka or any other strong spirit – this has the benefit of being particularly warming. I tend to prefer warming versions myself, because I run cold, though you may find those who run warm will prefer cooler vinegar based versions.
This recipe is from Wild Medicine, November – you can find it in my Etsy store if you fancy having a look at the whole thing! November lesson, digital edition
eldrum.co.uk 
Hello :O) I love oxymels, this sounds delicious, thanks for sharing, Tracy
It is a pretty tasty recipe, actually! Hope you enjoy making it 😀
I have some vodka rose hip mix left that we did with you last year, it’s gone to a jelly. Is this still safe to use?
Hi Liz! Does it still smell ok? What colour is it? If it looks and smells fine, then it should still be ok, I reckon!
Hasn’t changed colour and doesnt smell. Thanks Ali
Hi
Sieving out the rosehip after a few weeks ??
Think I fancy the brandy version !
most people do! 😀 still, not everyone can tolerate alcohol, so the vinegar version is a nice alternative, and it preserves the rosehips just as well as the alcohol does! 😀
I don’t have rosehips, but I do have rosehip powder. Do you think that would work?
I don’t see any reason why not! I suggest you maybe try two batches – one just with the rosehip powder as is, and one where you’ve just covered the rosehip powder in a tiny bit of warm water and let it soak overnight first. Dried rosehips can be rather hard and I’m not sure how well they would extract in the vinegar without a light soak first. Try both and let us know how you get on? 😀
Thanks! Any suggestion on how much powder to use per cup of vinegar?
I reckon a couple of heaped tablespoons should be plenty! Have fun with it, and let us know how you get on!
Great, thanks for taking the time to answer!
You are most welcome – have fun concocting! 😀
This looks fab- how long do I need to let the mixture ‘sit’ before I can use it??? Jay
Can I use the rosehips fresh with the seeds still inside or do I need to remove them for the recipe?
you can use the rosehips fresh – just make sure you strain it through a couple of layers of jelly cloth once you’ve finished cooking them down! The hairs inside can be irritating to the stomach otherwise.