We stumbled across a big stand of rose hips today! What a sweet find, especially this late in November.. they’re usually picked clean by now.
Rose hips are best known for being a good source of vitamin c, but they also have other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Long before we even knew these nutrients existed, rose hips have traditionally been used as an important nutritious food source. You can use them in teas, jams, jellies, tinctures, syrups, and soups for a range of benefits — from “food as medicine” (i.e. nutritive use) to immune support to emotional support for matters of the heart.
They’re best when harvested in the fall after it freezes and they become wrinkled, but I think as long as they’re fully ripe it’s a “good” time to harvest. If I was cultivating rose hips, I’d definitely wait for this optimal time. But when wild harvesting it’s hard to get the timing just right, especially when you have to drive and hike to harvest. So do the best you can on the timing!