When to collect rose hips? The national calendar says that the optimal collection time begins on October 1 - on the day of Arina Shipovnitsy. However, this calendar date does not always correspond to the best time. A lot depends on the geographical area of growth, the phase of development of rose hips, weather, climatic conditions and even the microclimate of a particular area. Therefore, in order to answer the question of when to collect rose hips, one needs to build on the conditions of a particular region. In some places and latitudes, berries begin to be harvested somewhere in late summer.
When to collect rose hips
The largest amount of nutrients in the fruit is found during the ripening period. Berries are picked from the end of summer and all autumn. As already mentioned, much depends on the climatic conditions of the area. However, there are nuances. You should also pay attention to the variety of rose hips. The ripening time for different subspecies may vary. The later the collection time, the less vitamins remain in the fruits, and the amount of sugars increases.
Signs of ripening
When do I need to collect rose hips? As a rule, already in late August, the fruits turn orange or bright red. This is one of the signs that they are ripe. The highest content of vitamins will be in hard and large fruits with protruding sepals. If the latter fit tightly on the berry, then this means that the fruits have not yet fully ripened. Rosehip is collected along with cups and stalks. They are removed only after drying. So rose hips retain more vitamins.
Environmental Safety
Where and when can I pick a rose hip? It must be understood that only bushes of plants growing in a clean area are suitable for collection and subsequent consumption. It is best to harvest fruits in the forest, away from the joys of civilization. Sometimes the question of when to collect the rosehip seems not so important compared to the question of where it is not worth doing. They will not bring benefits, but only harm, berries growing not far from highways, chemical industry enterprises and other harmful industries. Not so important as they look. Health is more expensive. The fruits of almost any plant tend to accumulate toxins from the environment.
Drying
Berries must be dried after harvesting, otherwise they will lose their beneficial properties or deteriorate. It is better to do this in a ventilated room, spreading the fruits on paper. Rosehip can be dried in the oven. Berries are stored in sealed containers. Before drying, the crop needs to be sorted out and discarded illiquid fruits. You do not need to wash them. You can dry the fruits in their entirety or cut them in half. It should be understood that the faster the berries are dried, the less will be the loss of vitamins and other beneficial substances. The oven is heated to +40 ° C and the pan is kept with berries for about an hour. Then the temperature is increased to +60 ° C and dried for another 8-9 hours.
There is another way. First, the dogrose must be kept for 10 minutes at a temperature of +100 ° C, and then reduce the temperature to +70 ° C. In order for the fruits to dry qualitatively, constant air circulation is necessary. To do this, you need to turn on convection in the oven. If it is not provided, you can simply slightly open the door.
