Wild Rose Honey

It’s the time of year here on the island where the air smells like wild roses. I walk along near the water’s edge and smell their unmistakable scent and my body immediately drops into a more relaxed state. I’ve been harvesting wild rose in the same special spot for three years, and each year, I eagerly anticipate when I can pluck the tiny buds to dry for tea and pick the petals to infuse into a jar of honey.

After harvesting, I lay out the rose buds on a drying basket and once they’re completely dry, I put them in a jar and keep them in a dark place to preserve their color. I then add them to tea throughout the year whenever I need a bit of rose medicine. And I always make a little jar of rose honey. To do that, just fill a jar of any size halfway with fresh rose petals. Fragrant varieties work best. Obviously be sure your rose petals are clean and not treated with chemicals. Make sure the rose petals aren’t wet. Pour honey over them to fill the jar and stir with a chopstick until all the air bubbles are out of the honey and the rose petals are completely coated and submerged in honey. Cover the jar and stir occasionally every few days for one moon cycle. After that, strain the petals out if you wish, through a mesh strainer (quite a messy process), or simply leave the petals in the honey. Use the honey however you’d like to enjoy the essence of rose.