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Rose hips are the fruit of the rose. Learn how to harvest rose hips, and enjoy this wonderful bounty from your rose bushes in fall.

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Rose hips are produced at the end of the growing season. Inside the rose hips are the seeds and the fruit, the latter of which has both culinary and therapeutic uses.

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Rose hips can be harvested in fall, after they mature on the bush. Many foragers will wait until the frosts arrive, which can add sweetness to the fruit.

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If you are harvesting rose hips for culinary or cosmetic use, it is important to harvest from organic bushes.

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Runoff from the roadways has the risk of carrying contaminants. Avoid roadside foraging from major roadways if at all possible, for this reason.

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Harvest rose hips when they have turned from a green color when just forming, to a bright red or orange color on the bush.

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Rose hip formation is dependent on bloom time, and occurs only when the roses have been fertilized to produce a seed pod.

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Roses which bloomed in June will have an earlier rose hip harvest, as those which bloomed in July or August, because those rose hips are later forming.

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When your rose hips are prime for the picking, head out to the bush with a bowl or basket, and a sharp pair of scissors or snips.

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Pick the rose hips that look healthy and ripe. Leave behind any that are shrivelled, damaged, or past their prime.

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Gather the amount you will need from the bush, and make sure to leave a few behind for the wildlife.

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The freshly harvested rose hips can now be processed for use.

For more information, see the tutorial!