Recently I had a wonderful chance to harvest tea rose petals in my garden. There is nothing to compare the scent of a rosebush in the early morning hours, when the dew has just descended and the smell of flowering is so fragrant, the petals have a divine pink color and they are so soft and silky to the touch.
Then I started to think about the way I could preserve them to enjoy flavorful mugs of tea when winter comes. Yet, I did not want to use the all-known recipe and just grate rose petals with sugar. First of all, I wanted to keep all the goods in a healthier way, without using sugar. Secondly, I wanted to try something new. And then I decided: “What if I blend tea rose petals and then mix them with honey?”
Honey beautifully pairs with the taste of rose and becomes infused and enriched with numerous useful benefits rose petals provide.
So, let’s start cooking.
Ingredients:
- 200 g (7 oz) rose petals
- 200 ml honey
Cooking
Pick by yourself or buy fresh rose petals (you don’t need the whole rose buds, simply get the petals). It’s better to pick the petals early in the morning as soon as the dew has dried then the bloom fragrance is the richest and the concentration of beneficial enzymes and essences is the highest.
Remove any leaves or insects from your petals. I washed my petals and then let them thoroughly dry (to prevent excess water mix with honey). If you want, you can omit this step.
Now we need to grind the petals.
You can put rose petals in a mortar and pound them with a pestle into a homogeneous mass OR you can crush petals in a blender/food processor.
Then arrange the rose petals into a jar. You should get ready your jar beforehand – scald it and let completely dry.
Preheat honey in a bain-marie and pour it over rose petals. Mix everything well to remove any air pockets.
Tip!
You should use good-quality, light-colored honey. Do not use last-year, already sugared honey. And it’s better to take honey with a less pronounced taste.
If needed, at the end add more honey to ensure all rose petals are covered.
Scald the lid and close the jar tightly. Keep the rose-infused honey in a fridge. Turn and shake the jar from time to time. In 6 weeks the honey can be filtered (if you wish). To make this you should put the jar in a pan with hot water and strain the honey through a sieve into a sterilized jar.
Now you can enjoy natural rosy taste and aroma the whole autumn-winter period.
How to use the rose-infused honey
The first thing that comes to mind is to make tea!
Brew black or green tea. Pour it into a mug and add a spoonful of rose petals with honey, mix and let the tea brew one minute more. If you do not like the idea of rose petals floating in your tea, strain the tea through a fine strainer. The aromatic drink is ready to enjoy.
You can also use rose petals to:
– flavor juices and cocktails,
– top ice-cream,
– serve with pancakes, cookies, and pastries
– grease breakfast toasts,
– add to confectionery creams,
– or enjoy the spoon on its own to alleviate the anxiety and feel calmness).
Enjoy your meal!
Have you liked the recipe for preserved rose petals?
Join and follow us on social media to keep up-to-date with our freshest recipes, cooking tips, and entertaining articles related to the Ukrainian people, culture, and traditions!
Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, etc. to comment and share your favorite Ukrainian recipes with friends and relatives!
