How to forage rose hips: autumn's forgotten fruit

Foraging for foods is an excellent way to explore your local canal. The sweet, floral taste and impressive health benefits of rose hips make this forgotten fruit a good one to look for on the towpath.

Rose hips are packed with vitamin C and other minerals.

Rose hips are an often overlooked autumn fruit that offers so much to our health and wellbeing. Among blackberries and sloes, rose hips stand out as an unsung hero of the autumn harvest.

The rose hip is the fruit of the rose plant, usually orangey-red in colour and ready to pick during our autumn season. The most common rose hips along the canal will be found on dog rose plants.

Are rose hips good for you?

Rose hips are packed full of goodness and health benefits – here are a few reasons to eat more of them:

contain vitamins A, B, C, E and K
at least 20 times more vitamin C than in an orange
high iron content
natural, nutritional and has heaps of anti-oxidants and minerals
eases pain and stiffness of chronic arthritis
soothes a cold
helps regenerate new skin cells and treat scars, acne and burns
re-hydrates your skin
also used for diabetes, high cholesterol, gout and sciatica

During World War II, when fresh oranges were hard to come by, the people of Britain used rose hips to make syrups packed with vitamin C, helping to protect against scurvy.

A rose bush with small, oval-shaped red berries next to a snowy towpath.

You can pick rose hips from the end of September to as late as December in some areas.

How to know when rose hips are ready for picking

After the first frost of the year, rose hips ripen. Once the petals have dropped off, the hip is ready for picking They should be red in colour and soft to the touch. Don’t pick the shrivelled ones – leave them for the birds, rabbits and squirrels.

Rose hips aren't poisonous, but be careful not to mistake them with other berries. Whenever you're foraging along our canals, make sure you're confident about what you pick before putting it in your mouth. It's a good idea to get a foraging guide, book or app to take with you.

Hands hold a Tuppaware with freshly picked sloe berries.

Winter foraging for festive foods

November and December might seem too late in the calendar year to harvest fruits, but there are plenty of winter foraging opportunities

What can you do with rosehips?

Rose hips are incredibly versatile. You can use them to make a variety of things, including rose hip tea, breads and even wine.

Some of the most popular uses for rose hips include:

Rose hip syrup (a great way to get your vitamin C intake)
Rose hip jam recipe or jelly, perfect for spreading on bread
Rose hip tea, which is soothing and packed with antioxidants

How to prepare rosehips

You can dry them out, boil them, stew them, or make rose hip syrup – one of the most common ways to prepare this tangy fruit. Make sure you wash any foraged finds thoroughly before eating.