Saturday, March 27, 2010

Pink Saturday - Roses & Give A Way

I want to dedicate this post to our friend Paul, who passed away tonight (3-26-2010), and to his beautiful wife Susan. May God comfort you dear friend.



Welcome to Pink Saturday, I hope you are enjoying all the fun pinks that are being shared. To see the list of Pink bloggers visit Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound. If you would like to share some Pink, Beverly tells you how.

Last weeks Pink Saturday post featured part 1 about roses and their many uses besides beauty in the garden or on a table.

This week I want to share a couple recipes with you and perhaps a few craft ideas. I am also having a give a way, read on down to the bottom for the info about that. The pictures are for you viewing enjoyment, they are from my former garden.




















Rosewater: Place a brick or flat rock in a large canning pot. Surround the brick with rose
petals and cover the petals with water. Keep the water level below the top of the brick. Place
an empty stainless steel bowl on the brick. On top of the canning pot, invert a lid and fill it
with ice. Place canning pot on high heat until all water is evaporated from the petals and
distilled into the bowl. The water that collects in the bowl is rose water and can be used in cosmetics, food, or as a refreshing beverage. You can also buy rose water, a good place is
Mountain Rose Herbs

BE SURE TO USE ORGANIC PETALS! You don't want to use petals that have been sprayed with bug killer, it will transfer to your rose water.



















Rosebead Recipe: (from Herbalpedia)
½ lb fresh fragrant rose petals
¼ lb fine salt
½ oz each of cloves and allspice
Pound the ingredients together in a mortar or grind in a meat or grain grinder. (If
your rose petals are not moist enough to form balls, boil them in a small amount of water
first.) Shape into balls, sliding a thick needle or toothpick through the center for a hole. They
will shrink and dry in a few days and continue to harden with age. When very hard, they can
be polished with vegetable oil.
You can also go to The Essential Herbal to get prepared powders to make rose beads, as well as several other plants that they have put together. I have used the powders and they are great.



















Rose Petal Jam
4 cups rose petals
1¼ cups water
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp rose water
Gently simmer the rose petals in water for 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and
sugar and bring again to the boil, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
Cook steadily for 15-20 minutes, until the jam starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and
stir in the rose water. Pour into sterile jelly glasses and seal. (The Herbal Connection Collection)




















Rose Candy
2 cups fresh fragrant rose petals
2 cups confectioners sugar
hazel nuts (shelled)
Place the rose petals in a food processor with ½ cup of the confectioners sugar (no liquid
needed) blend until the petals and sugar start to become liquid.. Add the rest of the sugar
gradually until the mixture thickens. Remove from the food processor and place on a flat
surface and knead in more confectioners sugar. Roll in small marble sized pieces with more
confectioners sugar. Place each piece on waxed paper and flatten slightly. Press a hazelnut into
the top of each piece. Let air dry for several hours. Store in the freezer.



Rose-Brandy Liqueur
2 oz fresh rose hips (or 1 oz dried)
1 cup fresh rose petals or ½ oz dried
½ cup red grape juice
3-4 tablespoons honey
a good grating of nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves
1 ½ cups brandy
Sterilize and rinse a wine bottle or similar bottle. If you use dried rosehips, soak them for
24 hours before use. Pour grape juice into a pan. Chop each rose hip in half and add, with
all ingredients except petals and brandy, to grape juice. Warm over a gentle heat. When the
mixture is warm and honey dissolved, allow it to cool. Put the petals in a sterilized bottle, and
add the brandy and grape juice mixture. Seal it and store in a warm place, such as an airing
cupboard, for 10 days. Strain and rebottle. This will be cloudy, but will clear after a few weeks,
at which point you can strain it off, leaving the sediment in the original bottle if you wish. The
liqueur is ready to enjoy after 6-8 months after the original straining.



















I hope you have enjoyed getting a feel for roses, these recipes are from Herbelpedia, I confess I have not tried them but they are some I want to try, when I get roses again. Sigh. If your so inclined you can do a search and find alot more recipes.

Now on to the give away. I figured I should show you what your getting.

2 - 4 ounce bars of Creamy Rose Milk Soap.





































I unwrapped one to get a picture of the bar for you. Pretty isn't it. This soap has, goats milk, oils, including rose hip seed oil, pink clay. It is creamy and perfect for the face.

To enter, leave a comment for 1 chance to win and become a follower for a second chance (be sure and tell me).

Drawing will be on next Pink Saturdays post. Good Luck.

24 comments:

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

I just love your posts about roses!!So pretty and so informative!!
Debbie

Sherry from Alabama said...

I'm so sorry for your loss.

You have such a pretty post today. Please enter me in your contest, I love the pink soaps!

Sherry @ A Happy Valentine

Maggie said...

Peace be with your friend.

Lovely pictures and nice giveaway!

Happy PS!

In Shoes We Trust.
Maggie Mae
"Do these shoes match this purse?"

EvalinaMaria said...

I love roses, I love your recipes and I love to win rose soap! Have a wonderful pink Saturday!

Cathy said...

What wonderful recipes. I love roses. I just adore the thought of bathing in a bathtub of pink rose scent and just relax.

Thank you for sharing.

Happy Pink Saturday.

Cathy

Splenderosa said...

Your posts, that's plural, are fabulous! I intend to read the "political" one all the way through. A fine-thinking woman I have found here. Lovely to meet you, xx's Marsha

Esme said...

Your roses are beautiful. Have a great pink day.

Esme said...

PS I am following you.

Mermaids of the Lake said...

I love your rose recipes. I've made Rose Petal Jam and Rose Water, but never the candy or Rose-Brand Liqueur. I'm definitely saving these for future use!

I would love to win your Creamy Rose Milk Soap. My mom loves everything roses and I'd be thrilled to give one bar to her. And, of course, keep one for myself!

Come visit us! mermaidsofthelake.com

~Mermaid Shelley

Ann said...

I can almost smell the red roses from here. Beautiful.
Ann

The Old Parsonage said...

Oh what beautiful roses and so many great recipes to use them for. I'd love to be entered and I'm a follower too.

Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.

Enjoy
Leann

Jeannette said...

Ooo that soap looks good enough to eat! Thanks for your kind comment. I am glad we can be friends.

Jeannette said...

Hmm my internet is glitching. I hope you got my last comment. I wanted to add that I am happily following your blog! Can't wait to see what you have to say.

Cape Cod Rambling Rose said...

Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge of roses - and those wonderful recipes! How sweet of you to have a giveaway! (I've been a follower since last week's Pink Saturday!) Happy Weekend! =)

CC said...

What wonderful recipes...I will be trying the rosebeads..I would love to be entered in your giveaway..and I'm already a follower.
Happy Pinks and have a lovely weekend.

Julie said...

Love, love, love roses! So beautiful and relaxing!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and the warm welcome!

Unknown said...

Pretty roses.
Hugs
Charo

Lisa said...

I am loving all your recipes! How awesome! I just read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, they use all the flowers in the garden for the food! It sounds awesome! Thanks for offering the rose soap I cannot wait to see if I win!! I hope you are having a Super Spring Pink Saturday!
Hugs, Lisa

Mary Beth @ Live. Laugh. Make Something said...

yum... I can smell those roses from here! ...such pretty pictures! This is my first Pink Saturday and I'm enjoying hopping around and seeing all the pink pretties! Please stop by my place and see my little Basket Full of Sunshine! until later...

bj said...

These rose recipes are awesome. I don't think I've ever eaten anything made with roses.
The soap giveaway is very generous and so pretty. Thanks for giving us a chance to win. :)
O...and the goblet in my post is called a buttermilk goblet and I now have 3...and always on the watch for more. I remember using buttermilk goblets at my grandpa's house so so many years ago.
xo bj

Abramyan Avenue said...

Oh my goodness! What a perfect giveaway. I love roses. My daughter bought me my first rose bush "Dame de Coeur". I love it and try to take such good care of it. Roses and handmade soap are my two most favorite things! So this is a perfect giveaway!

Susie Q said...

Your roses are gorgeous and I have GOT to get some planted. We rent, so I have to use pots, but I have to have some. We're fortunate enough to be able to grow peonies here also..the scent of those and roses together is just breathtaking..and I can never have enough rose scented stuff around!

Susie Q said...

And now a follower.

Anonymous said...

What wonderful recipes, Gail! Thanks so much for sharing these. I can hardly wait to try out a few! And thanks for your sweet comments at my place! I do feel better today, thanks!