Expedition Rosehip
It's been about two months since my last post. I've been missing writing so much but there have been many things happening in my life which needed my full attention. I will try to do it better in the future and I might also tell you a bit about my big changes! But today I want to write about something different...
Every year around this time I'm starting to think about Christmas presents. Sounds early, right? But it isn't! I like to surprise my family and friends with homemade gifts, and therefore I need some time to plan and prepare them.
This year, I'm going to make rosemary salt, rosehip and oranges jam, and Indonesian sambal (hot sauce). I have so much rosemary in our new garden (first big change - we bought a garden!) and I thought it would be great to preserve it in salt as it's a perfect herb for this time of the year! I make the best sambal ever (my husband's words) and it would be a shame not to share it with our loved ones. So far so good! But it cannot be all so easy...
I remember my grandma making rosehip jam & tea when I was a little girl. I loved its special flavor and versatility as rosehip jam can be used in sweet as well as savory dishes. There were rosehip bushes everywhere and it was so easy to get it in huge quantities. I have wanted to try it for many years too but I have never actually made it. Until now...
Today in the morning, we took an empty bag and went to the forest to collect rosehip. We walked for kilometers and didn't find anything! I couldn't believe it. It was so easy to find when I was a girl! What I didn't realize is that apparently rosehip bushes don't usually grow in the forest but on the open fields. Lesson learned and so we came home with the empty bag.
In the afternoon, we went for a walk along Rhine. We took the bag just in case and we got lucky!
It's been cloudy and foggy for a couple of weeks, so we were happy to enjoy some sunshine today. I don't even remember when was the last time that we went for two walks in one day, and today it was really worth it.
When we didn't expect it anymore, we found them! They were quite high and we couldn't reach many of them, so my husband picked me up and I was sitting on his shoulders to get as many as possible. People who saw us seemed genuinely surprised and confused but nobody suggested to help us! We could use a hand 🙂
I don't even remember how I managed to get back down but I know it was scary!
We continued our walk along the river. The level of water is so low that we could walk on the shore. We haven't seen it this low before.
Of course it wouldn't be an adventure without injuries. Even though I knew that there were thorns on the bushes I didn't take gloves and this is the result. That's only my first scratch. There were many more before we finished - no pain, no gain!
And this is where the real adventure started. We found the most beautiful fruits dangerously close to the water and the waterfall itself. It is not allowed to go into water here but there are no specific rules about walking on the rocks, so we took our chances (or rather my husband did) 🙂
He went behind the railing and down to the water to pick the most beautiful fruit. The waterfall starts right behind that bridge, so he had to be extremely careful.
After a while he jumped on the rocks but slipped and fell in the water. Luckily, he only got his shoes wet and jumped quickly back on the rock. We didn't stay for much longer as it was cold and he was wet, but he still tried to get some more fruit.
This rosehip jam better be good!
My hands were burning and itchy from all the scratching but I was still so happy that we managed to get them! I can start the preparation of my Christmas gifts!
Even the sky was on our side...
Happy us with our precious fruit 🙂
I think that we don't have enough yet but it's a solid start and I still have time before Christmas to get more. Overall, we had a great adventurous weekend and I'm excited to start working on presents for my folks.
Hope you had a good time too!
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina
You had a really great adventure!!
What fun! I love foraging and then making stuff from nature. The adventure of foraging is often better than what you find. Or I guess put a better way, foraging is its own reward regardless of what you find 🙂 Looks like a lovely day and what a nice story about Christmas and your grandma
The Rhine Falls, but my photos are then on the other side of the pond.
https://peakd.com/photography/@dubignyp/chutes-du-rhin-neuhausen-2019
But, I stop writing to you, because you just ignored me. Too bad sorry.
Hi @delishtreats
This post is very nice, but I think you have the wrong community, because this is a gastronomic community, not a nature community. For this reason, and with great regret, I proceed to silence your publication.
It was difficult to choose the community for this post and I decided to pick yours with intention of another follow up post with the recipe once my jam is ready. I must say that your reaction surprised me as I believe it fits in food community.
Really your post was great, and the recipe for the jam would look great on Foodies Bee Hive, however, on the platform there are other good communities, for example Amazing Nature, you just need to explore and learn a little more about the other communities. There is also the weekend community, where you could have shared this experience if you made it on a weekend.
In any case, I look forward to curating your jam post in this community. I hope you understand that we are doing our job, to maintain some order in the community.
Regards and thanks @delishtreats
What a lovely place to walk, it's beautiful. I have seen rosehips before in Ukraine but never knew that they are called rosehips and have benefits... Can't wait to see more posts from you, especially about your plans for Christmas...
Thank you for stopping by! Hope, you're doing well :)
There are many varieties of rosehip but I like this one the most. It has a special taste that you might need to get used to at first but then it will become delicious. And it's healthy too! :)
Oh, we will be able to meet you on the 26th of December if you have time ;) Just let me know.
Hello Martina, How are you? Thanks for your reply... I would love to have rosehip jam and will try to find it...
Where I can find you to discuss it? @delishtreats
Glad to see you posting again! Homemade gifts are a great idea, and are more meaningfull as well. If you can, share that Sambal recipe! 😉 !PIZZA
It took me a while but better late than never :) Of course I will! I'm sooooo proud of that recipe! :)
I gifted $PIZZA slices here:
@pardinus(1/5) tipped @delishtreats (x1)
Please vote for pizza.witness!
I loved to read your adventure! It kind of reminds me, my memories from my grandma house, the vacations that I've passed in her home, during my childhood. I remind the frequent walking thought in the end of afternoons, in the Summer hot days... And collecting on the sides of the path blackberries on the bushes that carefully hung their thorny branches over the path :) The expectation till we got home, and put them in a bowl of water to release the dust that had naturally adhered to its delicate buds :) Thank you for sharing your preparation of the highly "priced" (you and your husband paid for them with your determination and courage) hand made Xmas special gifts!
Thank you for stopping by! :) I'm glad that it reminds you of your grandma house :) These are the best memories!
I love blackberries. We used to collect them when I was a child too :) It's a good reminder as I might try to find some next year! :)
Hope, you're doing well :)
I hope I don't let your "future" post "fly" away! Since I'm not as active has I wish to be around here...
Now, after the Saturday dinner, and the house "forced" cleaning session, I'm felling great! It was very good mental and physical catharsis exercise 😅