Roses smell heavenly and what’s best roses are edible! Use fresh rose petals to make rose lemonade, rose ice cream, cake with rose buttercream, candied roses, rose syrup, homemade rose water or all-natural blush colored with fresh rose petals!

According to Ayurveda, roses have many benefits: Roses are cooling to the mind and body and anti-inflamatory for the skin. Roses improve the complexion, balance the hormones, soothe irritated eyes and a sore throat, and help in curing headaches.

Roses bloom from April to November so you can pick fresh roses all through the summer and fall. You can use any scented rose for the recipes – wild roses or garden roses. But don’t use roses bought from the florist because they may be sprayed with chemicals.

Gather the roses in the morning as soon as the dew has dried. Newly opened roses are less bitter than full-blown roses. Don’t wash the roses or you’ll wash away the flavor. To remove insects you can shake the roses or put them on a plate, kitchen counter or garden table and let the bugs walk off by themselves.

Now grasp the petals and gently pull the petals off the rose. Remove any damaged or brown petals. If you want, cut off the white or yellow part which could give a bitter taste.

Recipes With Fresh Rose Petals

Click on the links below the picture for more recipes.

1920s Candied Roses

• 1 lb roses
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

‘Wash and rinse the flowers (1 lb.), then drain, and spread out on paper to dry. Make a syrup of 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water, stirring constantly over a gentle fire until it reaches boiling point, then stir in 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and allow to cook rapidly undisturbed until the “soft ball” stage has been reached, which can be tested by dropping a little of the syrup in cold water, when it can be taken up and formed into a soft ball between the thumb and finger. Add the flowers to the boiling syrup, press them well under and let boil up once, then pour gently, without shaking, into a meat platter rinsed in cold water, and allow to stand until the next day. Then drain the flowers from the syrup, add another cup of sugar, and again bring the syrup to the soft ball stage. Add the flowers and again leave to stand until the following day. Remove the flowers from the syrup as before, bring syrup again to the soft ball stage, then add flowers, remove from the fire, and stir until the sugar turns grainy. Separate the flowers and dust off any superfluous sugar, then pack into boxes between sheets of waxed paper.’ (Canning, Preserving Pickling and Fruit Desserts, 1921)

Edwardian June Rose Sandwiches

• fresh rose petals
• butter

‘New made and unsalted butter when packed overnight with fragrant rose leaves absorbs their perfume. Cut delicate slices of white bread in fingers or dollar sizes, spread with the butter, lay on a few petals, and press together.’ (The Home Cook Book, 1905)

Victorian Rose Jelly

• 1 pint syrup
• 2 handful fresh rose petals
• gelatine
• 2 gills orange or lemon juice
• 4 – 5 spoonfuls brandy

‘Place a pan on the fire containing one pint of clear syrup at twenty-eight degrees; at the first boil mix in with it two handfuls of fresh, highly perfumed rose leaves, and remove from the fire to let infuse a quarter of an hour while covered. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and mix in with it a sufficient quantity of gelatine or clarified isinglass, adding also two gills of filtered orange and lemon juice, and four or five spoonfuls of good brandy. Taste the jelly, test its consistency on ice, in a small mold, and when perfect pour it into a jelly mold and let harden for one hour on ice, then unmold on a cold dish.’ (The Epicurean, 1893)

1910s Rose Syrup

• 1 qt water
• 1 lb rose petals
• 4 lb granulated sugar

‘Bring a quart of water to a boil and add one pound of rose leaves. Remove from the fire, cover, and let stand overnight. In the morning strain through a jelly bag, and boil in a double boiler with four pounds of granulated sugar until syrup is clear. Cool and bottle.’ (On Uncle Sam’s Water Wagon; 500 Recipes For Delicious Drinks, Which Can Be Made At Home, 1919)