rites of spring: rose petal honey

It’s full-bloom time here in the City of Roses. Which means I’m munching on flowers.

Did you know that rose petals are edible? Some taste better than others, and all are somewhat astringent. But the best ones carry both the rose fragrance and flavor. (Try them! Just make sure the plants aren’t sprayed with pesticides.)

Not for nothing are roses the flower of love. It’s not just that the idea of roses opens the heart. The flowers taken internally as fragrance or food are physiologically euphoric. I love using rose petals preserved in glycerine when I formulate for my patients.

My front yard roses tend to look a little ragged because I always nibble on them. Sometimes I even share with my patients!

Aside from eating them as I walk past, my favorite way to preserve the harvest is to infuse them in honey. It’s super simple to do. And the multi petaled roses like this one make it fast, too.

My procedure is to grab a bunch of delicious smelling flowers, separate the petals (and shake off the bugs), chop them up and then stir with a chopstick into honey. And then add more.

The texture as you do this is so sensuous. Obviously, the fragrance is as well.

What’s your favorite thing to do with roses? Let me know!

 

— Dr. Orna

 

P.S. Want to see how I make rose-petal honey? Click below to see my latest video — and please subscribe to my YouTube channel for more.