The legendary
California Grown soul band,
Tower of Power asked the immortal question
“What is Hip” back in 1973. This song was in my CD player as I took a sunrise drive up to our farm in Willow Creek, California. Even in the predawn light, it is a gorgeous drive as you zoom up from the foggy coast into the crisp clear mountains of the
Six Rivers National Forest. Winding roads and dramatic overlooks welcome you as the first glimmer of daylight starts to appear in the east.
Autumn is the time our
Willow Creek Farm really shines. We grow
cotinus, snowberries, viburnum, Chinese lantern,
ilex and
rose hips along the banks of the pristine Trinity River. Late summer through December, different crops mature for harvest. I was here on a mission…to find out once and for all, What is hip? …Rose Hip that is.
Rose hips traditionally develop on wild roses as the flowers drop off. The rose hip, also called the rose haw, is actually the fruit of the rose. Rose hips begin to form after successful pollination of flowers in spring or early summer, and ripen in late summer through autumn. Our rose hips are bred specifically to yield beautiful rich red hips, from a light pink flower. Roses and rose hips were probably first cultivated in ancient Persia and carried to Greece and Rome, the botanical genus, Rosa, is derived from the Greek, roden, meaning "red" and the Latin, ruber, also meaning "ruby" or "red," as apparently, the roses of the ancient Mediterranean region were deep crimson.
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| The Rose Hip Flower, then a few months later, the Hip. |
As one of the most concentrated sources of Vitamin C available rose hips are very popular in many common cold preventives and remedies. According to some sources, rose hips may have up to ten times the amount of vitamin C as a lemon, although, much of this is lost if the hip is allowed to dry. During World War II, the British government directed citizens to create a syrup from rose hips to supplement children’s diets, since citrus fruit was incredibly hard to find.
We don’t recommend consuming our rose hips, since they have been bred to appear in floral arrangements instead of tea and tinctures. We do recommend using them as a great design element, especially in fall bouquets.
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| The Rose Hips add texture and color to these fall bouquets created by our bouquet division. |
Rose hips usually play a supporting role in an arrangement, however, sometimes it is fun to make the warm color of the rose hips really stand out and take center stage.
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| Rose Hips with Sun Valley's "Cocotte" Lily. |
Out in the field, you really get a feel for this versatile plant. Coming down the ridge toward our the stands of rose hips in Willow Creek, you see the red glimmer of the fields and the tracks of black bears, who find these fruits a tasty treat.
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| Coming down the ridge to the Rose Hip and Ilex fields, with the Trinity River peaking through. |
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| Rose hips splashing color through the field. |
Fall is a great time to explore the possibilities of designing with rose hips. Cultures around the world have been experimenting with rose hips for centuries. Here are a few non-floral applications.
- Rose hips have recently become popular as a healthy treat for pet chinchillas and guinea pigs. These small rodents are unable to manufacture their own vitamin C and are unable to digest many vitamin-C rich foods. Rose hips provide a sugarless, safe way to increase their vitamin C intake.
- Rose hips are also fed to horses. The dried and powdered form can be fed at a maximum of 1 tablespoon per day to improve coat condition and new hoof growth.
- The fine hairs found inside rose hips are used as itching powder.
- Rose hips are commonly used as an herbal tea, often blended with hibiscus and as an oil. They can also be used to make jam, jelly, marmalade, and rose hip wine. Rose hip soup, "nyponsoppa", is especially popular in Sweden. Rhodomel, a type of mead, is made with rose hips.
- Rose hips can be used to make Palinka, a traditional Hungarian alcoholic beverage.
The wide array of uses for rose hips, whether in floral design or in other preparations, is pretty amazing. So to answer the the question, "What is hip" you only need to make it to the end of the song,
Hipness is. What it is!
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