A rose for any other use is still a rose

If you haven’t grown roses before, perhaps this is the year to try. You don’t have to grow them to look at, although who wouldn’t?

The fact is roses make a myriad of culinary delights and are renowned garden favorites. They have been in diets almost as long as people have been recording what they eat; since around 140 B.C.

In Egypt, rose petals are mixed with cumin and nutmeg and used in meat or couscous. The results are refreshing and aromatic.

In Lebanon they are made into a delightful compote served with yoghourt or syrup to compliment pastries.

The Lebanese take their roses seriously, harvesting and distilling rose water and oil from the petals in the early morning so as not to sacrifice their delicate flavor. The liquids are then used in liquors, preserves or fresco drinks.

In Thailand roses are eaten raw in salad or stirred into noodles.

In France they are used for anything from jelly to pound cake, tea to omelets.

Roses can be candied, crushed into a paste, dried, boiled, distilled, chopped, used whole, flaked, cut and pressed. When thought of as fresh produce, they is little limit as to their uses.

While growing many types of roses here can be a challenge often wrought with pain and disaster, there are a number of fabulous, hardy varieties that thrive and many of those harbor the flavor and fragrance needed to be useful in the kitchen. Rosa rugosa , and most varieties within this family of roses do well here, performing obediently year after year. Many are double or triple in character, yielding enormous numbers of petals per blossom. These varieties are perfect for cooking.

The Regosa rose commonly called “Sitka Rose” here in Alaska, is one such plant. It is sweet and makes a lovely reddish water or compote.

It is worth noting here that yellow or white roses produce a disappointing brownish liquid or paste, not a color worthy of their delicate flavor. Stick with pink or red varieties and you will have a beautiful result.

For fun this summer try making a simple Rose Petal Butter to spread on toast. It’s truly delicious.

Mix equal parts fresh, chopped rose petals and softened butter. Let the mixture stand overnight at room temperature to mingle the flavors. At this point it is ready to use. Rose Petal Butter will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, or it can be frozen for future use.

If you prefer to cook something in a pan, try making a fresh rose petal preserve. It is a delicious compliment to scones, as a cake filling, or served on French toast. It is also yummy when dropped into the center of a short bread or butter cookie before baking. To do this, push an indentation into the center of the pastry with your thumb then drop in a small amount of jelly. It spreads slightly while cooking and melds into the surface of the sweet, making a beautiful and irresistible presentation with a delicate floral flavor.

Fresh Rose Petal

Preserves

Combine two cups of fresh chopped rose petals with two cups raw sugar and two cups water in a sauce pan.

Add a touch of lemon juice and cook on low for two hours, or until the liquid is nearly gone.

You will have a deep pink to reddish preserve at this point, with a lovely flavor that will keep in the refrigerator for weeks — that is, if you don’t eat it all on waffles immediately.

It is also excellent on crepes and my personal favorite, toast.

If hot whole wheat toast with butter and rose petal preserves cannot entice you to grow roses, perhaps you would be persuaded by the combination of goat cheese, bok choy, whole rose petals and green onions on a bit of fresh bread with a touch of mayo. This savory use of roses is compelling to eat and spontaneous to create. It’s also delicious with a bit of chicken thrown in if you’re a meat lover.

Whatever you do this summer, don’t skip the roses.

In the kitchen, roses are as versatile as a green onion and they only bite a little when picking. They bring years of pleasure as a flowering shrub and can be eaten year-round. They are packed full of vitamin C and make a great hedge. They also look fabulous on the side board. I don’t think you can ask a shrub to do much more than that.

Sally Koppenberg is a garden and food designer. She is the owner of Stonehill Gardens and The Red Beet, nursery and catering companies specializing in Alaska Grown foods, trees, shrubs, perennials and native plants. Contact her at stonehill@gci.net.