By Mary ‘Klibs’ Dralle, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2025.

Would Roses by Any Other Name, Taste as Sweet?
In the articles up to this point, we focused on the planting aspect of Permaculture. That is only one part of it. Going forward in this year, we will be looking at preparing what is grown for now and maybe for later.
A famous line from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." comes to mind in the garden. For me, it would be, “A rose by any other name would TASTE as sweet.” While Will's meaning speaks to the true nature of the rose it is not defined by its name, mine speaks to the diversity of the rose.
When asked what my favorite herb is, I state, loudly and proudly, “ROSES!" And, if a rose smells great, it tastes great. Conversely, if it has no smell and has great color, it would hold up in the baking process where rose water would add the flavor.
In 2012, roses were the Herb of the Year™ as declared by the International Herb Association and I was set to do a rose recipe in every cooking class. So, how does this apply to Permaculture, you may ask? Plants need to have several functions when incorporated in the design. Most people grow roses for floral arrangements only. In addition to being pretty and smelling fragrant, they attract pollinators. The petals and leaves are edible, along with the fruit, aka rose hips, that contains up to twenty times more vitamin C per capita than oranges. And, unlike oranges, they can be, with a bit of winter care, grown just about anywhere.
Can any rose be used as food? Only those grown without systemic pesticides (whether insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides). These poisonous chemicals are absorbed by plant and transported throughout its system. They can harm anyone who is eating them.
The best practice to keep them healthy in the garden is to plant them in a rose bush guild with ample compost, four to six inches of mulch, and plenty of sunlight and air. Other plants for the guild can be edibles like daylilies, sage, thyme, oregano, lady's mantle, lavender, baby’s breath, or bee balm (Oswego, from the Iroquois language) to name a few. These plants assist with ground cover, soil stabilization, pest control, pollinator attraction, and medicinal attributes as they are multifunctional as well.
Buy rose bushes from vendors who know that they were not grown with systemic pesticides or propagate from existing roses in your, or a family member or friend's, garden. For a great video that I have used in the past, try this one, How to Grow Roses From Cuttings Fast and Easy | Rooting Rose Cuttings with a 2 Liter Soda Bottle by Mike Kincaid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw4d-s9N8zE.
I am often asked if you can grow roses from gift bouquets. Of course you can! This video, Propagate Roses from a Bouquet, Jason at Fraser Valley Rose Farm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imc56lhxhGQ, explains how it can be done.
Now that you have some great smelling roses, or beautiful ones that can be used in a cake recipe, it is time to start food prep.
While I am a Permaculture Designer, I am also the Resident Chef for the Vista Farmer's Market on the third Saturday of the month. Every time Schaner Family Farms, from Valley Center, bring their roses, I ask, "no pesticides, right?" And I create a tasty tidbit with them. In June of 2024, they had roses, and strawberries were there as well, and I created a Rose and Heart Salad that went a little bit like this:
Rose and Heart Salad
Makes 4-6 Servings
Salad Ingredients:
6 good smelling roses, chiffonade into ribbons
2 cups of strawberries, cut vertically into hearts
2 cups of pitted cherries, pitted and sliced
2 blood oranges, supreme’d, (segmented sections that have the peel and pith removed)
1 head of Butter Lettuce
Salad Dressing Ingredients:
Zest of two oranges
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup grape seed oil
Directions:
Combine salad ingredients and plate on serving platter.
Blend salad dressing in a bowl until smooth.
Drizzle over the salad and serve.

A great first course dish could be this one that combines roses and grapefruit.
Rose Guava Compote
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 cups of grapefruit, supreme’d and cut into bite sized pieces
6 good smelling roses, chiffonade into ribbons
1 teaspoon of Rosewater, steam distilled
1 1/2 cups of guava juice
A splash of mineral water
Directions:
In four pretty dishes, divide up the grapefruit and roses.
In a jar, combine rosewater and guava juice. Pour over grapefruit and roses.
Add mineral water to add a bit of effervescent.


Here are two scrumptious dinner choices.
Rose Petal Pesto Pasta
Makes 4-6 Servings
Pesto literally means to pound or bruise. Originally, this basil sauce was made in Genoa by crushing or grinding the ingredients in a mortar (the bowl) through a circular motion of a pestle (a heavy tool with a rounded end). These days, we use a blender or food processor.
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil
1 1/2 cups good smelling rose petals - reserve 1/4 cup of the rose petals, chiffonade into ribbons
1 large garlic clove
1 cup Grape Seed Oil
1 teaspoon Rosewater
1/2 cup of almonds
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients, except the reserved rose petals, in a blender or food processor.
Give it several short pulses to attain a smooth texture.
Toss with 1 pound of al dente cooked pasta, topped with the reserved roses and additional shaved Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Store any unused portion in the refrigerator in a closed container.

Rose Pesto Salmon
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 lb. salmon fillet, cleaned and allowed to dry off in the refrigerator over night
1/2 cup of Rose Petal Pesto from the above recipe
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Rub the pesto on the salmon with the back of a small spoon.
Make sure the fillet is completely covered in pesto.
Place fillet on a parchment paper covered baking dish.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to rest before serving.
These little cakes can be served for Afternoon Tea or as dessert after a magnificent dinner.
Rose Petal Cupcakes
Make 1 Dozen
Cupcake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon
1 cup fragrant fresh rose petals (or 2 tablespoons of Rosewater if there is no scent)
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup milk
Icing Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon milk
12 Rose Petals
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add a little grated lemon rind, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and rose petals.
Add eggs.
Beat until eggs are incorporated.
In a sifter, add flour, baking powder, and salt.
Alternately, sift in the flour and milk to the creamed mixture. Fold in until just mixed. Do not over beat.
Divide batter into muffin pans.
Bake at 350˚F. for 12 to 15 minutes.
Once cupcakes have cooled, mix together icing ingredients and drizzle over the top of each cupcake.
Top cupcakes with rose petals.

And, lastly, a Vista Farmer's Market favorite with children of all ages.
Rose Hip Applesauce
Make 6-8 servings
Ingredients :
4 cups of cored apples
½ cup of rose hips, cleaned and cut
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 to 4 tablespoons of agave syrup
Cooking Directions:
Place all ingredients, except agave syrup into large sauce pan.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until apples are soft.
Use a vegetable masher (chunky) or immersion blender (smooth) to blend into a sauce.
Add agave syrup to taste.
Nutrients Found in Rosehips
One ounce of hips contains:
Vitamin A 1217 IU
Vitamin C 119 mg
Vitamin E 1.6 mg
Vitamin K 7.3 mcg
Rosehips are also a good source of pectin, bioflavonoids, B-complex vitamins, manganese, and selenium.
These fruits of the rose also contain trace amounts of magnesium, potassium, silicon, and sulfur.
Read more:
Until next time, keep those hands busy in the garden and the kitchen.
~Mary

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