I have an abundance of roses blooming around my house and am always looking for creative ways to use them. The petals are lovely sprinkled in salads, wonderful for making soap, my kitchen table hosts many a bouquet from my children, but one of the prettiest uses I think is for rose petal vinegar.
It’s very easy to make, simply collect a jar full of fresh rose petals (I always let flowers sit outside on the porch for a little while to make sure any bugs have time to escape.) (Bug vinegar is NOT so appealing!) Heat some of your preferred choice of vinegar (many prefer apple cider, I used white for this batch since that’s what I had on hand) to a simmer, then pour into the jar of petals. Cap and let this mixture sit until the desired color is reached – anywhere from one week to six weeks then strain and compost your rose petals.
Rose petal vinegar is not only pretty to look at, it’s quite useful too! It’s very cooling, so think of putting it on things that are inflamed such as bug bites and itchy spots. Dilute with water and store in a spray bottle in the refrigerator to relieve the pain of sunburn. It is reported to be a great treatment for rosacea, though I’ve no experience using it for that. For young children and very sensitive skin, dilute with more water. This also makes a lovely hair rinse or addition to your bathwater.
Rose petal vinegar should be stored in a dark cabinet as the light will fade the beautiful color. It will keep at least a year. In spite of my picture, you should use a non-metallic cap for storage to avoid reaction with the acid.
If you have an abundance of roses and want to preserve some of that beauty – try making rose petal vinegar today!
Note: My pin-it button is currently down while I redo a few things on my site. If you’d like to pin this – here’s the link to the pin on my board:
http://pinterest.com/pin/262756959481340649/
Just stopping by from the Blog Carnival and Wow! This looks so great. As soon as my roses bloom, I will be trying this!
I hope you find it as useful as we do!
This is so pretty! Thanks for the idea, I may be trying it out soon! (I’m the one who replicated your violet jelly)
I hope you get to – it’s very handy stuff!
Okay, I need to try this, too! I just love your ideas! I have
I’ll let you know how it works out, although it will be awhile because the roses aren’t blooming here yet.
Rosacea, and although I never would have thought to put vinegar on my sensitive skin, I’ll try anything once.
I’d love to know how it goes! I did a quick google check and it seems that just plain vinegar might help too, diluted with water 50/50. I’d think infused with herbs or flowers though would give a bigger boost of healing properties. I wonder how violet vinegar would do… the leaves are so good for the skin. It’s an interesting concept for sure and like you said, doesn’t hurt to give it a try!
Why couldn’t you use this as a disinfectant? I make the same thing using citrus peels and it works just great on the counters or other surfaces I want to clean. Seems like the vinegar is the active cleaning agent no matter what you diffuse in it. I am going to try this right now with my birthday roses that are starting to fade!
That’s a great idea that I haven’t tried yet! I have a lemon peel homemade cleaner too and LOVE it. The only thing I can think of is that rose vinegar is a very dark rose color, so I’m not sure if it would stain light surfaces? I’ll try it out on a test spot though! Thanks!
This is just beautiful. Thank you for the idea and list of uses!
Hi Jenny! Thanks for stopping by.
I’m glad you found the post useful! I have more rose concoctions brewing in my kitchen now that I hope to post about soon!
My roses are on the way out. Is it possible to freeze petals to use later?
Mine are going out too! I’m trying to make as many things as possible while they are fresh, but I’ve never tried freezing any for later use. (Though it might work?! That would be great if so – I’ll research that!) Instead, I like to dry them. I don’t do anything fancy, just grab handfuls of petals off of the really full blooms and bring them inside, sprinkle them in a thin layer over a napkin and set in a safe place away from kids and puppies until they are thoroughly dried. Then store in a mason jar or like you would other spices & herbs in a dark cabinet.
So, have you ever tried using it in a salad dressing? How does it taste?
I’ve not tried it in a salad dressing – making those is one skill I have yet to tackle! I’ve seen mention though that it can be used that way or drizzled over fruit. I have tasted the finished vinegar and think it has a very pleasant taste (and smell) – not overly floral like you’d expect. I suspect it’d be very good in a dressing! (and now I just added experimenting with that to my big long ‘want to try’ list.)
I’ll be giving this a try. Sure looks nice in the jar.
Yes, it’s very pretty!
It is beautiful! I’ve never tried this – but we don’t have many roses. Just little wild ones.
You can tour Polyface any day but Sundays – they have an open door policy so you just show up and walk around!
Oh I love wild roses!
That is great to know about Polyface. We REALLY admire Joel Salatin & his work. Thanks for the info!
The vinegar is a gorgeous colour!
It’s so pretty to look at; it’s really hard to keep tucked away in a cabinet!
what a clever Idea – I had never thought to do this!
I hadn’t either until I read about it somewhere!
SO very pretty and clever. Now if I could only successfully grow roses…
I have some of these, that even my husband accidentally dumping the salt water from the ice cream maker on didn’t kill. (It killed all the other surrounding plants.) I think they are pretty tough! They’re quite thorny, but provide me with loads upon loads of flowers, plus rose hips.
http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/shrubs/Flowers/FoxyPavementRose.php
What a beautiful color! I love all the uses you’ve listed for it. I will certainly try this when my roses bloom.
That’s great! It’s a fun & fulfilling project to do!
I don’t think I’d be able to store it in a dark cabinet… it would just have to fade on my windowsill! LoL! I don’t have any other lids, tho… hmmm, I’ll think of something, because this is beautiful! =)
I know the feeling!
You could try putting a layer or two of waxed paper or plastic wrap over the jar before capping? Possibly?? That might keep the vinegar from contact with the metal. Otherwise, you get blackish icky reactions that will drip into your pretty vinegar.
This is so awesome, Jan! I use vinegar as a rinse after I shampoo, but having gorgeous rose petal vinegar sounds divine! I also like the idea of putting it on sunburns too! Very cool stuff. Thanks so much for linking up with us this week at Tiny Tip Tuesday!
Using it as a hair rinse is my favorite use!
Loving this idea! Definitely going to try it.
Thank you for sharing at Rural Thursdays this week. xoxo
Thanks for hosting such a great blog hop!
I have some roses with no smell. Does that matter? I believe they may be the root stock of hybrids.
I have several types mixed in mine – some wild behaving rosa rugosas, some tea roses, an antique rose, and one just like you mention – that I think is the root stock from a hybrid my hubby dug up years ago when he decided to redo the front flower beds. (It WAS a yellow rose, but it came back up the next year as a small, red, barely scented one that doesn’t smell that great.) I mixed that in there with the rest because I loved the darker color, so I think it will be fine to try and see how you like it!
You may be the proud owner of “Dr. Huey” – the root stock often used for hybrid tea roses.
I looked it up and yes! That is my rose! I’m glad to know its name now! It adds such a pretty color to my rose projects – so I’m glad it survived my husband’s landscaping!
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That sounds and look wonderful!
Thanks for dropping by & checking out my post!
That is just STUNNING!!!! Please come link up to my new DIYlinky at http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com, please?
Absolutely! Your Linky Party looks great! Thanks for the invite!
That is gorgeous! Wish I had more roses to sacrifice! The bug bite juice sounds great to have around this summer.
Your post side-tracked me so that I forgot to thank you for linking up with Farm Fresh Friday!! Have a Rosy Day!
I saw Let This Mind Be In You mention Farm Fresh Friday on her facebook page and had to check it out – it looked lovely! Thanks for letting me join in!
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Thanks for linking up to Wildcrafting Wednesday. Yours is one of the featured posts for this week. Very beautiful!
http://www.commonsensehome.com/weekly-weeder-22-wild-geranium-wildcrafting-wednesday/
Hey Laurie! Thanks so much for the feature!
Whoops – wrong link!
http://www.commonsensehome.com/wild-geranium/
I will be sure to give this a try and am delighted to have found your blog:-) I would feel honoured if your were to share your posts with us at Seasonal Celebration Sunday @ Natural Mothers Network! Rebecca x
Hi Rebecca! I just submitted my post. You have a lovely site! Thank you so much for the invite!
Jan- I am so happy that you linked this up at Seasonal Celebration Sunday. I am your latest fan-just love what you are doing! Rebecca x
Thank you so much!
Inviting you the Carnival of Home Preserving on my blog today and every Friday. Hope to see you there. Laura Williams’ Musings http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com
Thanks for the invite! Your Carnival looks great! Just linked up my vinegar post.
Thank you! I hope to see you again next week! Loving your blog.
This is a great idea! I love how pretty it looks. I bet this would be great for my hair rince too.
It makes a great hair rinse! And the smell is rather pleasant once it ages – not too vinegary like plain vinegar can be.
LOVELY! I can’t wait to try it! Stop by and say hi to Masha and Jodi @ http://mahabakescupcakes.blogspot.com/
oops, I meant http://mashabakescupcakes.blogspot.com/
Hi, thanks for stopping by! I like the looks of Masha’s granola recipe on your blog.
Very interesting! I’d never heard of rose petal vinegar. Thanks for stopping by Taking Time To Create and commenting on my Jam Labels post!
It was my pleasure – you have some great posts!
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I just made a batch of this lovely vinegar about 3 months ago, and I noticed a film over the top today (with possibly a couple floaters). I strained it all off when it was finished infusing, and it has been in an amber bottle (and cabinet) since. Is it possible my batch spoiled early, or is this normal? (It smells the same) Thanks!
Perhaps I should have clarified – I used the raw apple cider vinegar to make it. Maybe that has something to do with it? Thanks!
Hi Ginny!
I haven’t ran across this before. I just went and double checked the last jar of mine that I preserved in cider vinegar to see if anything like that was on it. I found I had forgotten to strain out the rose petals!
But, nothing like that was on it. I used 5% acidity, pasteurized though.
I looked up a few sites to see if I could troubleshoot and saw this information on http://www.versatilevinegar.org/faqs.html –
What is “Mother”?
“Mother” of vinegar will naturally occur in vinegar products as the result of the vinegar bacteria itself. Mother is actually cellulose (a natural carbohydrate which is the fiber in foods like celery and lettuce) produced by the harmless vinegar bacteria. Today, most manufacturers pasteurize their product before bottling to prevent these bacteria from forming “mother” while sitting on the retail shelf.
After opening, you may notice “mother” beginning to form. Vinegar containing “mother” is not harmful or spoiled. Just remove the substance by filtering and continue to enjoy the product.
How Long Does Vinegar Last?
The Vinegar Institute conducted studies to find out and confirmed that vinegar’s shelf life is almost indefinite. Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time. And, while some changes can be observed in other types of vinegars, such as color changes or the development of a haze or sediment, this is only an aesthetic change. The product can still be used and enjoyed with confidence.”
It seems from what I’ve read that vinegar doesn’t really spoil. If the specks looked at all like mold – I would be hesitant to use it. If it’s just the haze, like they describe above, it sounds okay, especially if you’re using this externally. I’d strain through something fine like a coffee filter. My OCD compels me to mention that I’d be tempted heat it almost to a boil, like you do in the initial steps of making it. However, that would negate the benefits of it being raw, so that’s a judgement call you’d have to make.
Furthermore, this site http://bragg.com/books/acv_excerpt.html makes me rethink why I’m not using raw apple cider vinegar more!
Thanks for giving me a few things to ponder on and I hope this helped a bit!
Thank you so much for the information! Yes, it does look hazy, and I wondered if it had something to do with “Mother”, just was unsure because this is the first time I’ve made a batch – and had it this long! Thank you again, I really appreciate the feedback!
No problem – glad to help!
I love the idea of this vinegar. One note of caution, however – be sure to make it with only organically grown roses. The sad fact is that the majority of purchased roses are shipped in from other countries where pesticide rules are lax or non-existent. I don’t really enjoy florist roses – all I can see are the poison soaked fields – and workers – in South America. The best roses to use, of course, are your own pesticide free roses. An added bonus to using your own is that the carbon footprint of your flowers is very very small.
That is a great point to mention! I don’t enjoy florist flowers as much as I should either, because of the same reasons. One of the sweetest and most appreciated gestures from my husband, is when he comes in from working outside with a handful of randomly gathered flowers for me. FAR more meaningful than anything he could ever buy!
I love your site! I am just starting lotions, soaps and balm making. We have been homemade detergent and dishwasher soap for months. Feels great to rid my family of toxic materials.
Thanks! It is indeed a great feeling to create your own pure and natural goodies – and so much fun!
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You said it should be stored with a non-matalic lid. would a canning jar work since the inside of the lide is not metalic? or can you put plastic wrap over the top and then screw the lid on?
Hi Jessica! I tried storing one of my first batches of infused vinegars with a regular canning lid and it still began to corrode all around the ring area. Definitely put a layer of plastic wrap between the lid/ring and the jar so that no vinegar can come in contact with the metal and occasionally check to see if it needs replacing. Lately, I’ve been storing my various vinegars in corked bottles I bought from Specialty Bottle. They’re so pretty & I don’t have to worry about the metal rusting.
http://www.specialtybottle.com/corkedbottlesmi.aspx
Hope this helped!
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I love vinegar uses. Now I have a plan to recycle the roses from my valentine bouquet. Just hated the thought of throwing them away.
Hi Kelly! It will be lovely! Florist or store-bought roses shouldn’t be used for eating or putting on your skin (too many pesticides not approved for humans), but you could use it for cleaning!
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