By: Adelyn Geissel
If you want to create foraging opportunities in your front yard from spring through late fall, you might want to consider the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canaden) and the Smooth Rose (rosa blonda).
Starting in early spring, the Eastern Redbud produces a mass of small, beautiful pink edible flowers. And while it looks like a tree, the Eastern Redbud is actually part of the legume family. The flowers taste reminiscent of a floral green pea. They are crisp and slightly sweet and make a great trail snack or addition to salads or desserts. This plant is also great for pollinators because it blooms in early spring, and the seed pods make good wildlife food. The tree prefers neutral to alkaline, and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade.
At the other end of the growing season, Smooth Rose creates rosehips as part of its natural life cycle in the fall. These rosehips are a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants, and can be used to create syrups, jams, or tea once dried. Even the rose petals are edible and are often used in culinary recipes or for skincare. The flowers on the Rugosa Rose attract pollinators, and the shrubby habit is great for wildlife habitat. Smooth rose prefers loamy, moist, well-drained acidic soil and full sun.
Harvest only part of each plant, leaving enough for pollinators, wildlife, and for the plant to continue to grow in future seasons. And always double check that you are harvesting what you think you are harvesting.
Redbud Jelly Recipe (from: https://creativecanning.com/redbud-jelly/)
Ingredients
4 cups redbud flower petals, de-stemmed
4 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-4 cups sugar
1 box (1.75oz) pectin
Instructions
Steep flower petals for 24 hours in a quart-sized mason jar (do not pack them down). Boil 4 cups of water and add to the jar over the flowers and add lemon juice to the jar.
2-4 hours after adding boiling water, the jar can be moved to the refrigerator for the remaining time.
After 24 hours, pour the water through a fine strainer into a pan.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Slowly add the powdered pectin, stirring to dissolve.
Bring mixture to a full boil for one minute, stirring continuously.
Slowly add sugar to the boiling tea, continuing to stir to dissolve.
Bring mixture to a full boil, stirring continuously, and let it boil for 1-2 minutes (no longer than 5 minutes).
Ladle mixture into prepared jelly jars, leaving ¼-inch of space at the top of each jar and cover with lids. (See attached recipe for details on canning.)
Cool to room temperature on the counter and keep in fridge for up to 1 month or frozen up to 6 months. To keep them longer, follow canning recipe in link.
Rosehip Jelly Recipe (from: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/rose_hip_jelly/)
Ingredients
8 cups rose hips
6 cups water
½ cup freshly squeeze lemon juice
1 (1.75oz) package SureJell pectin
¼ teaspoon butter
3 ½ cups sugar
Instructions
Rinse rose hips and trim ends off.
Put rose hips and 6 cups water into a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for approximately one hour until rose hips are soft.
Mash the rosehips, then strain mixture into a bowl. Let it strain for at least an hour. If using cheese cloth, squeeze to get the remaining juice out.
Prepare your canning jars (this recipe makes 5 to 6 half-pint canning jars).
Put 3 cups of the rose hip juice (if you don’t have 3 cups after straining, add more water) in a large pot. Add the lemon juice and pectin and bring to a boil to dissolve the pectin.
Add the sugar. Once sugar has dissolved, add the butter, and bring to a hard boil.
Boil for one minute.
Can the jelly, leaving ¼ inch headspace. (See attached recipe for details on canning.)
Once opened, store in the fridge for up to 6 months, or use within one year if properly canned.
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