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The Wins:

3 ingredients
GF, DF, Vegan option
Mental and emotional soother

Botanical name: Rosa spp. Cooling, drying, and slightly astringent. No known warnings. Rose petals have long been used as an aphrodisiac, in stress reduction, and to aid in heartache (Easley, Horne).

[3 minute read]

Tis the season for love, as it’s February, and that means tons of artificially flavored, artificially colored, chalky and often just gross candy gifts passed out with little thought and much less love.

Instead, make this sweet treat in just a few minutes that can be used in a variety of ways. Though it is a syrup and thus contains sugar, is a much better alternative to hearts stamped with “UR CUTE” or – the best showing of our modern romantic abilities – “TXT ME”.

Mr. Darcy would roll in his grave with that sentiment. If he weren’t immortal in text, that is.

Red Rose Petal & Honey Syrup

• 1/2 cup dried, organic (ONLY), culinary red rose petals (I use Frontier organic)
• 1/2 cup organic, raw honey (eliminate and use 1 full cup of cane sugar for vegan option)
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1.5 cups filtered water

Only use culinary grade, organic rose petals. Roses are notoriously sprayed with pesticides which is most definitely not something you want to ingest. Add all ingredients to a heavy bottomed sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a gentle boil, stir, boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, place lid and let steep for 1 hour.

After the syrup has steeped, strain out the rose petals and compost or evenly spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry. Use the dried, sweetened petals as decoration for cakes, baked goods or to top your latte in the morning reminding yourself that you are 100% indeed, very loved. Pour the strained syrup into a glass lidded bottle and label. Store in refrigerator and use within 2 weeks. *Note: add 1/4 cup brandy to extend stability and freshness.

This gorgeous ruby red syrup is heavily floral so a little goes a long way! I love it and don’t mind the flowery notes but test in small quantities in recipes as some may find is soapy or bitter. Use this syrup to lightly sweeten tea (as with the Oat & Rose Infusion for Mind & Heart coming soon!), in your morning coffee, to drizzle over oatmeal or other (gluten free, of course) breakfast treats (like these Gluten Free Pancakes), or simply lick from a spoon. Prepare the Oat & Rose tea linked above for a loved one in your life to help them relax and remind them you care.

Bottle into small 2 or 4 ounce glass bottles, label and gift to loved ones.

Tea combinations to use with Rose Syrup for emotional and heart healing:

• Chamomile (a mild sedative, useful for fussiness, anxiety with upset stomach)
• Lemon Balm & Passionflower (useful for nervous tension with fidgeting)
• Nettle (extremely nourishing, useful for intense nervous fatigue and weakness)