Summer Recipes: Make Your Own Rosewater

I’m really excited to be starting a new series here on the blog, encouraging you to make your own seasonal recipes, remedies, teas and tinctures from what nature has to offer. All recipes and DIYs will be super simple and make use of the abundance of herbs and plants that are currently in season.

I’ve got guest writers contributing over the coming months, but I thought I’d begin with the easiest home recipe I know - making your own rosewater. And it is SO easy.

Benefits

Rosewater has amazing anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Use it as a toner for hydrating and balancing the PH of your skin, and soothing irritation. Add it to coconut oil or shea butter for a luxurious moisturiser.

Roses are also perfect for teas as they contains antioxidants plus vitamins A, B, C and E and (as long as you’ve got your hands on clean, organic roses) rosewater and rose tea can be drunk to soothe sore throats, ease digestion, reduce stress, and further hydrate your skin.

And when you’re not spritzing yourself or ingesting it, you can use it as a room mist for its gorgeous aroma.

What You’ll Need

• Two+ clean, organic roses in the colour of your choice (the amount you pick/buy depends on how much rosewater you want to make. A little goes a long way)

• Water

• A clean saucepan

• Containers, such as glass spray bottles or clean jam jars (and an ice cube tray if you want to make and keep a large quantity)

Method

Cut or buy a number of clean, organic roses and pluck and collect the petals in a clean bowl or container. Choose roses with a strong scent if possible.

I made our rosewater with my daughters last year when they were three years old and they loved it. The petals were silky soft and we talked about the textures and the difference in colours on the outer and inner petals. Our hands all smelled like roses and it was a really easy outdoor activity.

We’re lucky that we have a number of rose bushes in our garden so we know they are pesticide free, and we did it all outside to give any bugs a chance to escape.

Once the petals were all plucked, I gave them a light rinse in a colander just to clear any cheeky remaining bugs.

Pop the clean petals in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer for about half an hour, or until the colour has faded from the petals.

Strain through a colander into a clean pot to collect the water, and compost the used petals. Don’t have a home composter? Just throw them on to a flower bed or window box to break down into the soil.

Once your rosewater has cooled, fill containers of choice. Your rosewater will keep in the fridge for around a week.

If you’ve got an excess, fill an ice cube tray or old Tupperware for the freezer so you can enjoy fresh rosewater in the winter months too.

I experimented with adding dried rose petals to my rosewater, for no other reason than I thought it would look fancy! And that it did, though I don’t think I would do it again as the petals degraded, changed the colour of the water, and in one case got stuck at the end of the spray tube. That aspect was not a roaring success.

But, in those hot summer months I loved coming downstairs in the morning and spritzing my face with chilled, fragrant rosewater straight from the fridge. My daughters loved it too! We had plenty in the freezer to keep us going through the cooler months after the roses outside had finished.

Rose Tea

I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with making tea from the plants from my garden (after making sure they’re safe to ingest!).

My current favourite is lemon balm and rose (pictured above with a sprig of lavender and dandelion petals for good measure!), and it is honestly delicious. Fresh and zesty - I imagine it would make a lovely cordial too.

Both lemon balm and rose are good for soothing stress, so on the days where I have a lot on I try to avoid caffeine which spikes my blood sugar and increases my anxiety, and drink this potion instead.

If you want to try making your own tea at home, you can get a tea infuser like the one pictured above, or reusable tea bags from your local zero waste shop. Or, once you’ve steeped your chosen plants in hot water for a few minutes, strain it into a new cup. No tea bag necessary!

If you haven’t access to fresh flowers, or room to grow some herbs, or maybe you’d like to give some rose tea as a gift, I highly recommend Biddie Tea. Made with rose, rosehip and hibiscus, packaged sustainably and £1 from every sale is donated to Bloody Good Period.

I hope this inspires you to experiment with your own potions and remedies at home. As always, make sure what you’re picking is safe to use/ingest and please gather responsibly, leaving enough for the bees and pollinators.