Classic Swedish Rosehip Soup Recipe- Nyponsoppa

Did you know that the beautiful red hips on your roses and on roses found in the wild are not only edible but are also delicious with a fruity, sweet flavour and packed with Vitamin C?
A genuine super berry, also full of beta-carotene and flavonoids! It’s also easy and safe to forage – not strange that rosehip soup is a tradition that has stuck around for 300 years in Sweden! 
This Rosehip Soup has a fruity, slightly sweet flavor and is delicious served both hot and cold!

Known for its many health properties – Wild rose hips are known for their many health benefits but are particularly rich in Vitamin C – Containing 426 mg per 100 g. (Oranges contain between 50-100g of Vitamin C per 100g)

Vitamin C is vital for healthy cartilage,and gum, aswell as supporting important immune functions. Increasing your natural intake of Vitamin C is nearly never a bad thing! According to Wikipedia, there have been some studies that have shown to have a helpful effect on arthritis, and expensive rosehip powder is now available in most health food shops.
Why not make your own rose hip soup for a cheap and healthy vitamin kick? 

How to pick rosehips

Rose bushes are actually related to apple trees, and even their leaves are edible! All rose hips are edible, but some do taste better than others, and it’s important to be aware that roses grown in private gardens can have been sprayed with pesticides and other nasties.

Wild roses or roses grown in your own garden are best. I recommend you taste a few varieties to get an idea of which ones are sweet!

Some common wild rose plants

Beach Rose (Rosa rugosa) 

-typically found in sand dunes near coastlines. They have large, round and red hips. 

Dog rose (Rosa canina) 

– a wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and Western Asia. They have a smaller, oval-shaped hip that can be orange to red in color. 

Rosehips ripen in late summer but can be picked during the early winter months. Light frost actually helps sweeten the rose hip flavor!

If the hip feels hard, it is unripe; if it feels soft, it’s too ripe. I aim for the consistency of a ripe peach as those hips have the best flavour.

Did you know you can eat them straight from the bush? I had no idea! Use your teeth to eat the soft outside, leaving the inside untouched. Kids are experts at this! Apparently, the small hairs on the inside can cause itching. I don’t know anyone who has actually experienced this, but it’s well-documented, particularly in older recipes. Im very curious about this, so please let me know in the comments below if it’s something you experience! 

Rosehip Soup

Ripe rosehips are mostly filled with seeds, to be honest, which makes measuring by weight tricky. I recommend picking about two liters/quarts as you may need to discard some as you go through them.
 

The first time I made this soup, I carefully deseeded every hip; it took about an hour and was a super fiddly job. I’ve since discovered that the seeds float beautifully to the top of the pot once the water is added, and it's easy to just scoop them off. It’s reported that the seeds add a vanilla flavour and some recipes even call for them to be left in the pot until straining. Whatever you decide to do, the remaining seeds are strained out later on and are not a problem. I do recommend that you cut each rose hip in half or quarters to ensure that it is not inhabited.. 

I prefer a thick and creamy rose hip soup. To thicken your soup, you can use potato flour or cornstarch. 

How to thicken soup with cornstarch

Virtually flavorless, odorless, and naturally gluten-free. I recommend starting with making a paste by mixing 1 – 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a splash of water and adding to the soup towards the end of cooking time. Bring to a boil until it thickens, about 1 minute. You can add more as needed, but a word of caution – adding too much creates a gelatinous texture. 

It’s important also to note that cornstarch is sensitive to extreme temperatures. When added to a mixture that is too hot, the molecules in cornstarch break down, causing it to release all the moisture. Freezing soups that contain cornstarch will harm the molecules, and the liquid will revert to its original state when thawed.

How to thicken soup with potato flour

Start by mixing 1 tablespoon of potato flour into a paste with 50 ml of water. Add it to the soup when it’s finished cooking. The sauce should thicken nicely, but you can add more if you prefer. Adding too much can give a starchy texture and flavor. 

Depending on which potato starch you buy, it can be gluten-free and soy-free, which makes it a safe add-in ingredient for those with food allergies.
While potato starch can often hold up to higher temperatures better than cornstarch, you’ll still want to pay attention to how hot your dish is getting. When cooking with potato starch, I suggested adding it to a warm recipe at the end of the cooking time. This will ensure that the starch works as intended. 

Serving suggestions

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy rose hip soup is simply served hot from a thermos and enjoyed outdoors. Especially delicious on a cold autumn picnic or as an vitamin rich energy kick for that long hike. 

It can even be served as a light lunch with buttered sourdough toast and cottage cheese Or a delicious dessert, served with almond biscotti and vanilla ice cream. 

Because rose hip soup can be served hot or cold it’s so versatile! 

You can adjust the sugar content based on your preferences and experiment with different toppings!