June is the time of the Rose

It's easy to believe that June is National Rose Month. I don't know about you, but my roses have been prolific since the end of May. And the garden smells fabulous for it.

Roses come in all shapes and sizes, colors and strength of scent. My favorites are Rosa Rugosa, a carefree rugged grower that doesn't need much fussing to produce beautiful fragrant blossoms and huge, juicy rose hips. I have 4 in my yard, and every year or so have to give them a hearty pruning to tame them.

I was never a rose fan until I saw these growing along the sand dunes of Normandy

Beach and Island Beach State Park here in New Jersey. They captured my heart. 2 of my rose bushes are from rose hips I picked at the shore and just stuck in a few pots to see what would happen. They are VERY happy here.

Not only are these beauties spirit lifting treasures in the garden, they have bountiful uses in the kitchen and medicine cabinet. One of my favorite things to make is Rose Honey.

Twice Kissed Rose Honey

• Large clean dry Mason type jar with lid (pint or 8 oz)
• Rose petals - untreated by any pesticides. The more fragrant the better. Enough to loosely fill the jar the first time. You'll need fresh petals in a week or so for the second fill.
• Local light colored honey

Fill the jar with the rose petals. Make sure they are dry. I like to let them sit for an hour or so to wilt slightly, removing some of the water.

Now fill the jar with the honey to just below the lid threads. Give a stir to make sure all of the petals are coated. Cover tightly and let sit for at least one week. Every few days turn the jar over (that's why the lid needs to be tight fitting).

After a week or so you could use the honey as is, even with the petals. I like to strain through a regular wire strainer. Then I add another batch of petals to the jar and recover with the honey. Cap and let sit for another couple of weeks, repeating the turning process.

Again, once the few weeks have passed you can either strain out the petals or use the honey with the petals in it. The uses? You can add the honey to tea for some extra relaxing properties, pour on pancakes, pour on ice cream over toasted pound cake, add to salad dressing or use straight over fresh fruit, or you can add it to your favorite spritzer recipe - the possibilities are endless. You could also add some to your bath, or use a little to soothe bug bites, scrapes and burns.

The scent is luscious, relaxing and evocative. Check back in a few days and I'll give you some other ideas for your roses, as well as what you can do with the strained rose petals!

You can also check out our newsletter for additional rose stories this month. To subscribe, just fill out the subscribe box to the right or drop me an email.

May your month be rosy and bright!