Rose Petal Mead

I love roses! I adore them! I am a bit obsessed with them!

And I am also finding ways to add them to my diet, such as using the petals as food, flavoring, and nutrition.

In addition to being beautiful, the petals contain high levels of antioxidants, vitamin C, and astringent compounds that are therapeutic when taken internally. In fact, ancient healing practices of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), and Ayurveda have long appreciated the rose for her many powerful healing abilities and have incorporated various parts of the rose plant in their medicinal formulations.

What I love about making this Rose Petal Mead is that I can enjoy the beauty and exquisite fragrance of the roses for a few days, and then I pluck the petals to use for the making of this libation. Therefore, I am able to maximize my enjoyment and appreciation for the rose!

Another wonderful aspect of making your own fermented beverage is that it instills a sense of patience and gratitude when the waiting is over! For in order to make good mead (or any other home brew), time is a critical “ingredient” that cannot be omitted. It will take months before your libation will be ready to imbibe, but it will be well worth the wait!

Note: The usual way to make wine or mead is with a carboy, but I used my Kraut Source Fermentation Top which fits onto 1/2 gallon wide-mouth glass jars, and functions as an airlock.
And I also want to give proper credit to two sources for the recipe and directions that I am sharing with you here. First credit goes to, Ruby Plum, who founded Institute of Urban Homesteading , from whom I took a class on mead-making a few years ago. I still remember the taste of a couple of extraordinary meads that Ruby was generous enough to share with us as they were aged for about 10 years, and made with honey from her own beehives! And by the way, her book, Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living, which was co-authored with Rachel Kaplan is a fantastic guide for anyone interested in the topic.
The second credit goes to Ashley of Practical Self Reliance for her recipe from which I experimented in combination with directions/recipes I received from Ruby.

Resources for ingredients listed after the recipe and directions.

Enjoy the roses for their poetic beauty, and then pick the petals to make home brewed mead.

Ingredients:

ROSE PETAL MEAD

• 3 - 5 ounces fresh rose petals (organic)*
  It is important to weigh the rose petals.

• 1 gallon filtered water

• 3 lbs honey, raw is preferred

• 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 cup strong black tea (organic)

• 4 -5 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed

• 1 packet wine yeast (Premier Cote des Blanc recommended)

• + patience! It takes at least a few months for this mead to
  mature. But it is well worth the wait!

  *Always use organic (not sprayed with pesticides) roses when using them in recipes to be consumed.

Fermentation Equipment:
- two 1/2 gallon wide mouth mason jars + 2 airlocks (or Kraut Source tops)
OR
- demijohns (also known as carboys with airlocks)
- wine bottles with corks for storing and aging the mead
( I recycle glass bottles from wine or ports.)

Directions:

1. Place the water and rose petals into a large pot and bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes.

2. Then strain into a large (non-plastic) bowl. Be sure to give the strained petals a good squeeze to extract maximum flavor and color.

3. Add in the honey, yeast nutrient, lemon juice, tea, and cardamom pods.
   Stir well to dissolve the honey.

4. Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature (about 95F).
   Mix the yeast packet in 1/4 cup of water and add to the mixture.

5. At this point, you will need to decide what type of vessel to use for the first stage fermentation process.
   (I used two - 1/2 gallon wide-mouth mason jars + 2 Kraut Source Fermentation Tops.)

6. Whether you use a demijohn or mason jars, pour the liquid mixture into the container/s of choice and place airlock/s on top.

7. Now, the practice of patience begins!
   Allow this to sit in a cool place, and away from direct sunlight for 2 - 3 weeks.

8. Then, there are two options:
   A) Carefully siphon* out the fermented liquid into clean fermentation vessels (leaving the sediment behind), and affix airlocks on again for another round (2nd fermentation). Allow this to rest for 4 - 6 weeks.
   Then transfer mead to wine bottles and cork properly for long-term storage.

   B) Carefully siphon the content directly into wine bottles and seal.
   Allow bottles to rest/age for 3 - 4 months before drinking.
   - This is obviously the “quicker” option, but will not yield as mellow a result as Option A.

   *You can invest in a siphon, or use a ladle to carefully extract the liquid. I used a ladle and did it very slowly and with as little movement or agitation as possible so as not to disturb the sediment. It was quite meditative.

Honestly, I like both results. They are different but are both wonderful!

I would like to support independent local businesses, so here are a few links which are local to my area. And you can order from them online. However, I highly encourage you to research purveyors in your own town or city

For wine yeast, yeast nutrient, demijohns and airlocks:
Oak Barrel

For raw honey:
NorCal Bees

Hapa Honey Farm

For organic roses which you can pick yourself:
Garden Valley Ranch