Evening Gathering

Gathering rose petals

in the moonlight

in the sunlight

its not yet dark

A breeze is rustling 

softly through the trees

complete with the sound

of busy buzzing bumble bees.

My lovely daughter and I went off to a local wooded area on the hill, to collect wild rose petals to make rose water.

My great aunt used to make some fabulous rose water and we thought it was time to pass on this family tradition.  The sun still sets very late here and the bumble bees were still busy .........even at 11pm.

When collecting rose petals only take petals from the old flowers.  This ensures that the flowers have already been visited by the bees and butterflies and that rosehips will  be produced regardless of the missing petals.  With the wild roses the petals drop very early,...after only a couple of days so they fall at this time regardless. (Rosehip and hibiscus tea is also lovely).

The rose we gather from is Rosa Rugrose and is a deep magenta.  There were also a few pure white ones.  These roses form a thick wall around the wood on two sides.

The rose water turned a deep pink colour as the magenta was bleached from the petals and the fragrane was awesome.  It is a lovely face and hand spritz.  Made a second batch from the same rose petals and used the slightly weaker rose water as a hair rise so so we smell like rose faeries :)

Inside the wooded area which is otherwise unvisited there are a few trees and a total thick carpet of nettles.  Since nettles grow prolifically and are not endangered species we trimmed a neat pathway through the wood which makes for a lovely meandering stroll. (leaving the low stems unharmed to regrow as the season progresses).

We collected the nettle heads outside the wood where they receive ample sunshine.  Nettle tea is very healthy.  We normally make the nettles in to nettle soup which is rich in healing energy but you can also make it into beer. Nettle beer was an ancient hobby of our ancestors.

Here is a link for Nettle beer, but I am curious about the piece of toast addition ...

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/nettlebeer.htm