# Rose of shannon



## City Bound

The flowers are edible but i can not find much info on the edibility of this plant beyond the flowers. Anyone know much about this plant or have some good links?

By the way the flowers are good eating. Taste like iceburg lettuce a little.


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## HermitJohn

City Bound said:


> The flowers are edible but i can not find much info on the edibility of this plant beyond the flowers. Anyone know much about this plant or have some good links?
> 
> By the way the flowers are good eating. Taste like iceburg lettuce a little.


hibiscus by any other name


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## Guest

You mean "rose of sharon" look it up by the right name, 32 million links


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## HermitJohn

Oops read it as rose of sharon, thats hibiscus. No idea what a rose of shannon is.


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## Danaus29

If we are talking about rose of sharon;
I planted this when we had ducks to give their pen some shade, never removed the plants. I had NO idea it was useful as an ornamental edible! Eating the flowers would also eliminate one problem I have had with it, seedlings everywhere. I found a neat recipe for stuffed flowers made with cottage cheese. Hmmm, I think I have cottage cheese, if it's still good. Sounds like a good idea for a snack.


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## goodhors

Best to look up flowers and leaves, get the Latin name, along with common names, before eating it!

Latin name is usually consistant, unless it is one who has moved to a new class like some trees and plants have recently.

The common name of "Rose of Sharon" is applied to a couple plants I know of, which may or MAY NOT be edible, so the Latin correct name should guide you on this. Also some PARTS of plants are edible, but NOT OTHER PARTS. This would include Rhubarb stems ONLY and Daylily flowers ONLY, last I heard. Other parts are poison!! 

Please be careful eating plants or plant PARTS, that are not usually thought of as food. Mixups could be deadly.


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## NickieL

you can eat all parts of rose of sharron, the flowers are the best but the leaves make for a good spinach sub. The root and bark is edible (so i've heard) but haven't tried it yet as my plants are only babies yet.


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## City Bound

Yes, rose of sharon. My mistake. The flowers are edible and good. Taste like iceburge lettuce. I battered and fried them and they were good. Cut them up in salad and they were good.


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## City Bound

Nickie this plant is giver, it just gives tons of flowers to eat. I have been taking flowers from just one small area of the tree for days and I have gotten many meals and snacks from that area.


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## City Bound

I was just reading that the flowers of Rose of Sharon come from the new wood and that the plant is best pruned in late winter/early spring. The plant responds well to pruning and can take a hard pruning.

So, I am guessing that if you grow this plant for food it might be best to prune this plant each year to get greater amounts of new growth and greater amounts of flowers to eat.


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## Sonshine

One of the great things about Rose of Sharon is they are so easy to grow and will self seed all over the place. I planted a couple in my front yard and now we have a couple growing by our pool in the backyard. Guess the birds like them too.


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## City Bound

it can be shaped to form privacy walls, or pruned into trees so it seems liek a very useful plant for a homestead. A wall that makes food.


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## NickieL

that and if you are being sneaky and growing 'food' in your front yard, most HOA people don't know it's actually food and won't make complaints lol


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## City Bound

good point nickie. In that case grow some rosa ragosa under the rose of sharon, some edible lavender, some chamamile, some hollyhocks, some pansies, sweet potato vine and they will have no idea you have a food pantry in the front yard. haha


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## vicki in NW OH

There are newer cultivars (I think that's the word) that are sterile and don't seed all over the place. Now, that would be a good thing if you are eating the flowers because they are in blossom way longer. Maybe plant a combination of regular ROS that do seed heavily and the newer ones that don't. 

I didn't know one could eat them either. Now I'm going to have my fancy Lavender Chiffon ROS blossoms in my salad for lunch. I also have Blue Satin and Violet Satin.


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## Danaus29

I picked a few and tried them today. Kind of bland imo. Dd didn't like the almond taste. Of course I didn't get them picked until after 5 pm, maybe early morning picking yields better results. Would be good with cottage cheese and some seasonings. 

I'll have to get up early and pick some, maybe tomorrow. Kind of hard to do early am when you work the late shift.


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## City Bound

Well, they are mellow in flavor. They taste a little bit like iceburg lettuce which has a subtle flavor. They need seasoning to jazz them up. Most foods we eat are bland until we spice them up. potatoes are bland without salt and pepper, or cream cheese and chives. lettuce is bland without the dressing. bread is very bland without jam or butter. Chicken is bland without seasoning. Steak is bland without salt. Porkchops are bland and boring.

The most important thing is that they are not aweful, they are abundant, they are free, they feed you, they are actually good for your health, and they can be cooked in lots of ways to jazz them up.

batter and fry them then add some syrup or sauce. See if that tastes better.


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## Vickie44

I find those foods you mentioned bland only when from the store . When from home I dont find them bland at all.


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## Danaus29

I tried some mixed with cottage cheese and ranch type dressing seasonings. I overdid the mustard powder, ugh. I'll have to figure out something to mix with this to tame down the mustard. Pasta might be a good choice, or some crackers. 

I think they would make a nice salad type dish chopped with chopped tomatoes and a little shredded cheese and some Italian type dressing. 

Salt on steak???? Not in my house!!! A little onion, a hint of garlic yes. Salt and ketchup? Not here! Took me 10 years to get dh weaned off contaminating his steaks but I finally did it.

And yes, when picked early in the morning they have a little more flavor, kind of flowery/fruity. Not bad. At the very least by eating the flowers I'll have fewer seedlings popping up in my gardens. 

I just happen to have part of a tomato that is waiting to be used. More experimentation coming tomorrow.


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## City Bound

Yes, salt on steak. I love, love how the salt mixes with the blood.


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## City Bound

I am trying to get a picture of a dish I made with the rose of sharon on here but photo bucket is giving me a hard time.


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## City Bound

Here is the pic.

I call it CB's Summer Sage Hobo Salad

It is bular wheat, garlic powder, salt, abundant amounts of sage, rose of sharon flowers, and olive oil. Could be served hot but I am eating it as a cold salad.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7611072908/" title="DSCN0023 by Gloriouslight20, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7611072908_530efff6e0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSCN0023"></a>


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

Thanks ever so for posting the pic of your salad - I've been searching for ways to use fresh sage and never would have thought! (I'm gonna try it with rice instead of bulgar) I've been missing my nasturtium salads since they don't grow well here, and I won't think of rose of sharon as "just a landscape" plant anymore.


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## City Bound

You are welcome cowgirl. I would suggest cutting the sage small so that the flavor blends better with the other ingredients


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## City Bound

made some Battered and fried rose of sharon flowers tonight for dinner with some agavi syrup.

The ones to the left are single flowers that were just starting to open (you know the long cigar looking ones) dipped in batter and the large patty looking one to the right is all the lose flowers from fully open flowers that fell apart when I pulled the little green thing off the bottom.

Batter was one heaping cup of flour.
One egg.
Salt to taste
And cold water to the thickness you like.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7611791018/" title="DSCN0031 by Gloriouslight20, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7611791018_e3c99e29fd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSCN0031"></a>


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## Danaus29

I added some of the cottage cheese mix to some pork and potatoes. When heated the petals take on a different flavor. Pretty interesting. 

Now I'm thinking, could they be dried and added to soup and other dishes? I know you can make tea with dried hibiscus flowers but not sure how Rose of Sharon petals would work. Guess I'll just have to try some.


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## sustainabilly

Great info and pics CB! Thanks. I've got a bunch of big rose of sharon bushes her too. I'll have to be careful not to pick too many flowers though because the Jap beetles flock to them. They act like a trap crop and keep the little devils occupied. I'm going to pick a variety of colors and try them in your Hobo salad. 

It's funny how my sons have become more courteous since it occurred to them that they may not know what I'm feeding them till after they've eaten it. Hey, this is good! Umm...what is it? Bwahahaa!


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## City Bound

Danaus, I was wondering about drying them also. I found some dry ones still on the tree and tried to bite them. They were sort of leathery and paper like. Of course they would have to be rehydrated. If they can be dried and rehydtated later for making food then this plant is a super plant. I would have a good chunk of food for the winter if it dries well.

Let us know.

THanks.


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## Danaus29

I've got the dehydrator running with pineapple and banana in it now. Some petals picked early tomorrow wouldn't take long since the dehydrator is already warm.

Now the hard part, getting up early! LOL


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## City Bound

I am excited. I hope it works.


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## greenboy

I didn't know this, but my rabbits love to eat the clippings from the plant. This plant is the best thing, grows fast healthy produce flowers and seeds like crazy and if you plant the clippings you get a new plant in no time, and they are perfect for hedges. Well thats all I know about this plant I love my and I am reporducing it to plant all around... :trollface




City Bound said:


> The flowers are edible but i can not find much info on the edibility of this plant beyond the flowers. Anyone know much about this plant or have some good links?
> 
> By the way the flowers are good eating. Taste like iceburg lettuce a little.


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## Danaus29

Well, the petals don't dry to be crunchy and easily crumbled. They are kind of leathery feeling. Haven't tried rehydrating yet.


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## City Bound

they feel leathery when they dry on the tree naturally also. I think it is from the fiber in the petals.

Let us know how they rehydrate, I am very curious.


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## rags57078

guess I need to find some seeds


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## Danaus29

Advertise in the wanted section of craigslist. Offer to come dig seedlings. Most people have an overabundance of them.

If you lived within easy driving distance of me I would give you several potted shrubs.


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## greenboy

CLippings are great you dont need seeds, a couple of clippings is whole what you need.


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## City Bound

How are you doing the clippings for rose of sharon, just take a cutting in the winter when it is dormant, stick it in the ground, and then in spring it roots?


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## Cindy in KY

Wow. I have probably 200 large Rose of Sharon trees. Totally loaded with flowers now. I have always loved them, and let the little trees grow where they grow, usually. I have some that are 20 feet tall now. They line our driveway, took over half the garden, and just are everywhere! But I love the flowers all summer long, until the first frost. They are the most beautiful tree. Hummingbirds love them too.

I am going to try some flowers. I have purple, pink and white ones. We put baby trees in little pots and sell them at the farmers market for $4. We had luck putting a 6 foot tree in a 5 gallon bucket and it lived.

I can send someone seeds from the trees, those will spout new trees. The dried seed pods.

Some pics on my blog.










Homestead Blog


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## Danaus29

Well I added them to my junk food instant ramen noodles. I added them then poured the boiling water over them then let it set for the 3 minutes. 

Kind of disappointing. I think they should have been added just before serving. The petals do crumble nicely when dry. It takes a lot to look like a small pile. The taste is real light, barely noticeable, kind of flowery and sweet with a hint of lemon. If you get a big glob it's kind of slimy but it melts in your mouth. 

I wish there was a nutritional breakdown available for the petals. I know they have a lot of medicinal value but I'm having a hard time finding a lot of information there too. One site did say they help reduce intestinal gas. If so they would be a great addition to bean soup and no one would even notice they were there.

Picked a bunch more and put them in to dry.


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## City Bound

Great work danaus. 
Mixing with beans is a good idea.

If a good use can be found for dried flowers it would make a great winter food. In the winter the health benifits would be welcomed.

Rose of shanon might pair well with meat.


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## Cindy in KY

I tried some fresh off the tree, just the pedals, and I really couldn't taste much taste to them. Maybe if they are washed and put in the crisper. They do make a salad beautiful! Purple, pink and white.


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## tailwagging

City Bound said:


> T
> By the way the flowers are good eating. Taste like iceburg lettuce a little.


I agree


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## tailwagging

Dr oz 
Drink hibiscus tea: Drinking three cups of hibiscus tea has been shown to help lower blood pressure. It's available at health food stores for about $5.

How can I reduce high blood pressure? - Sharecare


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## Danaus29

That was in a Mother Earth News article recently. 
If my bp was any lower I'd be dead. But I do make dh drink a lot of it in the winter. Harder to get him to drink it when it's hot outside. Would be a good thing to brew then refrigerate for iced tea.


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## City Bound

Cindy in KY said:


> I tried some fresh off the tree, just the pedals, and I really couldn't taste much taste to them. Maybe if they are washed and put in the crisper. They do make a salad beautiful! Purple, pink and white.


cindy, I think they taste like iceburg lettuce.


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## Danaus29

I wonder if the pollen adds much nutritional value to the petals. When picked between 9 am and noon there is a lot of pollen on the petals. I leave it there when putting them in the dehydrator.


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## City Bound

I was thinking the pollen might add some nutrition so I ate it. 

Danaus, what do you think of how the rose of sharon rehydrates? Does it rehydrate well?


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## NickieL

I can't wait till mine are big enough to start harvesting the leaves as a spinach sub during summer


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## Danaus29

All I rehydrated was the one bunch I added to a ramen instant lunch. I added it then poured the boiling water over it then let set for 3 minutes. Kind of slimy if you get a big bunch , otherwise barely noticeable. If it ever cools off I'll try again adding the petals just before serving. Been too hot lately to eat hot noodle soup, or much hot anything.

I might try some on cold cut sandwiches next week, maybe.


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## City Bound

sounds good. 


For my next experiment I have to try the leaves like nickie suggested.


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