What Do I Do With My Valentine’s Day Roses?
Valentine’s day is right around the corner and I know you will either be receiving or giving Roses to your significant other (wink, wink).
Personally, I would rather not receive flowers just because they wilt and only last a few days. But, I won’t refuse them because I know the person who gave them to me means well, and flowers really do smell great! With that said, I came up with ideas what to do with them after a few days, plus I love “do it yourself” recipes.
Years ago I heard I can make Rose water from the petals of Roses but back then we didn’t have the internet so I had no idea how to go about making it. After years of procrastinating and letting flowers wilt when I got them, I decided to do something when I received Roses last week after a dance performance I was in.
I did a bit of research and found it’s simple and inexpensive to make and Rose water is beneficial for the skin and has many uses as well as makes you feel refreshed when spritzing the face.
As with any thing we attempt for the first time, it’s a trial and error process and even though my first batch did not come out exactly how I expected it to, it’s still usable and I know what to do and what not to do the next time.
All you need is:
–Medium to Large size saucepan with lid
— Fresh Roses, 1/2 dozen will make enough for the larger size mason jar
–Bottled, distilled or filtered water. Tap water has added chemicals and should be avoided.
–To make toner: Witch Hazel, can be purchased at most pharmacies such as CVS.
–Essential Oil of choice (optional)
–Spray bottle, size is your choice
- First things first, this is where I partly erred, use fresh roses! If they start to turn, they are still usable but lose their fragrance and you will have to add essential oil so there’s a nice aroma. You can still use essential oil, such as lavender, but it’s not necessary if the roses are fresh.
- Pull the petals from the point of the stem, separate them and rinse with cool water.
- Put the petals in the saucepan and add water. Only add just enough water to cover the petals. You are going to have to press down on them and the top layer will float a bit but that’s okay.
- Cover the pot with a lid and turn stove on low. Bring to a slight boil, then let simmer for about 10 minutes, until the color has faded from the petals.
- Strain the petals and discard them. *Let the water cool. *If you use roses that started losing their aroma, after discarding petals, add about 5 drops of essential oil, bring rosewater to slight boil, then let it cool.
6.**Once water is cooled, fill mason jar then put in fridge which lasts for a few weeks.
—–If making toner, pour equal parts Witch Hazel and Rosewater (and 2-3 drops essential oil if using) into the spray bottle, shake and spritz.
**To make the water last longer than a few weeks, you can freeze them in ice cube trays, this way all that hard work and time of making the water does not go to waste if you don’t go through it within the fridge time frame.
I hope this helps you decide what to do with your Valentine’s Day Roses this year and times after. I will be taking another shot at this and looking up other “do it yourself” recipes for other flowers as well.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Happy Spritzing and Good luck!
-Melissa D.
