Types of Rose Flowers

Roses are one of the most beautiful, traditional, and fragrant flowers that you can plant in your garden. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” says Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which is so very true of the rose that has captured the minds and hearts of people through the ages. Roses have many culinary use and medicinal properties. Most rose flowers are edible.

1) Rose gulkan: Rock candy 1/2 cup, Honey -1/2 cup, edible rose petals – 1 cup. Wash rose petals in cold water and keep under good sunlight. Remove all water content from petals. In a bowl or bottle place a layer of little powdered rock candy, little honey and few petals and place 2nd and 3rd layer following same order of the 3 ingredients. Cover the bowl with clean muslin cloth and tighten the cloth so that no external moisture should go inside the bowl or bottle. Keep this bottle every day under sunlight for next three weeks. After three weeks delicious gulkan will be ready to consume. This preparation does not need any artificial preservative as honey is a natural preservative.

2) Rose sharabth: Add few edible rose petals to water and let it seep for few minutes. Add little lemon juice, sugar and cardamom -drink to cool down the body heat during summer.

3) Rose petal yogurt: Store dried rose petals in a air tight bottle. During summer months, mix fresh  edible rose petals or dried petals in yogurt, add little sugar for taste and have. This keeps body temperature under control and boosts the energy.

4) Rose buttermilk or lassi: For 1.5 cups of fresh yogurt or butter milk add 1/2 cup chilled water. To this add 8-10 fresh or dried edible rose petals and few drops of rose syrup (make sure to get good rose syrup). Add sugar according to your taste followed by few pistachio, almond and cashew. Blend everything using a mixer till the liquid becomes frothy. Serve when it is fresh. – This is another good drink for hot summer season.