Rose Petals

In the language of flowers, also known as floriography, a gift of a red rose symbolized love. In pre-Victorian times however, this offering was more likely to find its way to the dinner table on a plate than in a vase. Traditionally, roses were grown for their nutritional and medicinal value. Apple-scented rose leaves were once brewed as a flavorful tea, soft pink rose petals colored salads and rosehips were cooked into sweet syrups children begged to sample. Roses taste as sweet as they smell. The old fashioned scented roses that have been grown organically or wild brier roses are  perfect for kitchen use.

The best part of having rose in the kitchen was its generous dose of vitamin C. Even today, pharmacies sell vitamin C tablets that boast of their rose hip content. Rose hips have more than ascorbic acid to offer; they are also high in iron. The key to assimilating iron in the body is to couple it with vitamin C. For people who battle anemia, rose hips are a treasure trove of nutrition.

There are countless myths and legends in which the rose appears and in almost every country in the Northern Hemisphere we find examples of it on coins, coats of arms, flags, banners, seals, paintings and objets d’art.

Legends concerning the rose are entwined with Gods, Kings, Princes of the Church and Saints as well as with Brahma, Buddha, Mohammed, Vishnu, Confucius, Zo­roaster, several Popes, the Crusaders, Nero, Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, Elizabeth of Hungary, Mary Queen of Scots, St. Vincent, Venus, Cupid, Zephyrus, Aphrodite and many more. Some of the more delightful of these legends may be briefly told as follows.