Rose petal vinegar.

I made rose petal vinegar about a month ago.

I had a lecture series about 25 km in that --> direction. Making a vinegar is perfect, if you lecture 4 Tuesdays in a row.

And I still had dried rose petals, picked two years ago. That summer was rainy, but my, those roses were beautiful, abundant, and just kept on flowering. I have no idea what species they are, but they have a strong scent.

Here's how you make a vinegar:

Rose petal vinegar

1 glass jar with a tight-fitting lid
rose petals, dried or fresh
vinegar

Fresh rose petals: fill your jar - press things really tight if you like.
Dried rose petals: fill your jar, or, if your petals are really really scented, fill only half your jar.

Then fill the jar to the top with vinegar. Top it up the following day, especially if you used dried rose petals.

Let sit in a dark cupboard for 2-4 weeks. Strain, wring through a cloth or let drip from a sieve overnight.

Pour into a pretty jar, label.

I wouldn't use red wine vinegar for roses, but white wine works fine, as does "hard" (= white) vinegar. Just dilute the hard vinegar to about 5 % acetic acid.

Our storebought apple cider vinegar is about as strong in taste as our storebought white wine vinegar. I haven't yet made my own apple vinegar, so I don't know how overpowering the taste of that would be. (Making my own is pretty much next on my "to do" list ...).

Vinegars fade in light, so while this vinegar will have a very nice deep pink color: resist the temptation to let it sit on your countertop, or worse, in your kitchen window, catching the sunlight like a jewel. Keep it in a dark cupboard.

Use your rose petal vinegar for itches, bug bites, abrasions, small wounds and the like.
Also (Darcey reminded me): rose petal vinegar is very good for burns.
And (Virginia said) Avicenna used to advise it on the temples for headache and fever.
And (Susan said) rose petal (vinegar?) is great for Rosacea.

I've recently given it to a neighbor with dotted kids. Her elder ones hadn't all that many itchy spots, but the youngest was covered in them. I said to dilute 1:10 with water and put it into a spray bottle and just spray it on. You can also dilute it (for very sensitive skin, like little ones - older skin doesn't require diluted rose vinegar) and dip a cloth in it. And lay on that cloth, for those itchy dots - don't rub.

Related entry: Chives vinegar