Guest Post: The Rose under your Nose (and in your Salad)


Valentine’s Day is drawing close, and soon you will face the sands of time running low when it comes to finding the right roses to give the love of your life before Valentine’s Day arrives. When conveniently researching online for a good quality flower provider, be sure to see what kind of marketing efforts they put into their websites to advertise their deals and the quality of their flowers. Often, businesses will use a professionally designed Valentine's Day infographic to showcase their amazing holiday offers and savings. Once you have found a site that displays the money-saving bargains you seek, be sure to place your order while supplies last, as businesses may run out of flowers especially if they are priced to sell quickly.

Image source: http://mediaserver02.stockfood.com/previews/MTMyNDU0NTk2/11037883.jpg
Making the Most of your Roses

Aside from presenting that special person in your life with an arrangement of fresh roses, you can also give them an accompanying gift made from the blooms in question, such as rose petal vinegar. When you find the online flower company that you plan on doing business with, order your roses specified for vinegar three weeks before Valentine’s Day, as this is how long it will take to prepare the gift. Also, be sure to order you arrangement of roses in advance to be delivered the day before Valentine’s Day, to avoid the risk of them selling out.

When you contact the online flower company, be sure to ask the customer service specialist for an “old world” variety of roses, as hybrids tend to be less fragrant and make for a subpar vinegar. Once you have your fresh, fragrant petals to work with, the process is simple: take one part fresh, scented rose petals and 4 parts quality white wine vinegar. Gently wash the pedals under slow running water before placing them on wax paper or a tea towel to dry. Then place the petals at the bottom of your jar or bottle, and fill it with vinegar. You will want to seal the jar and set it out in the sun for three weeks. By then it will be ready to use as a salad dressing, a marinade for chicken or fish, or to lightly drizzle on fresh melon or strawberries.
But rose petal vinegar is not only great for enhancing the taste of your food. In an article published by Bright Healing, the author talks about the medicinal benefits that rose petals bring. The article states that rose petal vinegar acts as a great disinfectant and treats insect bites, as well as open wounds. So if you and you “special person” take a romantic stroll on the beach and he/she gets stung by a ray, or if they slice their finger open in the kitchen, take out your rose petal vinegar and treat the injury, before you treat your salad.

You Can’t Put Neosporin on Your Salad

But you CAN give the Valentine’s Day gift of roses, and make rose petal vinegar that is the salad dressing / insect bite treatment in-one.  What better way to say, “I love you” than with a sweet smelling multi-purpose magic tonic, and an arrangement of roses from which the elixir derived?