If you are outside a good bit of the day; the sun, bugs and poison rashes can make this part of the year challenging. Look around and you'll find plant neighbors that our great-grandparents formed a partnership with to help make this season more enjoyable.
Right now the Swamp Roses (Rosa palustris) are in full bloom. Those are the pretty, pink 5 petal roses you see growing wild in arches along old fence rows and homesteads. If you are fortunate enough to find these beautiful flowers away from cars and where pesticides and herbicides have not been sprayed, then it's harvest time. Rose buds and hips are a good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, Niacin, Bioflavanoids, K, E, polyphenols, pectin and Selenium. This is great for energy and combating fatigue during the hot summer. Rose petals contain as much antioxidants as green tea, making them a healthy, caffeine-free beverage (instructions below).
