mom
10-02-2008, 11:11 AM
One daughter in law is Catholic. Originally rosary beads were made from rose petals, hence the name. As you "said your rosary" the heat and oils in your hands would also release rose scent.
Roses are loving the cooler weather so I have a bunch of petals simmering on the stove to make my DIL a Christmas present.
Pick roses early in the morning - they are more fragrant there.
Only use fresh, not wilted or damaged petals
remove petals
simmer in cast iron pot with small amount of water for hours or even days, adding water as necessary until you have a black paste that is easy to form into balls.
Form balls and punch hole in them with a needle or nail.
Lay out for drying in a room with no direct heat or sunlight - protect from dust, etc. Rotate occasionally so you don't get flat spots on the beads. (Some recipies say to string them now and then rotate on the string to keep them from sticking to the string.
When fully dry string. You can also use a dehydrator or dry them in the oven on very low heat.
This is the traditional method. There are newer methods which use types of clay and preserve the colors in the petals but I am going for this method.
Roses are loving the cooler weather so I have a bunch of petals simmering on the stove to make my DIL a Christmas present.
Pick roses early in the morning - they are more fragrant there.
Only use fresh, not wilted or damaged petals
remove petals
simmer in cast iron pot with small amount of water for hours or even days, adding water as necessary until you have a black paste that is easy to form into balls.
Form balls and punch hole in them with a needle or nail.
Lay out for drying in a room with no direct heat or sunlight - protect from dust, etc. Rotate occasionally so you don't get flat spots on the beads. (Some recipies say to string them now and then rotate on the string to keep them from sticking to the string.
When fully dry string. You can also use a dehydrator or dry them in the oven on very low heat.
This is the traditional method. There are newer methods which use types of clay and preserve the colors in the petals but I am going for this method.