Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Rose Petal Beads

When you are into DIY, it can be fun. And then you can be halfway through somehing and wonder "what the heck am I doing?" I guess I just really love rose petals. I like their smell, and the way they taste. Not many rose blooms get by me without a good sniff.

The white roses in the front house are shedding their petals all over the ground, and I saw this recipe and couldn't resist. So what is the deal? Well, you gather up enough rose petals to pack into your food processor. Add enough water to get is whizzing, and it will start to look like this:


So you throw them in your cast iron pan, and cook them for just a bit. I have read that boiling is bad, but I do not really understand why. Mine boiled a bit, just to get out a little water.


Each day for 2 or three days, you heat up the pan, stir the mush around, and it starts to look like clay.


 And when it is dry enough, and acts like clay in your hand, form little pieces into beads. They will shrink as they dry, and they will crack too, so be sure that they are rolled compactly. Push a pin through them.

I used my dehydrator because I am terribly impatient, but I bet you could just let them sit around or stick them in a cork board, or even heat them gently in the oven. It is hard to know when they are completely dry. I would estimate several weeks. Mine are dry on the outside, but I can tell they are still squishy inside.


And if you are thinking I am crazy. Well . . . I am.

8 comments:

  1. You are so awesome :) I love this!

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  2. Hi Kathryn - your blog is pretty informative and congratulations on taking the time to do things from scratch. As I age,(the big 5-0), I'm more inclined to go for the quick convenience of prepared food but your recipes sound delicious and healthful. I think I'll give one or two a whirl. Keep up the good nutrition - you are beautiful! Love from the Stick's

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  3. Sweetie, you are so cool for doing this. Next, you should do a beer glass made from pressed leaves.

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  4. Love it! Does it retain the rosy scent though or is it cooked out?

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  5. The scent will stay if you have a strongly scented rose. I added rose water and rose oil for some extra insurance.

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  6. This looks like a kid friendly project!

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  7. Wow, it's 2015 and I found your post here. Glad I did. I have started making rose petal beads. It's an obsession. I love the way the petals turn into clay. They dry as hard as concrete. My second batch, I made up the rose petal mush and blended it with homemade air dry clay. I rolled little balls with my bead roller. They are drying very hard, too. Went to the gardens today and brought in about 5 bags of rose petals. Spent the evening separating the different colors. I have a box full of red petals, one with hot pink, one with a light orchid color (purple) and yellows. I really like working with plant material. I don't have to bake it. I would post pictures, if I could.

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