Women of the past had plenty of time to experiment with rose petals for crafts and edibles. Many of their successes were printed in the newspapers of the times.
Below are several crafts and recipes using rose petals found in multiple articles.
The Rose Jar From 1911
Pack fragrant rose petals in layers with salt, using a small handful of fine salt to three of petals. Keep them five days, turning twice each day. For every half peck, use three ounces of powdered allspice and one ounce of stick cinnamon. Let the mixture stand one week or longer, turning it daily. Now put the whole into a rose jar after stirring into it one ounce of allspice, half a pound of dried lavender flowers, one ounce of bruised cloves, another ounce of stick cinnamon, one grated nutmeg, half a cupful of sliced ginger root, half an ounce of anise seed, ten grains of Canton musk of the finest quality and two ounces of orris root. A few drops of attar of rose or any suitable flower extract may be added at any time. A refreshing though delicate fragrance will fill the atmosphere if, after airing and dusting the parlor, the rose jar is allowed to stand open for half an hour every morning. If perfectly dried until absolutely free from moisture, this mixture may be used with wool to fill a small cushion for a lounge or the back of a chair. [1]
Pot-Pourri Recipe From 1913
Gather the rose petals early in the morning while the dew is on them for they are sweetest at that time and spread them in a basket or on clean papers to dry in the sun. A quart of dried petals is sufficient for a jar. Put a thin layer of cotton batting in the bottom of your jar, then put in a pint of your dried rose petals. Moisten with a few drops of oil of bergamot and six drops of oil of rose geranium, then put in and mix with the petals twelve whole cloves, a blade of mace broken up, a stick of cinnamon, broken and crushed nutmeg. Add the rest of the rose petals and an ounce of orris root or an ounce of sandal wood. Cork tightly. It will take three weeks to ripen. When you wish to fill the room with the fragrance of fresh flowers open the jar for a few minutes. Keep tightly corked. [2]
Rose Petal Pillows From 1911
One lady says that she makes rose petal pillows by simply placing the rose petals in the un and air for a few hours with common salt. When they are quite dry she places them in the pillow of thin swiss or silk and they remain fragrant indefinitely. [3]
Rose Vinegar From 1913
Cover red rose petals with white wine vinegar and let stand in a tightly corked bottle or jar in the morning sun for one week. Strain into a bottle and fill the bottle with distilled water. Delightful for the complexion and the bath. [4]
Potpourri #2 From 1913
Mix the petals while they are moist and add dried lemon and orange peel coarsely powdered, one ounce of sweet lavender, a few cloves and any preferred sachet powder. [5]
Rose Petal Sandwich From 1913
Sprinkle fresh rose petals with pulverized sugar and place between bread and butter sandwiches. Dainty and delicious. [6]
Rose Beads From 1913
Grind the freshly gathered rose petals in an ordinary food chopper each morning for eight days, placing them in a china bowl, adding to the mass each morning until you have sufficient amount. Keep the ground petals in the sun, stirring them occasionally. If a crust forms, stir in a little water, as the mass must be plastic in order to form the beads. Mix in rose sachet powder, a few ground cloves and several drops of attar of roses. If the latter is not available, use rose extract. This will form a dough which can be taken in the fingers and molded into beads. Stick a hatpin through the center of each bead and form into strands, leaving them on the pin in the sun until dry. If you wish a polished surface, rub them with vaseline, or you can make little crosses and stars with the point of a pin while they are soft. String them on linen thread and they will retain the perfume of roses a long time. [7]
Candied Rose Leaves From 1913
Boil one pound of sugar and a pint of water for two minutes. Toss into this a quantity of dried rose petals, and set away for twenty-four hours. Drain the petals on a fine sieve and add a quarter of a pound of sugar to the syrup and boil two more minutes. Pour this over the petals and let them drain and stand one more day. The third day add more sugar and boil the petals in it until it granulates, then pour it on waxed paper and when it cools separate the petals with a silver fork. [8]
Rose Water From 1912
Of all the fragrant toilet waters, none is so much used as rose water, and when this is pure it possesses the greatest cosmetic virtues. One formula for this delicious toilet water calls for four pounds of rose petals and ten quarts of water. The water is first distilled and then poured cold upon the petals, which are shaken around in the liquid. Then the vessel is loosely covered and put in a cool, dark place for several weeks, until the liquid becomes odorous. Then it is again distilled and the drippings are gathered in small bottles and closely corked. [9]
