Then the large seed pops out, and the calyx is left almost intact. As for your current plants, yes, you can bring them indoors to overwinter if you have a bright, sunny south-facing window. To scarify them, rub them on a piece of fine sandpaper and then soak overnight before planting. Modern, energy-efficient windows filter out too much sun to keep hibiscus seedlings healthy indoors. Once they die and fall off the calyx is ready to harvest. Part of it being destroyed has to do with the breaking down of the cell walls. The leaves are rather purplish and maple shape and the flower or calyxes have no taste for tea. Keep the area as weed free as possible, you can mulch pretty heavily to do this. Hello all. I’m wondering if your season was either a bit too short or your light levels a bit too low to trigger calyx production. Please check back in to let us know how things turn out. We’ve been growing edible hibiscus for several years and it’s one of the most carefree plants we’ve ever grown. Hi Steve, thanks so much for bringing that to our attention. Edible hibiscus is a short-day plant that grows in tropical and subtropical areas. I would like to inform you that it is sorrel seeds you are describing.It makes a sorrel drink in the Caribbean islands.You can google sorrel for a back up. i tried to reduce the sugar, but noticed that the scobi tended to get sluggish, and they stay healthier whilst active. 1) flowers don’t bloom from top down, they bloom in middle of the plant first. Please do not use photos, text, or graphics without permission. The fastest we’ve ever gone from seed to harvestable hibiscus roselle is ~3 months. anyone have a recipe for the leaves? And thanks for the apple corer recommendation! I receive a small commission whenever a product is purchased through these links. I also recommend Sambung nyawa, aka Gynura procumbens, if you get warm to hot weather. Since we just use hibiscus for flavor and not really medicinally, I don’t really pay much attention to how much I put in. I didn’t realize this and we had a couple of blooms and then nothing all summer. Also consider planting them inside wide, heavy tomato cages since the branches are subject to snapping in heavy winds if they’re loaded with calyxes. Click the links below! Susan earned a B.A. Start the seeds in pots and then plant them in the garden when they’re about 4-5 inches tall and after all danger of frost has passed. Thank you for your blog, Angi. We also write for Edible Upcountry Magazine, so be sure to check out our articles over there as well! This one is the Hibiscus sabdariffa. I can bring one plant indoors. Thank you for supporting this site. Hi Tesa, I’m not sure what plants would do better in your area as I’ve only grown hibiscus sabdariffa. If they produce fruit, you can save seeds for next year, so the seed purchase is just a one time purchase. Living along the Texas Gulf Coast our summers are super hot, so anything that prefers hot weather is a welcome addition for me. Hibiscus seeds being separated from the seed pods. Click here to learn more about our story, and please subscribe to get our freshest content delivered to your inbox! ; The branches are covered with colorful yellow flowers. To remove the calyxes with as much ease as possible, use an apple corer, and simply push the corer through the middle of the calyx. Does that mean my hibiscus are not the right kind? They would make a lovely hedge if you planted quite a few. When I dehydrate the calyx I try to keep as much of it intact as I can, to reduce the amount of cell damage. It sounds delicious! The seed pods should be dry, brittle and easy to crack open, spilling out dozens of small black seeds for future bounties. I have been dealing with borderline pre-hypertension for years, and so was keen for natural products to keep my BP down… I was doing well util I went overseas for 4 months and left my Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa, as mentioned in your post) tea and kombucha behind. The sugar ferments off anyway, mostly. I would like to preserve some roselle jelly using the hot water bath canning method, but I’ve had trouble finding a simple recipe (roselle, water, sugar, lemon and pectin). If you’re looking for a tea that has quite a bit of vitamin C for the winter, you should try this rose hip and hibiscus tea. Image by University of Maryland Extension. The large green leaves pack a tangy punch and can also be used to make tea. Some teas are made with just the flowers, leaves and calyxes. It is a semi-procumbent vine with very palatable leaves with a great texture.. Juice, eat raw off the plant or stir fry.. Best to research it for climate and how to use, but dozens of my best friends have clambered for cuttings, and if you can grow Rosella both of these should be fine, too. Large, 5-petaled, hollyhock-like flowers (to 6" diameter) with white to pink petals and maroon eyes appear from mid-summer into fall on smooth stout stems rising 4-6' tall. We recommend getting hibiscus varieties that are bred and known specifically for their edibility, such as Hibiscus sabdariffa…. You’ll need to start them indoors 6-8 weeks before your average last frost. If you’re unsure of your variety, take it, or good photos of it, to your County Extension Office and ask for help. My email : [email protected] and mailing address: 1310 W 43rd CT Kennewick,WA 99337. Perhaps most easily distinguished by its three-lobed leaves (to 6" long) which resemble the shape of the 15th-16th century halberd spear. I didn’t add any lemon juice but probably should have because I thought the jelly was a little sweet. Hi Angi, I have friends from Mexico and they drink iced hibiscus tea all year long. Take off of heat and add 1cup of the dried hibiscus flower to the pot and let steep for 20 minutes. Leaves and flowers are also edible; in some cultures the leaves are cooked like spinach and have a tangy flavor. Even after the calyxes are removed from your tea glass, they’re still edible and quite yummy. How do you know when to harvest the calyx? After a hibiscus flower has bloomed, it will shrivel up and drop from the plant about 24-48 hours later. So what other uses are there besides tea ? Poured over ice, Hibiscus Tea is one of our all-time favorite summer refreshment drinks. The plants are not at all frost tolerant. Rebecca, can you please send photos of your hibiscus to aaron @ tyrantfarms.com? However, you probably won’t have time to get a LOT of roselles. However, it can be grown as an annual in colder areas. how many calyx per cups of tea and someone said this reduces blood pressure too. Remove from the heat and ladle into prepared jars. Once you harvest a Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx/seed pod for the express purpose of seed-saving, be sure to let the seed pods dry for a month inside before storing them in a ziplock or any container that would trap moisture and reduce their viability. Any help would be appreciated! Can i put the seed down right now or have to wait until fall. I’m waiting until our oldest son and his family are here so they can enjoy it with us. I planted roselle in my garden this year and really enjoyed it. I can’t find the plant any where near me. In fact, as one of our Instagram followers from Nigeria told us, they can be used to make a great relish at this stage, similar to fresh cranberry relish. Hibiscus calyx (left) separated from the interior seed pod. I also want to try a full sugar batch but add about 1/4c-1/2 cup lemon juice. I like to dehydrate some with the seed pod by quartering the calyx and dehydrating it. The Hibiscus sabdariffa blooms are simple and beautiful. Hi Rebekah, I just made a batch of jelly last night. In order to produce flowers, hibiscus needs shorter days. If you want to be able to recreate the recipes you create you should really weigh out your herbs and keep notes on the combinations. Within 10 days, the seeds should germinate. Hibiscus laevis (syn. Tolerates summer heat and humidity as long as soils are kept continuously moist throughout the growing season. We’ve actually made that mistake ourselves before. Tyrant Farms is reader-supported. Actual seeds I get from my Hibiscus are black/brown in color and on the widest part have like a hairy kind of ring around them I have nevr got them to grow by planting them but have had alot of seedlings come up from dropped seedpods never understood why I cant get them to produce seedlings when I plant them in good seed soil in peat pots.