rose beads?

Question

Does anyone know the recipe for making the original rosarie beads? I know they were made from a dough created from real rose petals. That is where the name comes from

Answer 1

Here are some
http://www.catholicculture.org/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1158
http://beadsforprayer.com/Rosary/petal_beads.htm
.

Answer 2

I learned how to make rose beads years ago from an elderly neighbor. The petals were ground daily through a meat grinder for several weeks, and stored in a cast iron skillet where they would turn black.

The petals turn into a type of clay which can be shaped into beads and dried. Here's the instructions for making heirloom beads the traditional way:

Answer 3

There are a lot of variant recipes around... the original probably involved cutting up rose petals and boiling them till they fell apart into a smooshy paste, and then forming the paste. Wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was a byproduct of making attar of roses or rosewater.

I know of no definitive source for an original recipe, as they've been made at least since medieval times. Try some of the SCA websites for recipes.

Answer 4

Here's the site I found my recipe from: www.thebeadsite.com/BMM-ROSE.htm

Pretty much you grind up your petals really small (I use an old coffee grinder), put them in a pot, cover them with water, and let them simmer for about five hours, give or take. When they're mushy, make sure you drain them as much possible--any water left in there will evaporate, so the more you leave in there, the lumpier they get when they dry. I let them air dry for about two days, then bake them until completely dry at about 200 degrees farenheit. If you pierce the beads with wire, this makes the baking process much easier. Have fun!