Roses? Yes. I believe in the concept that unless a plant/tree produces an edible food for humans and/ or animals, it is a waste of space in my yards. It has been a long process to achieve my ideal and I am still working on it. One of the few plants to remain from the previous owner was rose-bushes, hidden along a side of the house, in a bed. I have ignored them mostly over the years, only pruning a few times. The perfect roses to harvest from. Nearly wild, they receive no pesticides or fertilizers. Make sure any edible flowers used come from organically raised plants. Do NOT use any that had pesticides used!
Roses produce two crops, rose petals and rose hips later on. Both are valuable crops. To gather rose petals you have two choices. Cut the roses off and harvest the entire stem, if you don’t want rose hips, or carefully pluck the petals off by hand, leaving the rose hips intact. Either way shoo off any little bugs (or spiders) who loiter, and discard any munched on. If your roses are aphid overrun…I probably wouldn’t use them, but that is my preference. Treat that first with an army of Lady Bugs!
Lay the petals on mesh lined dehydrator trays, in a single layer. Dry at 110° for a couple of hours. Mine only took 2 hours watch so they don’t over dry. They should be just dry. Let cool down, then gently pack away in a glass jar, airtight, for long-term storage. Mason (canning) jars work well.
What to use them in? Add to granola, trail mix, brew tea and so on.