Maple juice is an intercellular fluid that is found in plants and trees. Maple, which gives humanity this most useful drink, grows mainly on the lands of North America and Canada. It is from it make a delicious and fragrant maple syrup. On the territory of Russia, the maple leaf is the source of the juice. It is less sweet, but tasteful sound is close to Canadian syrup.
Some historical information
The inhabitants of the American continent have always exalted maple. There are many songs and legends built in his honor. For example, this is a curious story related to the inhabitants of the Iroquois tribe. It talks about how once women instead of going to the remote source for water, went to the nearest maple forest. There they began to cut the trunks of trees and collect the liquid flowing from them, which was then added to the dishes. The warriors who returned home in the evening were pleasantly surprised by the unusual taste of the dishes, and the maple juice became a small secret of the inhabitants of the tribe.
Warning! In Europe in the XVII century, attempts were made to extract maple sugars on an industrial scale. In Canada, this direction is still of great importance.
Chemical Composition
This natural beverage contains a huge amount of valuable substances that have a beneficial effect on human health. The combination of the following components generates benefits:
- of water;
- sucrose( dextrose);
- numerous organic acids - acetic, malic, abscisic, succinic, fumaric;
- significant mineral substances - silicon, calcium, potassium, to the greatest extent, as well as magnesium, manganese and sodium;
- ascorbic acid.
The human body suffers from a shortage of all these substances, especially with the onset of the spring period. And just at this time the collection of such a valuable source of vitamins and microelements begins.
Healing qualities
Maple juice, the benefit and harm of which is closely intertwined, is an effective natural healer and a valuable dietary product. It is directed to the healing and prevention of many diseases, such as:
- asthenia;
- vitamin deficiency;
- cold;
- scurvy;
- gout;
- kidney and liver disease.
This is only a general list of indications, in fact, the range of effects of juice for medicinal purposes is much broader:
- This is an effective diuretic in the presence of various kinds of problems with the urinary system.
- Maple juice heals diseases of the cardiovascular system - atherosclerosis, thrombosis and other pathologies.
- Cleans the blood of toxins.
- Has a beneficial effect on the gallbladder and liver, removing the decay products from the body.
- The pancreas under the influence of abscisic acid, which is contained in the drink, has an excellent therapeutic effect.
- The agent is very useful in diseases associated with the weakening of general brain activity - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
- Vitamin C and antioxidants, which predominate in the juice, fight not only with infectious, but also with oncological diseases.
- As an antibiotic, the juice acts from the inside and outside - it can handle wounds, burns, cuts on the skin.
How to prepare medicinal drink
Rules for collecting
As mentioned earlier, the beginning of the harvest is announced in early spring. And the time to reserve juice is very little - just a couple of weeks. The start of the collection is the swelling of the kidneys, if they have already blossomed, you risk getting a continuous bitterness instead of a sweet liquid.
Attention! The process of extraction of juice is very delicate, it is important not to damage the tree with illiterate actions.
- Drill a hole in the bore at a height of about 30 cm above the ground - a diameter of about 1.5 cm.
- Insert a special spout into the resulting hole, and into it - the tubules, through which the juice will flow into the tank.
- Make sure the tubing and spout are sealed to prevent any debris from entering the container. Vessels are better to choose from plastic or metal, because glass can break, and you will lose precious liquid.
No less important issue in this matter is where and when to collect maple juice? Here are some tips that are important to consider:
- It is better to collect on a sunny day - under the influence of heat, the juice is released in large quantities.
- It is also important that where trees grow - choose places away from the city and industrial enterprises. In them, the greatest concentration of nutrients is observed.
- Pay attention to the visually distinct state of the tree. It should be medium-sized barrels with no damage.
Maple juice, harvested from healthy and environmentally friendly trees, will have a beneficial effect on health. Therefore, it is worthwhile to work hard at the collection and your efforts will pay off with interest.
How to store
So, you collected a valuable liquid. The question arises - how to make sure that the juice does not lose its properties and was usable for as long as possible? To do this, make from it a syrup or canned.
Warning! Maple syrup is an excellent option for storage without loss of all useful properties. But this method is more traditional for Canada, we have the second option in our favor.
Cooking recipes:
Maple juice can be preserved in two ways:
- Without sugar. Fresh juice is heated to a temperature of 80 degrees, and then poured into a bowl, pre-sterilized. Next, you will need no more than half an hour to pasteurize the blanks. After the time tightly close the jars lids - everything should be extremely tight.
- With sugar. Proportions: 100 g of granulated sugar per 1 liter of juice. Stir the mixture on a fire, bring it to a boil - the sugar must dissolve completely. Still hot, pour out the resulting liquid over pasteurized jars or bottles. Pasteurization is carried out for a quarter of an hour, and then the containers are tightly closed for storage.
Contraindications
Despite the pronounced benefit of maple juice, harm from it is possible. Although he does not represent a serious danger.
The only contraindication is the availability of an appropriate allergy. In this situation, even the most useful product can be dangerous. In addition, the juice produced in ecologically disadvantaged areas can have harmful effects on the body. There is also a limit on the amount of fluid used for people with diabetes. A couple of glasses a day will be more than enough to have a curative effect, and not to hurt yourself.
Warning! The maximum of useful substances maple juice preserves only in its raw form. The finished sterilized version will be deprived of some of the properties.