Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants, honeysuckle - these delicious and healthy berries grow in the garden for almost every summer resident. Their properties have long been known to all. But there are berries, which are not less tasty and useful, however they can be met only in wild conditions. This includes bilberry - a storehouse of vitamins. And that vitamins enter the body all year round, there are many ways to harvest blueberries for the winter.
Contents:
- Blueberries: useful properties
- Contraindications
- Bars of blueberries in winter
- Bilberry frozen
- Blueberry dried
- Blueberries, rubbed with sugar
- Other methods and recipes blank
- Storage
Blueberries: useful properties
Blueberries - small berry in dark blue, a relative of cranberries and cranberries( only not so sour).It is considered one of the most useful of all existing berries due to the high content of micro- and macroelements. So, in terms of the amount of manganese, blueberries are in the first place. There is a lot of fiber in it, different vitamins of groups E, K, B and C.
It is in this berry that anthocyanoside is present, a rare plant pigment that is a natural antioxidant. In other berries it is not contained. And in the bilberries are potassium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium. .. This is a low-calorie product, in 100 grams of berries there are only 56 kilocalories.
What's the use of blueberries? In the first place( and, perhaps, it is most on hearing), it has a beneficial effect on the eyesight. The substances contained in the berry are useful for vessels, including the retina of the eye. In addition, blueberries in the form of an extract are used in the treatment of retinopathy( retinal damage), glaucoma, cataracts.
The use of blueberries helps to strengthen immunity, it reduces cholesterol, normalizes the level of sugar in the blood. Bilberry is recommended for those who have problems with the nervous system or heart;its use is indicated for the prevention of cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
For diarrhea, urinary tract infections, circulatory disorders, bilberry is also used. It relieves pain and swelling of the legs, is an antidepressant. And dieticians are advised to eat this berry to everyone who dreams of losing weight!
Contraindications
Blueberries are forbidden to those who suffer from poor blood coagulability, as it can cause bleeding due to the anthocyanosides contained therein. You can not include berries in the diet for exacerbations of urolithiasis, chronic constipation, pancreatic diseases, as well as with personal intolerance of any components.
With caution( after consulting a doctor) it is recommended to use blueberries for diabetics, pregnant and lactating women.
Billet of blueberries for the winter
There are many ways to prepare blueberries for future use, so that in the cold season you can also indulge in this seasonal delicacy. However, it is worth remembering that the most useful is nevertheless exceptionally fresh berry - in any treatment( even when adding sugar), it loses some of its beneficial properties. Therefore, it is important to know which methods of bilberry preforms are more optimal in terms of preserving vitamins.
It is believed that there are three such methods. It is freezing, drying and rubbing with sugar. Among other things, from blueberries make a lot of different drinks - wine, tinctures, juices and compotes. From a berry cook jams and jams, produce jelly, use as an additive to various dishes. .. But - about everything in order.
Blueberry frozen
This is the best way to preserve as many useful berries as possible. For freezing only freshly harvested fruit is needed.
Important advice: before the process it is worthwhile to carefully consider the berries, if they are not dirty, do not need to wash them - being exposed to moisture once more, when defrosting they will become stiff and not very tasty. But to sort out the blueberry is necessary - to clear of leaves, branches and other debris. In addition, it is worth to throw the spoiled, crumpled, rotten fruits.
Freezing blueberries is also good because the berries can be used to make any dishes at any time - they just need to get out of the freezer.
So, if the dimensions allow, the bilberries to be removed should be laid out evenly, in one layer, on a baking tray and put in a chamber. In case the freezer is not too large, you can use several flat saucers.
After a few hours, you need to get the berries and pour them into the bag, controlling the absence of air in it - otherwise the bilberries will become ripe. Close the package tightly and put it away again for storage. These two steps are necessary to ensure that the berries do not stick together.
Important: Blueberries should be kept separate from fish and meat products.
Defrost blueberries better without using any technique, including a microwave oven. You can leave the berry in the refrigerator for the night or just at room temperature for several hours.
Dried blueberries
The second way to preserve the greatest amount of vitamins in the fetus. Just like in the first case, berries must be disassembled, discarded spoiled and removed garbage.
But there is a difference - blueberries need to be washed. Doing this must be extremely cautious, because the berry at washing loses a lot of juice. Then it is necessary to thoroughly dry each fruit, and after that you can proceed to the very process of drying. There are two options.
In case of living in a private house it is permissible to leave blueberries outdoors. The place should be chosen shaded, ventilated, it is also desirable that a small humidity of air is maintained. From above it is necessary to cover the berry with any thin material, and the usual gauze will do. Periodically you need to check the fruits - shake them. This drying takes about three to four days. It is recommended to bring berries to the premises for the night.
Another way to dry blueberries is to use an oven or electric dryer. In the first case, you need to lay out the prepared berries on a baking sheet and leave in the oven for 7-8 hours. The temperature should be minimum, and the door should be opened. Berries also need to be checked and shaken. When working with a dryer it's still easier - blueberries need to be put on the trays, turn on the machine and wait. The work time is about six hours.
Blueberries, grated with sugar
And, finally, the third way to save a large number of blueberry vitamins. There is nothing complicated in it. The berries must be disassembled, washed, dried, chopped in any convenient way, pre-mixed with sugar( proportions are observed 1 to 1, but it is believed that the more sugar, the longer the workpiece will stand - especially in the refrigerator).To spread out on banks and clean - either in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
Other ways and recipes for the billet
What about other ways to preserve blueberries for the winter? Let them be less useful than the above three, but it does not become less tasty!
Blueberries in their own juice without sugar
It is important to remember that blueberries are boiled 1.5 times. In this recipe, this berry is the only ingredient.
- In advance, you need to sterilize the cans( in the oven - ten minutes).
- The washed, selected blueberries are spread over the containers, closed with lids( they must also be sterilized) and place the jars in a water bath.
- The water in a saucepan( or a basin, or any other container where a "bath" is made) should be to the banks on the "shoulders".
- As you brew berries, you can add them.
- Blueberries will be ready in about an hour, when the juice it secures reaches the neck of the cans.
- Capacities need to be rolled up and let the blueberries cool.
Blueberry jam with lemon
The minus of blueberry jam is that Vitamin C is lost in this way of billet. Nevertheless, it preserves B group vitamins, carotene, manganese, iron and, most importantly, anthocyanins are also present in it. Therefore, one can not say that jam is useless, on the contrary, it is often used in the treatment of colds.
It should be remembered, however, that half the contents of the jam are sugar, and as you know, it is not worth using it. The caloric content of blueberry jam is much larger than the fresh berries - 214 kilocalories per 100 grams of goodies.
So, how to cook?
- You need to take a fresh, not "leagal" berries.
- Before the process, it is recommended to wash it( however, there are also those who claim that the bilberries are not washed for cooking, it is worth looking at how dirty the berry is).
- It is compulsory to remove garbage, to sort fruits.
- Sahara will need as much as berries, but to make the jam more messy, its quantity can be increased.
- Jam can be made only from one blueberry and sugar, but if you add additional ingredients to it, it will give the dish an interesting flavor. For example, a lemon gives an exquisite sourness, and the color of the jam becomes lighter.
- Prepared berries should be blanched for five minutes, then discarded in a colander.
- Bilberry broth boil with sugar until it completely dissolves.
- Pour the broth over the blueberries, allow to boil, boil for five minutes.
- After cooling, repeat the process, add one lemon juice to the boiling mass, cook for another ten minutes.
- Spill over the cans hot, wrap, let cool at room temperature.
Blueberry wine
Homemade blueberry wine has a tart taste. It is much more beneficial to the body than the purchased white or red, as it retains the healing properties of blueberries.
You can add various spices to the drink, which will give a unique flavor - cinnamon, cloves, cardamom. Also put in wine a lemon or honey. Typically, the taste of home-made blueberry wine resembles red, the very blueberry in it is not too felt.
First you need to prepare a leaven. A glass of unwashed berries should be pounded( wood pestle is the best), cover half a glass of sugar and pour the same amount of water. Cover the container with a mass of ventilated material and leave in a warm place. The appearance of foam, fruit flies and sour smell will let you know that you can start making wine.
The amount of water( exceptionally clean!) For a drink should be equal to the amount of berries. Sugar is worth taking a few pounds less.
- To the crushed blueberry it is necessary to add sugar, pour a lot of water and leaven.
- The container with the future wine should be left in a room with a temperature of 18 to 28 degrees above zero, pre-covered with a ventilated material. From time to time it should be shaken, to control the absence of mold.
- When the bottom appears sediment( usually a few days), you must carefully filter the must.
- Then a rubber medical glove is placed on the neck of the container, in which it is necessary first to make small holes - for the exit of carbon dioxide.
- Then you just have to wait while fermentation lasts. As a rule, it takes several months. To skip its end is impossible: the must becomes lighter, carbon dioxide will not stand out.
- After this, it is necessary to drain the wine from the sediment and leave it for another week. If the precipitate appears again, repeat the procedure. If desired, you can add sugar.
- When the precipitate no longer falls out, the wine is poured, tightly closed and kept for two to three weeks before consumption.
How to store blueberries and billets from it
- Fresh berries can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of ten days. You do not need to wash it before storage!
- Frozen berries can lie in the freezer for up to 8 months without losing their properties.
- Dried blueberries should be placed in linen or cotton bags, where it will feel comfortable for a year. It is important not to put such a berry in the banks - instant mold is guaranteed.
- Jam in jars should be kept in a cool place - a cellar, a refrigerator or on the balcony. In this case it will last up to three years.
- Jelly from blueberries is stored no more than a day in the refrigerator at a temperature of up to 14 degrees. The same time is given to both compotes and juices, if they are not conserved.
Whatever recipe for harvesting blueberries for the winter has been chosen, the main thing is that this unique berry will somehow be present in the diet. So, the body will get its share of vitamins and even more!