"Red and sour, growing in swamps ..." Guess? Of course, this is cranberry - a berry that contains a whole complex of vitamins necessary to maintain the vitality of the body. It retains useful properties for a long time. Cranberries are tasty and healthy, not only fresh, but also in processed form.
Cranberries, grated with sugar
One of the best ways to harvest cranberries is to grind with sugar. The berry harvested in this way preserves all the beneficial properties of the natural. Grated cranberries with sugar can be used for the preparation of fruit drinks, fruit drinks, as a filling for pies and is just there.
To prepare cranberries, grated with sugar, we need:
- cranberry;
- sugar.
First, prepare the berries. Rinse them thoroughly. This is best done in a colander under running water. Let the water drain and dry the berries, pouring a thin layer on a towel. Put the finished berries in a bowl (ceramic, enameled or glass is suitable), add sugar (sugar to berry ratio 2: 1) and grind with a wooden spoon. To store supplies, we take clean and dry glass containers with a tight lid. Store cranberries prepared in this way, you need in the refrigerator or any other cool place.
Dried cranberries
To preserve the benefits of berries for a long time, they can be dried. This method of harvesting allows you to save all the vitamins and minerals that are especially useful in the cold season.
Cranberries can be dried in two ways: naturally and using electrical appliances.
The natural way is the best way to preserve the useful properties of this miraculous product.
To start, the berries need to be washed and dried. To soften the hard peel, the berries are blanched before drying, dipped in boiling water for a minute, removed and laid out in a thin layer on a tray, which is previously covered with parchment paper. The tray is placed in a dark place with good ventilation for several days. For uniform drying, cranberries should be mixed periodically. Ready berries should shrink and shrink. Keep the workpiece in a cool, dry place.
Dried cranberries are used for preparing various dishes and drinks. It is good for fruit drinks, compotes, teas, as well as alcohol and marinades. Due to the sour taste, dried cranberries are suitable as a base for sauces for meat and fish. Berries are also used in baking bakery and confectionery products. Appearance allows you to use the product to decorate dishes and drinks. Also, it is used separately as an independent dish.
Cranberry juice
Morse can not only give your body a lot of useful substances, but also has a healing effect on it. The healing properties of warm cranberry juice, which helps with colds, are widely known. On hot summer days, a glass of cranberry juice will quench your thirst and maintain your whole body tone.
Fruit drinks are prepared both from fresh and frozen berries. To prepare it, we need:
- 1.5 cups of fresh berries;
- 1 liter of pure water;
- honey or sugar to taste.
Rinse the berries thoroughly, let the water drain. We transfer our cranberries into a ceramic, glass or enameled bowl and knead a wooden spoon into the pulp. The resulting slurry should be filtered through gauze or a fine sieve. We leave the juice aside. Pour the remaining mixture of seeds and peel with water and put on fire. After boiling, reduce the fire and let it boil for 5-7 minutes. Filter the resulting broth, add cranberry juice to it and let it boil again. Morse is ready, it remains to add sugar or honey to the drink to taste.
Soaked Cranberries in Sugar Syrup
The main advantage of this method of harvesting is the appearance and taste of berries, which remains unchanged.
We will need:
- 5 cups fresh cranberries;
- 1 liter of water;
- 5 tablespoons of sugar;
- 10 pieces. cloves;
- 5 pieces. allspice.
For soaking, we select the largest and strongest berries. We wash the selected berries with running water and rinse with boiled water at room temperature. Bring the water for the syrup to a boil, add sugar and spices, boil for 5 minutes and cool to room temperature. We put cranberries in clean glass jars with a screw cap. Fill the jars with berries 2/3 and fill with syrup, from which you first need to remove the spices. We tightly close the jars and put them in the refrigerator for storage.
Cranberries soaked in sugar syrup can be consumed as an independent dish, as a side dish for meat and fish, and also added to other dishes and drinks like dried.
Cranberry Tincture
Traditionally, cranberry tincture is called "klukovka". For its preparation, it is advisable to take ripened, not spoiled berries. Most often vodka, alcohol or moonshine is taken as the basis for the “sticking”.
To get 0.55 liters of filling, take:
- 1 cup cranberries;
- 0.5 l of vodka;
- 1 tbsp. l Sahara;
- 50 gr water.
We sort the berries, wash them, rub them with a wooden spoon into the pulp, put them in a clean glass jar and fill them with vodka. We close the jar with a tight lid, shake well to mix the contents. We send tincture to a dark warm place for 2 weeks to insist. We filter the finished product through several layers of gauze and a cotton filter. If necessary, add chilled sugar syrup to taste.
Cranberry leaves
In addition to cranberry berries, its leaves also have beneficial properties. They are collected and dried in the traditional way. You can make teas and decoctions from cranberry leaves. They are brewed both separately and with the addition of berries.
An infusion of berries and cranberry leaves is used to improve metabolism, to treat colitis, gastritis, hypertension, atherosclerosis. To prepare the infusion, 10 g of berries and leaves are poured with a glass of boiling water and kept in a thermos for 4 hours. Filter the prepared infusion and drink 100 ml 3 times a day.
Cranberry leaf tea prevents heartburn and relieves headaches. A decoction of cranberry leaves is a natural antiseptic. It can be used as lotions, as well as for gargling with angina.
Classic cranberry compote
There are many variations of cranberry compote. To make a classic cranberry compote, take:
- 1 cup cranberries;
- 1 liter of water;
- 3 tbsp. l Sahara.
We prepare the berries, sort it out, mine. Bring the water to a boil, dissolve the sugar in it. Add the berries that need to be crushed beforehand. Simmer for 5 minutes from the moment of boiling. We give the compote to infuse under the lid, filter. A tasty and healthy drink is ready to drink.
Cranberry compote with apples
For added sweetness, sweet varieties of apples can be added to cranberry compote.
To make cranberry compote with apples you will need:
- 100 g cranberries;
- 2-3 apples;
- 100 g of sugar;
- 1.5 liters of water.
Stewed fruit is also prepared as in the classical recipe, only apples cut into slices are added together with berries, from which the core is previously removed. Ready compote can be cooled or drunk warm.
Instead of apples, you can add any other fruits or berries to the cranberry compote. The addition of cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest will give a special piquancy to the taste.
Cranberry Jam with Honey and Walnuts
Cranberry jam with nuts on honey will be a "delicious pill" for your family. It will help maintain immunity and save you from colds in the cold season.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of cranberries;
- 300 g of walnuts;
- 1.7 kg of honey.
Soak the kernels in boiling water for half an hour. Then we drain the water, add berries and honey to the pan with nuts. We put on the fire, after boiling, cook until soft berries. We lay the finished jam in clean, dry glass jars, cork with lids and store in a cool dark place.
Eat cranberries, make preparations from this wonderful berry and be healthy!
