Cranberry is an invaluable plant in terms of its usefulness. In winter, it can help out for colds, vitamin deficiencies, and it is easy to add savory diversity to the diet. The scope of its application is very wide, therefore the issues of long-term storage of berries are relevant for any family.
Fresh berries can make fruit drinks, compotes, jellies. Dried is suitable for hot drinks, warming in the winter season.
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Unripe Cranberries and Ripening Rules
In former times, no special tricks were used to store berries. The berry, collected in September-October, was sorted out and scattered in a thin layer somewhere in a dry place. She could ripen on her own.
The ability of cranberries to maintain freshness for a long time and not to deteriorate directly depends on the percentage of organic acids that it contains. The higher the acidity of the berry, the longer it will be stored.
From this point of view, picking up slightly unripe cranberries in the “white barrel” phase seems justified. There is a lot of acid in it, it is quite hard, it does not crumple. In addition, unripe berries are capable of ripening.
In order for the harvested cranberries to ripen at home, a clean rushnik is placed at the bottom of a wicker basket or cardboard box and the berry is carefully laid. It is important that the berry is only slightly underripe. If the fruits are completely white, there will be no sense.
Next, the basket is placed in a dry place with room temperature. In such conditions, the cranberry matures within one to two weeks. After that, it can be laid for long-term storage.
Methods for storing cranberries for the winter at home
And yet, as the Russian proverb says: “Every vegetable has its time”. Cranberries, harvested unripe, even after ripening does not acquire the characteristic taste, aroma and juiciness. The highest quality berry is taken in deep autumn, when it has already become dark red or even purple.
Late autumn harvest cranberries are softer, so it is harder to sort through. But its taste is sweeter, the bitterness shade is smoother, and the content of vitamins is maximum. Save this useful berry for the winter in several ways.
Frozen ripe berries
This method allows you to avoid the loss of vitamins, inevitable with other methods of conservation. This is done like this:
- A wide cutting board is wrapped with a clean towel and placed in a bowl at an angle.
- Berry is poured in small portions along the formed slope. Leaflets, twigs and other plant debris while remaining on the towel and does not fall into the basin.
- Spoiled and crumpled berries are removed from the pelvis.. Then it is washed and leans back in a colander.
- After running off the water, cranberries are scattered on a clean bench hammer and dried. It is important that there is no water left on it, otherwise the berry will stick together when frozen.
- Dry and clean cranberries are packaged in bags and put into the freezer. Portions should be small - the berry does not stand up to re-freezing.
In winter, this berry can be used to make jelly, meat sauces, toppings for pancakes and pies.
How to store cranberries in the refrigerator
This is the old-fashioned way of storing cranberries, despite the fact that refrigerators appeared only in the 20th century. In the old days, instead they used the cellar or cold canopy.
After being picked and washed, the berry is poured into glass jars up to the “hangers” and poured with cold water. It is desirable to use the key, but will fit and filtered, and bottled. You do not need to add anything to the water, the berry itself is an excellent preservative. Next, the banks are closed nylon covers and cleaned in the cold.
In this state, she calmly "lives" until spring. The degree of preservation of vitamins in this product is very high.
Cranberries with sugar
Since sugar in a certain concentration becomes a preservative, it makes sense to use it to preserve the beneficial qualities of fresh cranberries. There are two ways to do this:
- Sterilize and dry the glass jars. Berries to sort, wash and dry well. Pour them into the container, perelaivaya sugar and tapping, so that the sugar is well distributed between the berries. Banks close sterile nylon covers and clean in the cold.
- Grind clean berries with a blender or twist in a meat grinder. In the resulting puree add sugar at the rate of 1.5 kg per 1 kg of berries. Mass spread on dry sterilized jars, close the lids and put in the cold. Another storage option is to lay the mashed potatoes in plastic containers, close them and send them to the freezer.
Cranberries prepared in such a way in winter can be used to make fruit drinks, desserts, or just serve tea instead of jam. Since the berry has not been heat treated, the vitamins in it are well preserved.
Drying
Dried cranberries can be in the oven or electric dryer. Before this, the berries are washed and dried on a towel. A very tasty dried fruit is obtained by boiling it in syrup beforehand.
To do this, pour the fruit with hot syrup, cooked in a 1: 1 ratio of sugar and water. After 6 hours, the syrup is drained, boiled and the cranberries are poured again for 6 hours. Bring the mixture to a boil, discard the berry in a colander and lay out on a baking sheet. After a light drying, they are sent to the oven or to the dryer.
When processing cranberries with the help of an electric dryer, it is necessary to take into account that the process on the upper pallets is slower than on the lower ones. Therefore, from time to time it is necessary to change their places.
When processing berries in the oven, the temperature is maintained at 50⁰, and the door is opened slightly. Properly dried berries must be elastic, but not sticky. It is not necessary to dry it to brittleness.
Dry cranberries are stored in containers for bulk products or linen bags and used to make compotes and jelly. Shelf life - up to three years.
Canning
Such methods of preserving cranberries as cooking jams, marmalades, jams are not bad, but with prolonged temperature processing, the berry turns from a storehouse of vitamins into a usual delicacy. You can try to combine business with pleasure by preparing cranberries with your own juice.
Method number 1:
- Rinse and sort the cranberries, separating large and small ones.
- Small mash pestle, warm over low heat and squeeze.
- Large folded into the pan, pour the resulting juice, warm. Do not bring to a boil.
- Pour the berry mass in clean, warm cans and put in sterilization. A half-liter can is enough for ten minutes. Processing time liter should be increased to fifteen minutes.
- Hermetically roll banks.
Method number 2:
- Wash cranberries and immediately put them in the pan. Sort is not necessary.
- Put the pot in the water bath and warm the berries until the juice begins to stand out.
- Stir gently to bring the mass to the desired consistency.
- Pour into clean warm banks and sterilize the same way as in the first method.
- Hermetically roll banks.
A good way to preserve cranberries - roll up compotes. The product turns out very pleasant sweet-sour taste and beautiful color.
To make it, you need to make 50% sugar syrup (the ratio of sugar and water is 1: 1). Pure cranberries fall asleep in jars. The number of berries in the bank to adjust to your liking. If you want to get a more concentrated compote, cranberries can be put to the "hangers" banks. Pour the berries with hot syrup.
Banks to put on sterilization. At 100 ° C, cranberry compote is treated for 10-15 minutes. Then the banks roll up and clean in a cool place.
Conclusion
In winter and spring, cranberries are an excellent means to increase immunity. When coughing, sore throat, ORVI, the berry mixed with honey is taken 3-4 times a day. Cranberry juice is useful at high temperatures, it has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties.
However, people with hyperacid gastritis, gastric ulcer and liver disease should be careful. High acidity of a bog berry can provoke exacerbations of these diseases. Before eating cranberries for therapeutic purposes, you need to consult a doctor.