Cranberry is an invaluable plant in terms of benefits. In winter, she can help out with colds, vitamin deficiencies, and simply add a spicy variety to the diet. The scope of its application is very wide, so the issues of long-term storage of berries are relevant for any family.
Fresh berries can be used to make fruit drinks, compotes, jellies. Dried ones are suitable for hot drinks that warm up in the winter season.
Unripe cranberries and ripening rules
In the old days, no special tricks were used to store berries. The berries harvested in September-October were sorted out and scattered in a thin layer somewhere in a dry place. She could mature on her own.
The ability of cranberries to keep fresh for a long time and not 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, it seems justified to pick slightly unripe cranberries in the "white barrel" phase. There is a lot of acid in it, it is quite hard, it does not wrinkle. In addition, an unripe berry is capable of ripening.
In order for the harvested cranberries to ripen at home, a clean towel is placed on the bottom of a wicker basket or cardboard box and the berries are carefully shifted. It is important that the berry is only slightly unripe. If the fruits are completely white, there will be no sense.
Then the basket is placed in a dry place at room temperature. Under these conditions, cranberries ripen within one to two weeks. After that, it can be laid for long-term storage.
If you put a ripe tomato or apple in a container with ripening cranberries, the process will go faster. This is due to the release of ethylene gas from the fruits.
Ways to store cranberries for the winter at home
And yet, as the Russian proverb says: "Each vegetable has its own time." Cranberries harvested unripe, even after ripening, do not acquire their characteristic taste, aroma and juiciness. The highest quality berry is taken in late autumn, when it has already become dark red or even purple.
Late fall cranberries are softer and harder to pick. But its taste is sweeter, the bitterness is smoother, and the vitamin content is maximal. There are several ways to save this healthy berry for the winter.
Freezing ripe berries
This method allows you to avoid the loss of vitamins, which is inevitable with other methods of conservation. This is done like this:
- A wide cutting board is wrapped in a clean towel and placed in the basin at an angle.
- The berry is poured in small portions along the formed slope. Leaves, twigs and other plant debris remain on the towel and do not fall into the basin.
- Spoiled and crumpled berries are removed from the pelvis... Then it is washed and reclined in a colander.
- After the water has drained off, the cranberries are scattered on a clean towel and dried. It is important that there is no water left on it, otherwise the berries will stick together when frozen.
- Dry and clean cranberries are packed in bags and placed in the freezer. Portions should be small - the berry does not withstand repeated freezing.
In winter, such a berry can be used to make jelly, sauces for meat, fillings 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, a cellar or cold canopy was used instead.
Sorted out and washed berries are poured into glass jars up to the "shoulders" and filled with cold water. It is advisable to use the key, but both filtered and bottled will do. You don't need to add anything to the water, the berry itself is an excellent preservative. Further, the banks are closed with nylon lids and removed in the cold.
In this state, she calmly "lives" until spring. The degree of preservation of vitamins in such a product is very high.
Water from a jar with soaked cranberries has a number of beneficial qualities. It can be drunk or used for cosmetic purposes.
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 glass jars. Sort the berries, wash and dry well. Pour them into a container, layering with sugar and tapping so that the sugar is well distributed between the berries. Close the jars with sterile nylon lids and put them in the cold.
- Grind clean berries with a blender or twist in a meat grinder. Add sugar to the resulting puree at the rate of 1.5 kg per 1 kg of berries. Divide the mass into dry sterilized jars, close the lids and put in the cold. Another storage option is to put the puree in plastic containers, close it and send it to the freezer.
Cranberries prepared in such ways in winter can be used for making fruit drinks, desserts, or simply served with tea instead of jam. Since the berry has not undergone heat treatment, vitamins are well preserved in it.
Drying
You can dry cranberries in the oven or electric dryer. Before this, the berry is washed and dried on a towel. A very tasty dried berry is obtained if it is previously boiled in syrup.
For this, the fruits are poured with hot syrup prepared 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 berries in a colander and spread on a baking sheet. After light drying, they are sent to the oven or to the dryer.
When processing cranberries with an electric dryer, it must be borne in mind that the process is slower on the upper pallets than on the lower ones. Therefore, from time to time it is necessary to swap them.
When processing berries in the oven, the temperature is kept at 50⁰, and the door is slightly opened. A properly dried berry should be pliable but not sticky. It is not necessary to overdry it until brittle.
Dry cranberries are stored in containers for bulk products or linen bags and used to make stewed fruit and jelly. Shelf life is up to three years.
For drying, not only fruits are suitable, but also cranberry leaves. This is a valuable medicinal raw material for the preparation of gargles for sore throats or diuretic infusions. Cranberry leaf tea restores the water and electrolyte balance and is very good after the bath.
Canning
Such methods of preserving cranberries as making jams, marmalades, preserves are not bad, but with prolonged heat treatment, a berry from a storehouse of vitamins turns into an ordinary 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.
- Mash the small ones with a pestle, warm over low heat and squeeze.
- Put large ones in a saucepan, pour over the resulting juice, warm up. Do not bring to a boil.
- Pour the berry mass into clean, warm jars and sterilize. A half-liter can will take ten minutes. The processing time of the liter should be increased to fifteen minutes.
- Roll up the cans hermetically.
Method number 2:
- Wash the cranberries and put them in a saucepan immediately. You don't need to sort.
- Place the pot in a water bath and heat the berries until the juice begins to stand out.
- While gently stirring, bring the mass to the desired consistency.
- Pour into clean warm jars and sterilize in the same way as in the first method.
- Roll up the cans hermetically.
A good way to preserve cranberries is to roll compotes. The product has a very pleasant sweet and sour taste and beautiful color.
To prepare it, you need to make 50% sugar syrup (sugar to water ratio 1: 1). Pour clean cranberries into jars. Adjust the number of berries in the jar to your liking. If you want to get a more concentrated compote, you can put cranberries up to the "shoulders" of the jar. Pour the hot syrup over the berries.
Put jars for sterilization. At 100 ° C, cranberry compote is processed for 10-15 minutes. Then the cans are rolled up and put away in a cool place.
Conclusion
In winter and spring, cranberries are an excellent remedy for enhancing immunity. When coughing, sore throat, ARVI, a berry mixed with honey is taken 3-4 times a day. Cranberry juice is useful at high temperatures, with antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties.
However, caution should be exercised in people with hyperacidosis gastritis, stomach ulcers, and liver disease. The high acidity of the marsh berry can provoke exacerbation of these diseases. Before using cranberries for medicinal purposes, you need to consult a doctor.