How to store viburnum for the winter at home: TOP 10 ways and conditions

Viburnum berries not only have a tonic effect, but also normalize blood pressure and heart rate. They raise immunity, and therefore are indispensable for colds. Also, viburnum is called a female berry - it is shown to those who have gynecological problems. There are many options for storing viburnum at home in winter, but not all of them are equal in terms of preserving its beneficial properties.

When and how is viburnum harvested

Viburnum berries begin to ripen at the end of August, but they are harvested no earlier than mid-October. Unripe fruits have a strong bitterness that is not covered even by a large amount of sugar.They get their best taste after the first frost. It is at this time that it is desirable to harvest viburnum. Ripe berries have a bright rich dark red color, and the taste is sweet-sour, tart, with very little bitterness.

Mature fruits immediately lose their juice if removed one by one. The correct way to harvest them is to cut whole bunches with pruning shears.

Please note: plucked red, but elastic, unripe viburnum fruits do not ripen during storage.

It is desirable to collect in dry weather. Harvested in rain, fog or general dampness, viburnum does not store well without heat treatment.

Important aspects

Ripe viburnum is a tender berry. When collecting, you need to stock up on a capacious container so that the brushes do not wrinkle. Before recycling them:

• berries are sorted out, removing rotten or spoiled by birds;
• washed without removing from bunches;
• lay out in one row to dry on cloth or paper.

The fruits are easily separated from the twigs, for this it is enough to gently shake the brush. For freezing, the viburnum is not washed, but it is done immediately before use after defrosting.

Methods of storing berries

The greatest amount of substances useful for human he alth is stored in berries without their heat treatment and the addition of preservatives (including sugar). You can keep the product in its pure form by freezing and drying. Viburnum berries endure winter well, even remaining on a tree, but they are destroyed by pecking birds.

Since viburnum contains a sufficient amount of pectin, not only jam can be prepared from it, but also jam, marshmallow or marmalade. For both children and adults, such natural delicacies are much he althier than store-bought ones.

Fresh

In a cool and dry room, the viburnum will remain fresh for several months: if the temperature does not exceed +8 ° C, the berries will remain until spring as if freshly picked. Only the stalks and twigs wither. The easiest way to comply with such conditions is in private homes - in pantries, dry cellars, brushes are hung on a string or nails, tied into bundles of several pieces. Refrigerator storage is also possible if there is enough space.

If the berries freeze when the temperature drops, they can be left in this state. But when the thaw approaches, remove from the brushes, place in the freezer or recycle, because when they are re-frozen, they lose their suitability.

Storage of frozen berries

Freezing viburnum is a simple and reliable way to preserve its nutritional value for a long time. In a frosty, without thaw, winter in a suburban area, viburnum clusters can be hung in a cold barn, but it is more reliable and safer to place them in the freezer of a refrigerator.At a temperature of -18-23 ° C, viburnum berries will fully retain their beneficial properties throughout the year - until the new harvest. Freezing down to -8 °C cuts this period in half.

Freezing options are different:

• if there is enough storage space, you can put the bunches in plastic containers or plastic bags;
• you can pick berries with stalks (so that juice does not leak out prematurely), freeze in one layer on a tray or large plate, and then pour into a bag;
• another way is to wash the viburnum, chop the berries in a blender with seeds without sugar, pack in bags of 50-100 grams and freeze.

In any form, it is better to pack viburnum in small volumes to use immediately after defrosting.

Storage of viburnum with sugar

The use of sugar without heat treatment allows you to fully preserve the valuable qualities of the product (if possible, it is more useful to use honey in the same proportions):

• washed viburnum berries are crushed with a blender or with a meat grinder;
• weigh and add twice as much sugar;
• stir puree until sugar is completely dissolved, packed in small jars, tightly closed.

The bones can not be separated. Since viburnum is added to tea in this form or diluted with boiled water, they will not interfere. Store this vitamin mixture in the refrigerator. At room temperature, it quickly oxidizes and disappears.

Please note: over time, the juice in the mixture may separate and sink to the bottom of the container. This will not affect the quality of the product.

For long-term storage in a cellar or a cool pantry, a blank with sugar is sterilized:

• the amount of sugar in this case is halved;
• half-liter jars with the finished mixture are sterilized in boiling water for 10 minutes, liter jars - 20 minutes.

After sterilization, they are rolled up with metal lids, cooled and put away for storage.

Dried viburnum

To store viburnum for a long time without cooking at room conditions, it must be dried. If there is a place and time, the collected brushes are laid out on clean paper in the shade in a draft, covered with gauze and periodically turned over. Finished berries are dry and wrinkled.

For quick dry:

• brushes are laid out on a baking sheet and placed in the oven;
• dry at +50…+60 ⁰C;
• keep the oven door ajar to avoid "cooking" the berries.

Dried viburnum is stored without a refrigerator - on brushes or cut off from them, in dry jars under plastic lids or paper.

As juice

You can save viburnum by making juice from it. To do this, use a juicer that separates the bones:

• sugar is added to the resulting juice in a ratio of 1:1;
• the finished product is poured into sterilized jars or bottles and stored in the refrigerator.

Part of the sugar can be replaced with honey, or you can use only it by adding a glass of boiled water per kilogram of viburnum berries, and honey to taste. In this case, the mixture is boiled for 10 minutes and stored in a cool place.

In the form of tincture

The liqueur is prepared and stored at room temperature. One of the popular recipes:

• juice of viburnum berries and water - 100 milliliters each;
• sugar - 100 grams;
• vodka - 500 ml.

All ingredients are mixed, kept for two days, bottled and corked.

Easier, but lengthy, no-juice method:

• a clean bottle is filled with berries up to half (for a more intense infusion - completely), without compacting;
• pouring viburnum with vodka, covering the fruit;
• in a day, top up the container with vodka completely, cover with a lid or cork, leave in a dark, dry place for three weeks.

These tinctures are often called medicinal, but in fact it is more of a kind of alcoholic beverage. For the purpose of recovery, it is better to use tea from fresh, frozen or dried berries, diluted juice.

Jam shaped

This blank is also called jelly, its texture is so delicate:

• you will need a kilogram of viburnum berries, the same amount of sugar and 50 milliliters of water;
• berries are mashed in a blender and rubbed through a sieve to remove seeds;
• cake is poured with 50 milliliters of water, boiled and a decoction is added to the puree;
• mix puree with sugar, bring to a boil over low heat and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Pour into sterilized jars and roll up with boiled lids. Over time, the jam will harden and thicken even more.

You can use polyethylene lids, but you need to store the workpiece in the refrigerator.

In the form of jam

To more fully preserve the healing properties of viburnum berries, they usually prepare a five-minute jam, minimizing the heat treatment time (therefore, it is more useful to use it from sweet preparations for therapeutic purposes than jam or marshmallow).For cooking you will need: sugar and viburnum berries - per kilogram, water - 350 milliliters.

Recipe for viburnum jam:

• sort the berries, rinse and dry on a towel;
• boil water in a saucepan, pour sugar into it and boil for 5 minutes;
• dip the viburnum berries into the hot syrup, cook for another 5 minutes and set aside from the stove;
• after complete cooling, boil again for 5 minutes.

The finished jam is transferred to sterilized jars, covered with lids and stored in the refrigerator.

Marshmallow shaped

Such a delicacy is an excellent replacement for store-bought sweets for those with a sweet tooth. The taste of marshmallow is sweet, slightly sour, slightly tart. For cooking, you will need 300 grams of viburnum berries, 250 grams of sugar and 0.2 grams of citric acid:

• berries are washed, cut from twigs;
• separate the juice with a juicer (pitted);
• in a saucepan with a thick bottom, boil it, stirring, until a thick puree;
• add sugar and citric acid;
• on low heat, stirring constantly, cook until thick (10-15 minutes);
• a tray for drying vegetables is covered with a sheet of baking paper smeared with refined sunflower oil (odorless), viburnum puree is spread on it, spreading evenly in a thin layer over the entire area;
• put in the vegetable dryer and keep until tender.

The finished marshmallow is easily separated from the paper. It is rolled up, cut into segments and stored in a cool dry place.

Healing viburnum berries are available, easy to store, and preparations from them are diverse (comotes and candied fruits, vinegar and even viburnum oil are also made from fruits). Thanks to this, viburnum remains one of the most popular he alth products for people of all ages.

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