Because we know how tasty and healthy it is. And although you can still find it in the forest, another berry has already ripened - blueberry. Perhaps someone has never heard of such a berry, but someone already knows the beneficial properties of blueberries. And if someone does not have the opportunity to go into the forest and pick it themselves, take the opportunity to buy it in a store or market.

Don't miss this opportunity: try to enjoy this berry and help your health. And how it can help us and our health, I’ll tell you now.

August is harvest time. Some people are already picking apples and pears in their dachas, and zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes in their gardens. But the forest also gifts us with its wild plants in August. Agree: how nice it is to walk through a forest that is still in summer, to breathe in the clean forest air. And if you still get mushrooms, then there is no limit to joy and good mood.

Blueberries can most often be found in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere, with cold and temperate climates. It is distributed from Iceland to the Far East and Mongolia, in the south its growing area reaches Spain and Italy. Blueberries can also be found in North America - in Alaska.

In Russia, blueberries grow from the tundra of the Arctic to Kamchatka. Most often, blueberries can be found in swamps and peat bogs.

Blueberries look a little like blueberries. But this similarity is completely insignificant. The blueberry bush is up to 30-50 cm high, sometimes up to 1 meter, its stem is woody. The berries, unlike blueberries, have a bluish-blue color, and their juice does not get dirty. The berry is slightly elongated. There can be up to 10-20 berries on one branch. Some berries can be up to 1 or 2 ruble coins in size.

Beneficial properties of blueberries and chemical composition

Blueberries can be put on a par with such healthy berries as currants, raspberries, blueberries and many others. This is an excellent dietary product; its calorie content per 100 grams is up to 39 - 60 kcal. In addition, it has a number of unique healing agents.

• Strengthens metabolism.
• Strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes heart function.
• Normalizes the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Slows down the aging of nerve cells.
• Helps normalize blood pressure towards a decrease.
• Has choleretic properties.
• Lowers blood sugar levels.

• Blueberry berries strengthen the stool, and the leaves, on the contrary, have a mild laxative effect.
• Removes poisons, waste, toxins and radionuclides from the body.
• When consumed regularly, blueberries relieve eye strain and help restore vision.
• Improves blood clotting.
• Helps increase hemoglobin levels in the blood.
• It has an anti-inflammatory and general strengthening effect, helps strengthen the immune system.
• Has an antihistamine effect.

Its chemical composition contributes to such a broad effect on the body. Blueberries are 88% water. It contains up to 8% sugar, up to 1% protein, 1.6% organic acids (benzoic, citric, malic, acetic, oxalic acids), fiber, tannins, dyes, pectin substances, which help remove radioactive cobalt and strontium), essential amino acids, flavonoids.

Blueberries are very rich in vitamins. It contains carotene, provitamin A, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), all vitamins B, K, PP. Blueberries contain a lot of microelements iron, calcium and phosphorus.

In folk medicine, it is recommended to take not only fresh berries and juice, but also a decoction of pigeon leaves. In the leaves, however, the amount of useful substances is somewhat lower, but still, a decoction of blueberry branches with leaves is especially recommended for heart diseases.

The cardiovascular system

Vitamins K, P, PP help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, especially capillaries, and is an excellent prevention of varicose veins. Strengthening the walls of blood vessels helps with bleeding gums.

The iron content in blueberries is slightly lower than in other foods, but its complete absorption from blueberries helps well with iron deficiency anemia.

Phyllochionine (vitamin P1) takes part in the blood coagulation system.

Gastrointestinal tract

Fresh berries or a decoction of dried berries perfectly help normalize intestinal dysfunction during intestinal infections, for example, dysentery or salmonellosis. A decoction of the leaves, on the contrary, helps prevent constipation.

Blueberries help increase the production of gastric juice and increase appetite. The choleretic effect also contributes to this.

Blueberries improve the functioning of the pancreas and help reduce blood sugar levels and enhance metabolism.

Antioxidant action

One of the unique properties of blueberries is its antioxidant effect; it protects against the harmful effects of radioactive radiation. Helps remove various toxins and poisons from the body, which is very useful for those working in hazardous industries.

It is believed that blueberries prevent the proliferation of cancer cells, as they contain a large amount of highly active antioxidants.

Antihistamine action

While some berries can cause allergic reactions, blueberries, on the contrary, are used for drug intolerance (allergies). Blueberries can be taken by children with exudative-catarrhal diathesis, small children, starting with one berry.

General strengthening effect

Blueberries help strengthen the immune system, support vitality and increase vitality.

Blueberry juice or compote perfectly quenches thirst and reduces inflammation during colds, sore throats, and urinary tract infections.

Conditions and methods of storing berries

Blueberries are a cold-resistant plant. If picked in warm weather, it quickly deteriorates. Therefore, the optimal storage temperature for it is between 0 and +4°C. At this temperature (home refrigerator conditions) it can be stored for 2 weeks.

You can also freeze it; at the temperature of your home freezer, it can be stored for a year. You can also make jam, compote, juice from blueberries, or grind them with sugar.

Blueberry compote

Blueberry compote turns out very tasty with a slight sourness, pleasant taste and beautiful color.

To prepare compote, you need to sort out the berries, remove debris and stems from the berries. We thoroughly wash and dry glass jars. For a 3-liter jar we apply 1/3 - ¼ of the volume of the jar. Fill with boiling syrup.

For syrup, add 400 - 500 grams of granulated sugar to 2.5 liters of water. But I actually always rely on taste. After pouring sugar into water and dissolving it, try how you like the taste and adjust it. Bring the syrup to a boil and pour the berries into the jar.

Roll up the jar with a metal lid, turn it over briefly, wrap the jar in newspaper, wrap it in a fur coat or a thick blanket and leave it to “self-sterilize” for 12 hours. Believe me, I have been doing this for many years and not a single jar has soured or exploded.

Blueberries, pureed with sugar

Mash the sorted blueberries with a pestle or grind in a blender. Add granulated sugar at the rate of 1: 1.2. Mix thoroughly. Stir the mixture periodically for 8 to 10 hours so that the sugar is well dissolved.

Transfer the pureed blueberries into clean and dry glass jars and close with a lid, or even a plastic one. Store in a cool place. With this method of storage, the paste becomes like jelly.

I make cheesecakes from this paste, look how they turn out.

Blueberry jam

First you need to make the syrup. Sugar calculation 1: 1.2. Add 1 glass of water to the granulated sugar, mix thoroughly and put on fire. Bring the syrup to a boil while constantly stirring. As soon as the syrup thickens a little, add the sorted berries to it. Cook over low heat for 1 hour. Let it cool and pour the jam into dry and clean jars.

Dear readers, as you can see, blueberries are a very healthy berry. If you get the opportunity, don’t miss the chance to improve your health with the help of this amazing berry. And although this berry is now cultivated, the berry collected in the forest is still considered more useful.

Juice

You can make juice from blueberries. It is considered almost the healthiest in the world, even healthier than grape or pomegranate juice, as it contains a lot of useful components. To provide the body with vitamins, minerals and other useful substances, it is enough to drink 1/3 glass of blueberry juice a day.

My dear readers! If you found this article useful, then share it with your friends by clicking on the social buttons. networks. It is also important for me to know your opinion about what I read, write about it in the comments. I will be very grateful to you.

With wishes for good health Taisiya Filippova

Blueberries have always been wild blueberries. But in the last 20 years, more and more people are interested in growing garden blueberries. This fashion came to us from the USA. Blueberries come from this country. We will borrow from them to prepare healthy dishes with this berry. Let's start with recommendations for storing and selecting blueberries.

When purchasing blueberries, remember that they will not continue to ripen after being picked. Therefore, you need to buy only fully ripe berries. These berries are prepared for future use in different ways: canned, dried, pureed and frozen.

When purchasing, choose berries that are completely blue, without shades of red. Do not take soft, watery, or moldy ones. If there is moisture or juice in the container with the berries, the berries have outlived their useful life.

Store blueberries unwashed, frozen, covering the container with the berries with clean paper or film. Fresh berries without damage can be stored for up to two weeks. But it is better to use blueberries immediately after picking or purchasing.

Blueberries freeze well. Do not wash them before freezing as water will toughen the skin. Rinse with water before serving, removing the berries from the freezer.

To freeze blueberries for future use, place the blueberries in a tightly sealed container, leaving about 3cm of space at the top. You can place the berries in a syrup made from 4 cups of water and three cups of sugar. Pour the berries into the container. Close it and freeze.

The berries are easily canned and dried.

When added to other foods in some recipes, blueberries can change the color of the food. When adding blueberries to a recipe, keep in mind that in those recipes that include baking soda, an ugly brownish-green color may appear due to the chemical reaction.

Baking soda is usually included in recipes that use an acidic ingredient, such as buttermilk or yogurt. Try substituting regular milk for buttermilk and baking soda for baking powder to avoid discoloration.

When using frozen whole blueberries in a recipe, do not allow them to thaw before adding. This will preserve not only the structure, but will also prevent the berries from releasing juice and discoloring the final product.

In most cases, other berries can be substituted for blueberries. These are blueberries, red currants, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.

Blueberries and health

Blueberries have been used in Russia in folk medicine for a long time to treat stomach problems. The indigenous people of America used the leaves as tea to improve blood composition, and the juice to relieve coughs. During World War II, British Royal Air Force pilots ate blueberries and blueberries to improve night vision.

Previously, blueberries were considered a wild berry, but recently the fashionable trend of growing this berry in gardens has been gaining momentum. And this is not surprising, because these tiny and very tasty berries can relieve stomach problems, improve blood composition and even cure coughs. And during the Second World War, British pilots feasted on blueberries and blueberries to improve their eyesight. Well, since this beautiful berry has reached our latitudes, the question of how to properly store it became quite natural.

How to choose a good berry?

You need to buy only ripe blueberries, since after picking the delicious berries no longer ripen. Therefore, it is extremely important to choose only blue berries that do not have reddish tints. In addition, the blueberries must be quite strong and elastic. You should not buy watery and soft berries, as well as berries with mold.

Anyone who grows blueberries in their own garden needs to know that the taste of the berries is greatly influenced by weather conditions. For example, when dry weather sets in due to lack of moisture, the growth of blueberries is significantly inhibited, and the berries often turn out to be insufficiently saturated and small. And heavy rains often lead to rotting of the skin of the fruit, which is also extremely undesirable.

You need to harvest blueberries very carefully, trying not to damage the incredibly delicate skin of the berries, otherwise preserving the harvest will be very problematic.

Fresh, undamaged berries can be stored for two weeks. However, ideally, after purchasing or picking blueberries, it is recommended to either eat them immediately or process them. After all, if juice begins to form in containers with stored berries or moisture appears, the blueberries will become unfit for consumption. In addition, during storage in the refrigerator, it can be affected by diseases such as anthracnose or gray rot.

Freezing blueberries

Blueberries freeze well. By the way, it is strictly not recommended to wash it before freezing, since under the influence of water the skin of the berries almost always becomes hard. Douse blueberries with water immediately before serving, after the berries are removed from the freezer.

In order to freeze blueberries, place the berries in tightly closed containers, leaving about three centimeters of free space - there is no need to fill the blueberries to the top. Containers filled in this way are sent to the freezer. You can also freeze the berries in a syrup made from water and sugar in a ratio of 4:3. The berries are poured with this syrup directly into containers, after which the container is tightly closed and placed in the freezer.

If you plan to use frozen berries to prepare various dishes, it is important to try to prevent them from completely thawing before adding them to the prepared dishes. This trick will preserve their structure, prevent the berries from releasing juice and prevent the dish from discoloring.

Drying blueberries

Another option to preserve blueberries for the winter is to dry them in the oven. The berries are sorted and cleaned of foreign impurities, after which they are thoroughly washed and placed in a colander so that the water completely drains from the blueberries. Then the berries are placed on a baking sheet and placed in an oven preheated to forty-five to fifty degrees. The blueberries are kept in the oven for about two hours. Do not close the oven door completely, but stir the berries from time to time - they should dry evenly. After two hours, the temperature in the oven is increased to sixty to sixty-five degrees and the berries are dried for about another hour.

Dried blueberries are transferred to suitable containers and stored in a dry place.

In addition, blueberries can always be preserved - the preparations from them also turn out incomparable!

Blueberry is a cold-resistant evergreen shrub from the Heather family. Its close relatives are blueberries, lingonberries and cranberries. The plant has very healthy sweetish dark purple berries. Now you will learn how to store them.

It’s hard to believe, but the fruits of this shrub are not inferior to the berries of many tropical plants in terms of the amount of useful substances. Blueberries are especially rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid), an antioxidant that protects the body from destructive oxidative processes.

Also, blueberry fruits fit perfectly into any diet, since they do not cause increased secretion of gastric juice and do not provoke appetite.

When to collect? How to choose the most suitable one for storage?

Only fully ripe berries are suitable for storage - bluish-black, soft to the touch, with a whitish waxy coating on the skin. It should be collected a maximum of 2-3 days before storage.

Of course, you can harvest fruits that are not completely ripe, but they will very quickly lose their pleasant taste and most of their beneficial properties.

When buying blueberries you need to check:

• is there any damage on it;
• is there any mold?
• Is it big size?

Also, the fruits should not be wet.

Short (short) storage

At normal room temperature, blueberries will not live long: two or three days and they will completely rot. But it can be slightly extended in the upper (non-freezing) compartments of the refrigerator. If the berries are washed, dried, peeled and carefully placed in equal layers in glass jars, they will be edible for about a week and a half. Frankly speaking, not very long. Fortunately, there are many ways to preserve fruits much longer.

Basic storage methods for the winter

It is best to harvest blueberries for a long time using:

• frost;
• urination (in plain water);
• sugaring;
• making jam from it;
• drying (in the oven).

Freezing

Freezing in the freezer is the easiest way to protect blueberries from rotting for a long time.

• Let's sort it.
• We get rid of all the stalks.
• Rinse thoroughly in running water.
• Give it a little time to dry (if you freeze wet fruits, their skin will become very hard and their taste will deteriorate sharply).
• Place in even, identical layers in a small sealed container, do not fill to the top, leaving 2-3 cm of free space.
• Add a little sugar between each layer.
• Close the container tightly and place it in the freezer.

Blueberries will most likely not lose their beneficial properties in the freezer for several years, but it is still better to consume them within the first year after freezing.

Water soaking

Soaking is another interesting way to prepare berries. Thanks to him, blueberries will remain fresh and healthy for the body for many months:

• Pour the peeled and washed berries into jars (regular glass).
• Fill with boiled water on top. The water must be cold.
• Boil the soaked blueberries. Boiling time is approximately 10 minutes if using half-liter bottles. Boil the litres for 20 minutes.
• Close the jars tightly (roll up).
• We place them upside down (this is done in order to disinfect the lids and make them pasteurized).

You need to store soaked fruits in a place where it is dry and cool. A cellar or the top compartments of a refrigerator are fine.

How to store using sugaring

Candied blueberries can also be stored for quite a long time - about a year:

• Mash the fruits or put them in a meat grinder.
• Add sugar to the resulting paste-like homogeneous mass - add half a kilo of sugar per kilogram of blueberry mass.
• We heat this mixture, and at the same time we also heat the jars.
• We put the blueberries into jars and begin to pasteurize them. Keep half-liters in boiling water for 20 minutes, liters for half an hour.

You need to store candied blueberries in the same place as soaked blueberries - in the cellar or refrigerator. In such places it will begin to deteriorate no earlier than in a year.

Store as jam

Blueberry jam is very tasty and healthy. And it doesn’t spoil for a very long time. Making jam is not difficult at all:

• We carefully sort the berries, peel and wash them.
• We make sugar syrup: take a kilogram of sugar per liter of water.
• We put the fruits in the syrup, put them on the stove and start making the jam.
• The fire should be slow. Cook for at least 3 hours (preferably 4).
• Place the jam into jars.
• We sterilize the jars by boiling (20-25 minutes).

Blueberry jam will be edible for two years.

Store by drying

For drying, it is better to use a special dryer. But a regular oven will do just fine:

• Place the berries on baking sheets (in a very thin layer) and place in the oven.
• Set the temperature from +40 to +50 degrees.
• Leave the oven door ajar.
• We regularly check the condition of the fruits and mix them if necessary.
• Dry at a temperature of about +50 degrees for one and a half to two hours. Then another hour at a temperature of +60 degrees.

Dried blueberries should be stored in airtight containers in the same cellars or refrigerators. It will be edible for several months.

Blueberries are very tasty and healthy. With the help of simple storage methods, you can not part with beautiful berries all year round.

This berry cannot be called the basis of our winter preparations, but it is definitely worth stocking up on it on occasion. "The World of Berries" will tell you the most interesting recipes.

How are blueberries harvested?

Harvest season lasts from late summer to early autumn(about a month). It is worth noting that ripe berries can remain on the branches for about two weeks without losing their quality, so there is no need to rush too much. Blueberries are very easy to damage, so they should be placed in small baskets (with a capacity of up to 2 kg) and quickly sorted - whole berries are suitable for eating, making compotes, as well as for drying and freezing, and crushed ones can be used for other preparations.

Dried blueberries

Clean and thoroughly dried berries are poured into a sieve (in a 3 cm layer). Dry them in the oven or oven at a temperature of 40-60 ° C, remembering to stir periodically. It is impossible to underestimate or exceed the specified limit - the berries may become moldy or burnt. The finished product is stored in a closed container (necessarily in a dry and cool room).

Frozen blueberries

Method No. 1

Clean and dry blueberries are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet or on a board, frozen and placed in portion packs.

Method number 2

Blueberries are washed, dried, sprinkle with sugar(3:1), mix, being careful not to damage the berries, place in a sealable container and freeze.

Blueberry jam

• Sugar – 1.2 kg
• Water – 1.5 tbsp.
• Blueberries – 1 kg

The sorted clean berries are placed in an enamel basin, pour syrup, let stand for 5-6 hours, then cook until tender.

Blueberries in their own juice

Method No. 1

• Sugar – 0.5 kg
• Blueberries – 1 kg

Approximately a fifth of the blueberries are crushed. The remaining berries and sugar are placed on the resulting puree. Mix everything very carefully, put on low heat, bring to almost a boil (up to 90º C) and leave for 5 minutes. Then the mixture is placed in prepared jars, pasteurized (0.5 l and 1 l - 20 and 30 minutes, respectively) and sealed.

Method number 2

Large whole berries are washed, dried on a linen, placed in clean jars, covered with lids and placed in a deep bowl with water (it should cover the jars 3/4). Must be placed on the bottom lattice or fabric. After this, the water is gradually heated. When the berries give juice and will decrease in volume, the contents of each pair of cans are combined and the heating temperature is increased to 85-90 ° C. After this, they are immediately rolled up, turned upside down and left to cool completely.

Blueberry compote

• Sugar – 400 g
• Water – 600 ml

Large whole blueberries are filled into pre-steamed jars, filled with hot syrup and immediately sealed. After this, they are placed in a container with water and pasteurized at a temperature of 90 ° C (15 and 20 minutes - 0.5 and 1 l, respectively).

Blueberries pureed with sugar

• Sugar – 0.7 kg
• Blueberries – 1 kg

Clean berries are placed in an enamel basin, crushed with a wooden spoon, sugar is added, mixed, heated to 65-70º C, placed in prepared jars and pasteurized (20 and 30 minutes - 0.5 and 1 l, respectively).

Paste

• Sugar – 0.6 kg
• Blueberries – 1 kg

Clean berries are heated in an enamel bowl for 20 minutes, rubbed through a sieve, mixed with sugar and boiled until thick. Place in trays and store in a cool, dark place.

Blueberry juice with pulp

• Water – 80 ml
• Sugar – 120 g
• Blueberries – 1 kg

Wash the berries, pour boiling water over them, let stand for 15 minutes, drain and crush with a wooden spoon. The juice is filtered through cheesecloth, 200 ml of syrup is added, poured into jars and pasteurized (15 and 25 minutes - 0.5 and 1 l, respectively).

Blueberry liqueur

• Sugar – 0.4 kg
• Vodka – 0.5 l
• Blueberries – 0.5 kg

Blueberries are passed through a meat grinder. The resulting mass is placed in a jar and filled with vodka. Mix everything well, cover with a plastic lid and put in the refrigerator for 3-7 days. The mixture is squeezed out through a flannel napkin, sugar is added, put on low heat and heated until it is completely dissolved (without bringing to a boil). The finished liquor is poured into bottles, capped and stored in a cool place.

Blueberry wine

• Sugar – 1.5 kg
• Linden honey – 0.3 kg
• Blueberries – 4 kg
• Water – 2 l

The sorted pure blueberries are kneaded by hand, put into a bottle, water is added, the neck is tied with gauze and kept in a dark place for 5 days at room temperature. The resulting infusion is passed through a filter, poured into a bottle, sugar and honey diluted in one and a half liters of water are added. A water seal is installed on the neck (it must be sealed to prevent air from entering) and left for 30-50 days. After this, the liquid is expressed using a siphon. The bottle of wine is again closed with a water seal and placed in a cool room for another 60 days. The finished wine is bottled, capped and sealed with sealing wax.

A variety of blueberry preparations will save you from vitamin deficiency, boost your immunity and serve as an excellent preventive measure against various diseases. Make sure to stock up on this valuable berry.

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