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Barberry is a shrub from Asia, which is known both in Russia and all over the world. Sour, dried berries are used as a spice. Barberry recipes for the winter involve harvesting a significant part of the harvest for the cold period so that a tasty and healthy berry is available year-round. You can use simple harvesting methods, for example, dry or freeze the berries, or you can make a treat for the whole family.
Where can you use barberry berries
The sour berries of an unpretentious shrub are used in:
- cooking;
- cosmetology;
- medicine.
Dishes using this plant are varied: sauces, jams, marshmallows, sweets, honey, juice, liqueurs and fruit drinks. Barberry sauce for meat is highly valued in many cuisines of the world. Classic pilaf also provides for the use of dried barberry in its recipe.
In medicine, berries are used to strengthen the heart and blood vessels, as a choleretic agent, to improve appetite and to stop bleeding. And also berries normalize the liver and hormones. For medical purposes, most often, barberry is brewed and tea is drunk from it. For this, dry berries are used.
In cosmetology, nourishing face masks are made from milk, oatmeal and barberry. It is necessary to keep such a mask for about 20 minutes.
The low calorie content of the fruits of the shrub determines their use in diet for weight loss.
How to keep barberry for the winter
To preserve the barberry for the winter, it is dried or frozen. You can make jams, sauces and make different blanks. But in dried or frozen form, the berry retains the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients. At the same time, in winter, you can prepare any dish of your choice from the stored berries, both for an everyday dinner and for a festive table. Each type of blank has nuances.
Freezing barberry for the winter
Any freezer is perfect for freezing barberry. First, the berries must be rinsed and dried. Then the fruits are laid out in portions in plastic bags. You cannot freeze more berries than is consumed at a time, since after defrosting, you cannot re-freeze the product - it loses its properties and appearance. Many housewives use plastic containers instead of bags.
Drying
Drying the fruits of barberry is the most convenient way, since the process is simple, and the shelf life is long. The vitamin composition also does not differ from freshly picked berries. You can dry barberry for the winter in the fresh air, in a drying cabinet or in the oven.
The first stage of drying is the preparation of the fruit. They must be sorted out, separating sick and spoiled copies. Then wash the barberry under running water and spread on towels. After the berries are dry, you can start harvesting:
- When drying in a cupboard or dryer, the temperature at first should not exceed 50 ° C, as soon as the fruits stop producing juice, raise it to 60 ° C.
- To dry in the fresh air, cover the fruits with a fine mesh or gauze, and the berries themselves should be in the shade. Gauze will be needed from birds and insects that want to feast on the available fruits.
- Be sure to turn or stir the berries during the drying period, do this carefully so as not to crush.
There is a simple way to check the readiness: squeeze the berries in your hand.If they are ready, they do not emit juice, do not choke and remain crumbly.
What to do for the winter with barberry
For the preparation of blanks, there are many recipes using berries. The main advantage is that barberry fruits can be used both in dessert seaming, and in the form of seasonings or spicy preservation. And beekeepers prepare delicious and healing honey from barberry. It all depends on the additional ingredients and the wishes of the hostess.
Barberry sauce recipe for the winter
This type of sauce is most commonly used in Indian cuisine. Lovers of rice, pilaf will like it, it is used with poultry meat. Barberry sauce for the winter requires the following ingredients:
- 1 kg of barberry;
- 250 g granulated sugar;
- to taste like cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
A step-by-step recipe looks like this:
- Put the berries in a saucepan, add water and cook until soft.
- Grind the cooked fruits through a fine sieve.
- Add granulated sugar and all the necessary spices.
- Boil.
- Cook until thick, do not forget to stir.
- Pour into glass jars and cover with lids.
- Sterilize the product for 15–20 minutes, depending on the volume of the cans.
- Roll up hermetically, wrap with a blanket and let cool for 24 hours.
Store in a basement or cellar, serve with meat. An important indicator of the correct preparation is that the fruits should not darken during cooking.
Barberry with sugar for the winter
This is a recipe for jam without cooking. Suitable for hasty housewives and those who do not like heat treatment. The fruits retain their medicinal properties and taste better. Products for preparation: barberry and sugar in a ratio of 1: 3.
The process is step by step:
- Grind the fruits in any convenient way. To do this, you can use an ordinary meat grinder.
- Add granulated sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Divide the resulting product into sterilized glass jars and roll up.
Such a workpiece is supposed to be stored in the refrigerator. The required temperature for the product is observed there, and the barberry will stand successfully all winter.
Barberry juice
The juice from the red berries of the oriental bush is a vitamin drink. It can be prepared for the winter in two ways: with and without sugar.
The ingredient for the savory recipe is the barberry itself. It is washed and then blanched in boiling water for just a couple of minutes. Then the already soft berries are squeezed through a juicer. The juice should be poured into dry sterilized jars and rolled up.
Ingredients for sweet juice:
- barberry - 1 kg;
- 250 g sugar;
- ginger and cinnamon with cloves - optional.
Making juice is simple: squeeze the juice, as in the first recipe, add sugar and pour into glass jars. Then sterilize for 15–20 minutes. Roll up, turn down the caps to check the tightness and wrap with a blanket.
Barberry honey
Barberry honey is a healing and famous product all over the planet. This product has a regenerating, hemostatic, as well as antibacterial and choleretic effect.
Barberry nectar is not to be confused with others: golden-amber color, there is some sourness in the taste. The viscosity parameters are average. The crystallization of honey from barberry lasts 2-6 months. Everything directly depends on the storage conditions, as well as on the climate in the region.
Glass containers with high-quality lids are used for storage. Honey is stored at a temperature not exceeding +20 ° C. Otherwise, fermentation processes will begin.
Barberry sweets
Barberry recipes for the winter, according to which marshmallows, marmalade, jam from these berries are made, will appeal to all sweet tooths, without exception.
Ingredients for jelly: one kilogram of barberry and sugar, plus 200 ml of water. Preparation:
- Rinse the berries, put in a saucepan (preferably enameled), cover with water.
- Heat until the fruit softens.
- Rub through a sieve.
- Add granulated sugar and cook until the required consistency.
- The hot product is poured into cans and hermetically sealed.
And also berries are used to make marshmallows. Treat products:
- a kilogram of berries;
- sugar - 800 g;
- 30 g icing sugar;
- 300 ml of drinking water.
Step-by-step instructions for making marshmallow:
- Boil the berries and discard in a colander so that they drain.
- The resulting broth add half of all the sugar, beat.
- Add the remaining sugar, beat again.
- Put on the stove, cook over low heat until it boils down to a characteristic consistency.
- Arrange in molds or simply put on a baking sheet and put to dry in the oven.
- Pull out and cut into strips, sprinkle with powder.
This recipe will appeal to those who have children. The delicacy will delight any kid.
To prepare marmalade, you will need 1 kg of fruit, 750 g of sugar, 200 ml of water. The cooking algorithm is the same as when making jelly. You just need to cook to a thicker consistency, and at the end do not pour into jars, but cool and cut into cubes. The product looks great if sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Terms and conditions of storage
Any preparations for the winter have identical storage conditions. You need a cool temperature, but no frost, as well as a dark room. Barberry canning, whether it be sauce or jam, does not tolerate direct sunlight. Any access to moisture is contraindicated for dried berries. The optimal storage conditions in this case are a tissue bag.
A dry cellar without moisture and mold, as well as an unheated pantry, is best suited for storing blanks in the winter. If the banks are on the balcony, then the temperature should not drop below 0 degrees.
Conclusion
Barberry recipes for the winter help preserve healthy berries for a long period. In the cold season, jam or jam from the fruits of this shrub will help support immunity, fight colds, and the sauce will decorate any meat dish. If the hostess does not know how best to use the fruits, then you can simply dry or freeze them and use them in winter as a seasoning.
