Lingonberry pastila

Perhaps the most useful preparation for the winter is dried lingonberry. After all, this forest berry, growing in hard-to-reach swampy places, has a large supply of vitamins, trace elements, and even a natural antiseptic. It is during drying in lingonberries that the maximum amount of nutrients is preserved.

You can dry both whole fruits and berry puree. In the first case, you get an excellent preparation for making medicinal tea or decoction. The second includes an ancient Russian dish, marshmallow, which can be a healthy alternative to sweets.

Lingonberry pastila is good because it can be stored for a very long time without any difficult conditions. This dried dessert can be made with just one ingredient, or you can choose a more complex recipe.

The light bitterness and sourness of a not too sweet berry in a sugar-free marshmallow recipe will be appreciated by people who are indifferent to sweets. And those with a sweet tooth will most likely like the sugar or honey versions of this dish. Among the lingonberry marshmallow recipes given in this article, everyone can choose an option to their liking.

Useful properties of dried lingonberries

Lingonberries have long been used to treat many diseases. In this plant, both berries and leaves are endowed with useful properties.

Useful properties of dried lingonberry berries:

• due to the unique composition, they support the activity of the cardiovascular system (lingonberries contain a lot of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium, magnesium and chromium);
• can be used as a natural antiseptic for sore throats, colds, inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract (lingonberry contains a natural antiseptic - benzoic acid);
• the diuretic property of the fruit also helps to successfully restore the work of the urinary system, fight gout, rheumatism;
• tannins that make up dry lingonberries help to remove harmful substances from the body;
• the copper present in it has a positive effect on the body in case of problems with the pancreas, hypertension;
• catechins, pectins, organic acids help to improve digestion, increasing acidity in the stomach and stimulating the production of digestive enzymes (therefore, dried lingonberry is useful for chronic pancreatitis, gastritis with low acidity);
• in addition, fruit drink from this berry helps to quench thirst, relieve intoxication, and improve immunity.

It must be remembered that despite the abundance of useful properties of dried lingonberry, there are also contraindications to its use.

Calorie content of dried lingonberry

It is difficult to overestimate the nutritional value of lingonberry. She is a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, dietary fiber and the right carbohydrates.

The energy value of the native of the swamps is low, therefore it is considered a dietary product.

100 g of dried product contains:

• 314 kcal (15.4% DV);
• carbohydrates - 80.2 g (35.8% of the daily value);
• fat - 1 g;
• proteins - 0.3 g;
• dietary fiber - 2.5 g (23% of the daily value);
• water - 16 g.

How to dry lingonberries at home

Lingonberry is a richly fruiting plant, the fruits of which are harvested in large volumes from August to September. Unfortunately, this berry quickly deteriorates (crumples, rots), so it is necessary to preserve the harvest by preparing a source of nutrients for the winter.

To do this, the collected lingonberries need to be sorted out, separating the leaves, moss, small twigs and other debris from it, at the same time removing the spoiled berries. And then you can start harvesting in one of many ways (soak in water, boil jam or jam, rub with sugar, boil compote, dry, etc.).

The largest amount of nutrients will be preserved in soaked and dried lingonberries. To soak, it is enough to rinse the fruits, fill a container with them and pour clean water. This harvest will be kept at room temperature until the next harvest. Drying lingonberries will require a lot of effort, but the result will be a product that can be stored for years. In addition, during the drying process, you can prepare a dietary alternative to sweets - marshmallow.

To dry the lingonberries, you need an oven or electrical appliance.

How to dry lingonberries in the oven

To harvest dried lingonberries in the oven, you must first warm it up to a temperature of 60 ° C. Berries are laid out on a baking sheet in a thin layer (preferably in one).

For convenience, the drying process can be presented step by step:

1. Sort the fruits, wash, dry and put on a baking sheet.
2. Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven.
3. Dry until completely dehydrated (3-4 hours).
4. Place the dried product in jars (it is better if they are glass) and close with nylon lids.

How to dry lingonberries in a dryer

It is more convenient to cook lingonberries in an electric dryer (you do not need to control the process, stir the product). However, the process will take longer. If dried at a temperature of 60 ° C, then delicate fruits can burst, therefore experienced housewives advise to set a lower temperature in an electric dryer (40–55 ° C). To prevent small berries from falling through and not crumpled in the holes of the grate, you can cover it with gauze.

The main stages of drying:

1. Sort the lingonberries, wash and dry.
2. Pour onto the rack of the dryer in one layer.
3. Dry to dry completely.
4. Pour the dried fruits into a jar and cover with a nylon lid.

The cooking time for lingonberries in an electric dryer depends on the set temperature. At 60 ° C it will be about 12 hours, at 40 ° C - up to 16. It is safer to dry at a lower temperature.

Application of dry lingonberry berries

Dried lingonberries are used both for medicinal purposes and as a food product. In addition to the already listed healing properties, it increases appetite and gives strength to the body.

For treatment, teas and decoctions are prepared, while in cooking, dried fruits are used more widely:

• added to yogurt, muesli and ice cream;
• when baking (added to pancakes, pies);
• when making sauces;
• compotes are cooked from it;
• glaze or simply roll in powdered sugar (useful candies are obtained).

Storage rules for dried lingonberries

For storage of dried berries, it is better to use glass jars or earthen vessels covered with a lid. The shelf life is from 6 to 12 months (until the next fruiting season).

If you grind dried fruits into powder, then the jars need to be sealed very tightly. Such a product can be stored for 5 years, and even more.

Lingonberry pastilles at home

You can dry not only whole berries, but also lingonberry puree. It turns out a very tasty, long-known dried delicacy - marshmallow.To prepare lingonberry marshmallow, you need to prepare a puree from the berries, and then dry it in one of the available ways.

There are two main ways to make lingonberry puree:

1. Fresh berries. Lingonberries are chopped with a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained (you can strain the puree for better consistency).
2. From pre-steamed fruits, you can simmer lingonberries in a pot or cauldron under a lid (for this, place the container in an oven heated to 70–80 ° C and leave for 3 hours). Or blanch in a saucepan for 10 minutes (for 1 kg of fruit - 1 tbsp. Water), stirring constantly, until the berries are juiced.

Steamed berries are also chopped in a blender and strained.

General principles for the preparation of lingonberry marshmallow

Pastila can be prepared with the addition of various ingredients, but the principle of preparation is the same in all cases.

The technology for producing marshmallows is reduced to three stages:

1. Cooking mashed potatoes (using one of the methods described above).
2. Boiling the mixture (to the consistency of liquid sour cream).
3. Preparation of lingonberry marshmallow in a dryer (in the oven on parchment, at a temperature of 80 ° C, the process can take 2-6 hours, depending on the layer thickness, in an electrical appliance - a little longer).

The dried pastille will peel off easily from the parchment paper. When ready, it can be cut into pieces, sprinkled with powdered sugar and put in a storage container.

Cooking lingonberry marshmallow in a dehydrator is a fairly simple process, although it is time-consuming.

Sugar-free lingonberry marshmallow

This recipe is the easiest one. All you need is lingonberry. Cooking steps:

1. Mashed potatoes can be prepared in any way, but more useful properties will be preserved when using the option without thermal effects on the fruits.
2. Place the resulting mass on a baking sheet (the layer thickness should not exceed 3 mm) and send to the oven for 2 hours.
3. Put another layer on a dry layer and send it back for drying (4–5 layers in total, but you can make less).
4. Cut the finished pastille into slices and store in a dry, dark place.

Lingonberry pastila with honey

Lingonberry marshmallow with the addition of honey has a pleasant taste and aroma, and also carries the beneficial properties of wild berries and flower nectar. For 1 kg of lingonberries take about 400 g of honey.

Cooking steps:

1. Lingonberry puree is boiled down a little, then allowed to cool.
2. Combine the berry mass with honey and mix thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency (you can beat it).
3. Dry the resulting mixture in thin layers as usual.
4. The finished marshmallow is cut into pieces and stored in a dry, dark place.

For the preparation of this marshmallow, they usually take rapeseed honey, which crystallizes better.

Sugar lingonberry pastille recipe

Lingonberry pastille with sugar will replace sweets for those with a sweet tooth, while it is much healthier. 1 kg of berries will require 200 g of granulated sugar.

Step by step recipe:

1. Pour sugar into the finished puree, constantly stirring the mixture.
2. When the sugar crystals are completely dissolved, the mass is boiled down until it thickens.
3. Then it is dried using one of the standard methods.
4. The finished marshmallow is cut into beautifully shaped pieces and packaged for storage.

Lingonberry and apple pastilles

The most popular fruits for making marshmallows are apples. The puree from them whips well, and the lingonberry marshmallow with the addition of apple becomes airy.

To prepare this delicacy, take:

• apples - 6 pcs.;
• lingonberry - 4 tbsp.;
• granulated sugar - 1.5 tbsp.

Cooking process:

1. Lingonberries and apples, peeled and cored, are steamed together and mashed.
2. Add sugar and stir the mixture until it is completely dissolved and beat.
3. For drying, spread the mass in a thin layer (3-4 mm) and send it to the dehydrator until completely dry, then repeat the process, increasing from 3 to 5 layers (you can make a single-layer pastille, then it is not cut, but simply rolled into a roll).
4. The dried product is cut into cubes and placed in a container.

Pastila from Antonovka does not require boiling and turns out to be especially tasty.

Delicious lingonberry marshmallow with blueberries

Lingonberries and blueberries often coexist in the forest, and the combination of the first bitterness and the second tart sweetness is very successful.

To prepare the marshmallow you will need:

• 1 kg of lingonberries;
• 0.5 kg of blueberries;
• 300 g of sugar.

Cooking process:

1. Mix the berry puree with granulated sugar and stir until the crystals are completely dissolved.
2. Beat the mixture in a blender until thickened.
3. A homogeneous mass is spread on a pallet in a thin layer, dried, the process is repeated, increasing the layers.
4. The finished dried sweetness is cut into pieces and placed in storage containers.

Rules for storing lingonberry marshmallow

The pastille can be stored in a whole sheet (for convenience, it is rolled into a roll and tied with twine). But it is more convenient to pack the sweetness cut into pieces.

For the best option, the dried workpiece is best placed in a glass container and stored in the refrigerator. If there are a lot of pastilles and it is supposed to be stored for a long time, then the product is placed in an airtight bag and frozen.

Conclusion

Among all the useful products that increase immunity and strengthen health, it is difficult to find more delicious than dried lingonberry. The wide range of uses of this berry in cooking makes it more and more popular. It is safe to say that regular consumption of dried lingonberries is a path to health and longevity.

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