Content
Blackthorn is a wild shrub that many gardeners use as a hedge. But few people know that its berries contain many beneficial components for human health. The drupes of this plant have a tart, sour taste, so they are not suitable for everyone for fresh consumption. But if you wish, you can prepare a healthy juice from thorns, which in winter can compensate for the lack of vitamins in the body.
The juice retains most of the useful components of natural raw materials
The benefits and harms of thorn juice
A drink based on bush berries has a rich chemical composition. It contains organic and fatty acids, a complex of vitamins and mineral components, tannins, coumarins, flavonoids, pectin, essential oils and sugars.
Due to the high content of important components, thorn juice is useful in the following cases:
- improves the functioning of the digestive system;
- normalizes sleep;
- increases the elasticity of blood vessels;
- reduces painful sensations during menstruation;
- promotes rapid recovery from an illness;
- enhances immunity;
- has a mild diuretic effect, removes sand from the kidneys;
- reduces nausea, promotes the elimination of toxins in case of poisoning;
- has a beneficial effect on the nervous system;
- improves visual acuity, prevents the development of glaucoma;
- improves metabolic processes in the body;
- promotes the outflow of bile.
Blackthorn juice in some cases can be harmful to health. The workpiece should not be used by people with a predisposition to allergies. If characteristic signs appear, the drink should be abandoned.
Other contraindications:
- increased acidity of the stomach;
- gastritis;
- ulcer;
- pregnancy;
- hypotension;
- dehydration;
- lactation.
Drinking thorn juice should be dosed, no more than 100 ml per day
Selection and preparation of ingredients
The fruits of this shrub are similar in appearance to plums, but small in size. The blackthorn berries ripen in late July - mid-August and acquire a dark purple color with a bluish bloom on the surface. But for juice, the fruits must be harvested after the first frost, since at low temperatures their taste improves.
Natural raw materials must first be sorted out and all specimens with signs of spoilage and rot must be removed. Then the berries must be washed and left in a colander to glass the water. After that, the seeds should be removed from the fruit. Therefore, it is important to remove the berries from the branches only after the first frost, when they are slightly softened, which greatly simplifies this procedure.
You should also prepare jars in advance for storing sloe juice in winter. They need to be thoroughly washed and sterilized for 10 minutes, which will exclude premature deterioration of the drink during storage.
How to make thorn juice
There are two ways to make a healthy drink from bush berries. Each of them has certain cooking characteristics that must be taken into account. Only if all stages of the technological process are observed, the drink retains most of the useful components of natural berries.
Blackthorn juice in a juicer for the winter
With the help of a juicer, you can greatly simplify the cooking process. The drink is obtained by evaporation of natural raw materials. This process is simple, but it needs to be constantly monitored.
Would need:
- sloe berries - 2.5 kg;
- water - 2.5 l;
- sugar - 0.5 kg.
Cooking process:
- Pour water into the bottom of the juicer.
- Separately fold the berries into a container, add sugar, mix.
- Place a container of juice in a juicer.
- Put prepared berries with sugar in the upper part of the device with holes.
- Close the lid, put on fire.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes, during this time keep the juice drain hose closed.
- After that, drain the drink and send it back to the upper bowl of the juicer to boil again.
- When the juice begins to accumulate again, substitute a sterilized jar.
- After filling it, roll up the lid.
Winter blackthorn harvesting, cooked in a juicer, turns out to be rich and thick
Blackthorn juice through a juicer for the winter
Using this recipe, you can prepare healthy juice for the winter in 1 hour. Therefore, most housewives give preference to him.
Would need:
- berries - 2.5 kg;
- sugar - 0.5 kg.
Algorithm of actions:
- Pour the pitted fruits with boiling water for 3 minutes.
- Drain and pass the softened pulp through an electric juicer.
- Pour the liquid into an enamel saucepan.
- Add sugar, stir.
- Boil.
- Pour into jars.
- Collect water separately in a wide saucepan.
- Cover its bottom with cotton cloth in two or three layers.
- Put jars of juice in a saucepan, cover them with lids.
- Sterilize for 25 minutes.
- Roll up the covers.
The sweetness of the juice can be adjusted to your liking
How to store thorn juice
You can store the workpiece in winter at a temperature of + 2-15 degrees and a humidity of about 70-75%. Therefore, it is recommended to keep cans with a drink in the basement, on the balcony or terrace. At the same time, it is important that direct sunlight does not fall on the juice, as this leads to the loss of useful properties and premature deterioration of the product. The shelf life of the drink is 12 months.
Conclusion
Blackthorn juice is a useful preparation that will become a real boon in winter, when there is snow outside the window. After all, this drink is able to maintain immunity at a high level and reduces the body's susceptibility to pathogens. However, in order not to inadvertently harm health, it must be consumed in dosage, taking into account the existing contraindications.
