Cranberry jam for the winter is not only a tasty and healthy delicacy, but also a real cure for many ailments. And young patients, as well as adults, do not have to be persuaded to accept it once again.
Why is cranberry jam useful?
Both in the cranberry itself, and in the jam from it, there are many different organic acids, which determine its specific sour taste with a slight bitterness. These are the usual malic and citric acids, and more exotic benzoic and quinic acids. It contains a lot of vitamins, especially vitamin C, flavonoids, pectin substances.
The use of cranberries, including in the form of jam, can help with many infectious diseases, since it has antimicrobial and bactericidal action. Cranberry helps with various infections of the urinary system, especially cystitis.
In addition, it can slow the progression of atherosclerosis and lower blood sugar levels. It gently cleanses the intestines, removes a variety of toxins from the body. It can reduce the risk of tooth decay.
And, of course, the role of cranberries in the prevention and treatment of all sorts of colds is difficult to overestimate.
Calorie content
Since berries in their pure form contain only 26 kcal per 100 g of product, they can also be used in a wide variety of diets, providing yourself with a comfortable weight loss program. After all, they do not contain fats at all, and carbohydrates are only 6.8 g per 100 g.
Of course, the calorie content of cranberry jam is much higher - depending on the sugar content, it can be up to 200 kcal, but jam from this berry can be made even without sugar, which will be appreciated by diabetics and those wishing to lose weight.
How to make cranberry jam
Cranberry jam can be made in several ways. But no matter what method was chosen for processing berries, you must first sort them out, removing dried or damaged specimens. Since cranberries can be found more often in the wild, in swamps than in gardens, a large amount of natural debris (twigs, bryophytes) is usually found in berries. They also need to be removed. Then the berries are thoroughly washed, changing the water several times.
Finally, all that remains is to sort the cranberries by ripeness, if possible. After all, ripe cranberries are best for jam. And it is best to freeze an unripe berry or, in extreme cases, make fruit drink from it.
Fresh cranberries harvested in the fall can be quite firm and contain some bitterness.
A simple cranberry jam recipe
According to this recipe, winter jam is prepared in just one step, and although the berries are soaked in sugar syrup, the contrast between them and the syrup remains.
It will take a little:
- 1 kg of cranberries;
- one and a half glasses of water;
- 1.5 kg of granulated sugar.
Making cranberry jam for the winter according to this recipe is not difficult:
- The berries are sorted out, washed, blanched in the usual way.
- At the same time, sugar syrup is prepared by dissolving the required amount of sugar in boiling water.
- Immediately after blanching, the cranberries are poured into boiling sugar syrup and brought to a boil again.
- Reduce heat to low and cook until cooked through.
- Readiness is determined in a standard way - a drop of syrup is placed on a cold saucer. If the drop retains its shape, then the jam is ready.
- During the cooking process, it is imperative to stir the contents and remove the foam from the workpiece.
- Hot jam is laid out in sterile jars and twisted.
- After cooling, it can be stored anywhere without exposure to sunlight.
Cranberry Jam: An Old Recipe
According to this recipe, cranberry jam is prepared for the winter in several stages and the berries have time to be completely saturated with sugar syrup. Therefore, its taste can be called more intense.
The ingredients for cooking are completely identical to those listed in the previous recipe.
But the time for making according to the recipe will take a little more.
- The berries are prepared in a standard manner.
- Half of the sugar prescribed by the recipe is dissolved in full water, heated to 100 ° C and the syrup is boiled for another 5-8 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- The heat is turned off and the cranberries are poured into the hot syrup after blanching.
- The berries in the syrup are covered with a lid and left to soak for 8-12 hours.
- After the allotted time, the cranberry syrup is again heated to a boil, the remaining sugar is dissolved and again set aside for 8-12 hours.
- For the third time, cranberry jam is boiled until fully cooked. This usually takes a little time - about 20-30 minutes.
- The jam is cooled and only then laid out in dry, clean jars to preserve for the winter.
- Store in a cool, dark place.
Frozen Cranberry Jam
An equally tasty and healthy jam is prepared from frozen cranberries. After freezing, the berry only improves its taste. No wonder they say that cranberries should be picked only after snow falls.
The technology of making jam from frozen cranberries is practically no different from the traditional jam from fresh berries. A big advantage is the fact that you can create this jam literally at any time, both in winter and in summer.
It is only necessary to take the cranberries out of the freezer 6-8 hours in advance and leave them to defrost in a bowl or on a tray at room temperature.
To create additional taste sensations to the defrosted berries when cooking jam, you can add grated zest from one lemon and a pinch of vanilla per 1 kg of sugar.
Cranberry jam without cooking
Given the good preservation of cranberries due to the presence of benzoic acid in the composition, delicious jam for the winter is often prepared from it, in which it is not subjected to heat treatment at all. Of course, this product turns out to be as useful as possible, but it can only be stored in the refrigerator.
Would need:
- 1 kg of granulated sugar;
- 1 kg of cranberries.
And it's nowhere easier to cook this healthy product:
- The berries are washed in a standard way and cleaned from contamination.
- Mix half the volume of granulated sugar and all the cranberries.
- Thoroughly grind the berries with sugar until smooth.
- Leave for several hours at room temperature.
- Sterilize small glass containers with lids.
- Spread the cranberry puree with sugar in the jars, not reaching 1-2 cm to the edges of the jars.
- Fill the jars to the top with the remaining sugar.
- They are rolled up and stored in a cold place: a cellar or refrigerator.
Cranberry jam with apples and nuts
A delicacy prepared according to this recipe for the winter will impress even lovers of all kinds of exotic preparations and can play the role of an exquisite cure for anemia, cardiovascular diseases and avitominosis.
And its composition is very simple:
- ½ kg of apples;
- ½ kg of cranberries;
- 100 g of shelled walnuts;
- 1 glass of honey.
Making a recipe is a little more difficult, but not too time-consuming:
- The washed cranberries are poured with a glass of water and boiled for 5 minutes after boiling.
- The berries are thrown into a colander and, after cooling, are chopped with a blender.
- The apples are freed from the seed core and cut into small cubes.
- The walnuts are finely chopped with a knife.
- In a saucepan with a thick bottom, heat the honey to a liquid state, add apple pieces there and boil for 5 minutes.
- Add chopped cranberries, heat to a boil and boil the same amount.
- Finally, put the nuts, boil for another 5 minutes and spread the finished jam in small sterile jars.
- Store the jam made according to this recipe, preferably in a cool place.
Cranberry jam "Pyatiminutka"
Using this method, you can cook cranberry jam for the winter, although not in five minutes, but literally in half an hour, including all the preparatory procedures.
You need to prepare:
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 1 kg of cranberries.
The prescription manufacturing process consists of the following steps:
- The berries are sorted out and washed.
- Grind them with a blender or food processor, add the required amount of sugar.
- Stir thoroughly and heat until boiling.
- Continue heating over low heat for about 5 minutes.
- The jam is poured into sterile containers and sealed.
Cranberry jam in a slow cooker
Housewives increasingly prefer to use a multicooker to help prepare various products for the winter. And cranberry jam is no exception.
An interesting recipe for making cranberry jam with oranges in a multicooker will be. For this you will need:
- 1 kg of cranberries;
- 0.5 kg of oranges;
- 1.25 kg of sugar.
The manufacturing process is not that complicated:
- Rinse the cranberries and oranges, scald the oranges with boiling water.
- Cut the oranges into slices and remove all the seeds from them. Grind the rest together with the peel with a meat grinder or blender.
- Likewise, turn into mashed potatoes and cranberries.
- Combine orange and cranberry puree in a multicooker bowl, add sugar to them and leave for half an hour.
- Stir, close the lid and turn on the "steaming" mode for 15 minutes.Attention! In the absence of such a program, use the "Extinguishing" mode for 20 minutes.
- Spread the finished jam in pre-sterilized jars, roll up and put to cool under a blanket.
Sugar Free Cranberry Jam
Often, sugar-free cranberry jam for the winter is made with the addition of honey. In this case, 1 glass of honey and a little cinnamon or cloves to taste are added to 1 kg of cranberries.
But you can make cranberry jam for the winter without any additives at all, from cranberries alone. In this case, its benefits for diabetics and those wishing to lose weight can hardly be overestimated.
The cooking process consists of the following steps.
- The berries are peeled, washed, dried on a paper towel.
- Sterilized jars are filled with them, covered with lids and placed on a stand in a wide saucepan half filled with water.
- The pan is put on fire.
- Gradually, the cranberries will begin to juice and the fullness of the jars will decrease. Then you need to add berries to the banks.
- Repeat filling the jars with berries until the juice level reaches the very neck.
- Then sterilize the jars of berries for another 15 minutes and roll up.
Conclusion
Cranberry jam for the winter according to any of the above recipes will be very tasty and healthy. But it should be borne in mind that cranberries without heat treatment have a certain peculiar taste. Therefore, you should try several options and choose the one that suits you best.
