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In recent years, the number of diseases that humanity suffers from has increased dramatically, while the effectiveness of traditional medicines, on the contrary, has decreased. Therefore, many people remember the medicinal gifts of nature, rightly believing that they can represent, if not a panacea, then a real help in getting rid of many health problems. Conifers, and in particular juniper, have attracted people since ancient times with their healing properties. And juniper jam, with all the poetry and unusualness of its name, is quite capable of providing real help in the cure of many diseases.
Why is juniper jam useful?
By itself, the juniper can hardly be called a rare plant. It is ubiquitous in a wide variety of natural areas of the country, and people love to use it for urban landscaping. Plants belong to the genus of evergreen conifers and to the Cypress family. Juniper - the oldest representative of the flora of the Earth, lived on our planet 50 million years ago. And on average, the lifespan of one juniper plant can be from 600 to 2000 years. This is achieved due to the incredible endurance and adaptability of the juniper to the conditions of a constantly changing environment. An important role is played by the rich composition of all parts of the juniper, which allows it to survive in difficult conditions.
For a very long time, people have noticed the unique properties of all parts of the juniper (bark, branches, needles and fruits) and used them, both for disinfection, and for treatment, and for economic purposes and, of course, for cooking.
In fact, juniper jam is a very conventional and general name for a product, which, in its essence and consistency, may more resemble syrup or "honey". In the classic recipe for jam from juniper cones, the percentage of the content of this plant itself is very small. And this is not surprising. After all, the juniper has a very powerful effect and is used in the same cooking, first of all, in the form of a spice. It is added to various dishes in very small quantities, since even the smallest doses of it can have a considerable effect on the human body.
The most famous are the bactericidal properties of juniper and, accordingly, jam from it. In addition, its diuretic, biliary and anti-inflammatory properties have long been recognized and widely used in official medicine. Thanks to them, juniper jam can be useful for pyelitis, pyelonephritis, cystitis, prostatitis, diseases of the biliary tract and liver.
Also, juniper is able to help with a wide variety of diseases of a rheumatic nature, including gout.
The use of juniper jam can help cleanse the blood and rid the body of toxins.
Juniper can also be useful for colds. Products based on it enhance the separation and dilute phlegm, therefore they are used in the treatment of broncho-pulmonary diseases.
Juniper jam has other additional beneficial properties:
- Reduces blood pressure.
- Reduces pain during menstruation.
- Increases the elasticity of blood vessels.
- Helps to quickly restore the skin with various abrasions, wounds and burns.
- Improves the condition of varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
- Helps with gum disease.
Finally, both berries and juniper jam are a good way to whet the appetite, including in children.
Juniper Jam Recipes
As already mentioned, practically all parts of the juniper have medicinal properties: from roots and bark to fruits. It is only necessary to realize that only parts of the common juniper, which is ubiquitous on the territory of Russia, are used for food. Other varieties of this plant, especially the Cossack juniper, are distinguished by poisonous fruits, needles and twigs. Fortunately, the common juniper is easy to distinguish from all other varieties. It has exactly 3 seeds inside the berries, and the fruits themselves usually grow in three. Actually, it would be more correct to call the fruits of the juniper cones, since it belongs to gymnosperms. But the appearance of ripe fruits is so reminiscent of berries that it can mislead many. It is for this reason that even in the official botanical literature they are often called “cones”.
Juniper cones are rounded, up to 6-9 mm in diameter. The surface is quite smooth. The scales fit very tightly to each other, so the bumps cannot open. The color of unripe juniper fruits is green; when ripe, they acquire a blue-black hue. But ripening takes place over a long period of time - 2-3 years, therefore, on individual juniper bushes, cones of different degrees of maturity can usually be observed. Their smell is very specific with a spicy tinge, and the taste, although rather sweet, is characterized by sharpness and astringency. Juniper seeds are frankly bitter, so you need to rub the berries very carefully when making jam so as not to damage the seeds and add bitterness to the taste of the finished jam.
Juniper fruits are composed of:
- essential oil;
- sugars;
- resins;
- mineral salts;
- acids.
The leaves of the common juniper have an elongated, awl-like shape, pointed at the ends. They are updated every 4 years. Therefore, in winter, the needles of a juniper can turn brown, but in the spring they again acquire a bright green color, due to a young growth.
Juniper cone jam
Most often, in the culinary business, the so-called juniper cones are used.
Juniper jam in a classic form, a step-by-step photo of the manufacture of which can be seen below, is made with the addition of citrus fruits. This does not have a beneficial effect on the taste of the future dish, and allows you to get a less saturated concentration of highly active substances.
To make it you will need:
- 1 large sweet orange;
- 1 medium lemon;
- 10 juniper cones;
- 400 g of sugar.
For the manufacture of juniper jam, you can use both fresh berries and dried ones. They should be smooth, shiny, brownish black with a clear blue tinge. A three-ray groove should be present at the apex. The pulp is greenish brown with triangular seeds. Before use, juniper berries are washed, slightly dried and gently rubbed with a wooden rolling pin or spoon so as not to crush the seeds.
Preparation:
- Wash the orange and lemon thoroughly, then scald with boiling water.
- Rub the zest from both fruits with a fine grater.
- Then the remaining peel is removed and a thick white layer is cut from the inside.
- The citrus pulp is cut into convenient sized pieces and freed from the seeds, which can also bring with them bitterness.
- The peel is cut into small pieces.
- In a convenient deep bowl (or a blender bowl), combine the grated zest, peel and pulp of an orange and pitted lemon.
- Grind with a blender into a homogeneous mass.
- Then the resulting mass is placed in a deep frying pan or a saucepan with a thick bottom, mashed juniper cones are added, the amount of sugar required by the recipe is added, mixed and left to infuse for several hours in the room.
- Then they put the dishes with the future juniper jam on heating, bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for about 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the juniper jam from heating and cool to normal room temperature.
- These steps are repeated 4 to 6 times until the jam reaches the desired thickness.
- Juniper jam can be considered ready. It is transferred to a sterilized jar, hermetically sealed and, after cooling, is stored.
Very often, wise housewives use the beneficial properties of juniper not to make pure jam from it, but add a few crushed cones to traditional jam from any other fruit or berries. As a result, ready-made desserts not only acquire an additional pleasant aroma and taste, but become capable of providing the whole range of beneficial effects inherent in juniper.
Juniper berry jam with plums and apples
A popular recipe for juniper jam, which allows you to use the resulting dish not only as a dessert, but also as a sauce or seasoning for meat dishes.
You will need:
- 1 kg of plums;
- 1 large green apple
- 50 juniper berries;
- 1 lemon;
- 600 ml of water;
- 1 kg of sugar.
Manufacturing:
- Pits are removed from the plums, cut into small pieces.
- Peel the apple off and cut it into thin slices.
- The lemon is scalded with boiling water, the zest is removed from it with a fine grater and the juice is squeezed out of it.
- Squeezed juice is immediately poured into sliced apple slices so that they do not have time to darken.
- The juniper berries are lightly crushed in a wooden mortar.
- In a saucepan, mix apple peels, lemon zest and juniper berries.
- Add water, heat to a boil and cook over moderate heat for half an hour.
- Chopped plums and apples are mixed together in a refractory container.
- The broth is ground through a sieve, and the resulting puree is added to the apple-plum mixture.
- The future juniper jam is heated to + 100 ° C, boiled over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Sugar is added and after boiling again, cook for about 20 minutes until relatively thick.
Juniper Jam
Juniper twigs contain no less nutrients than pine berries. To make delicious and healthy juniper jam from them, you can use the following recipe.
You will need:
- about 1 kg of young juniper twigs, which are harvested around mid-May;
- 1 kg of granulated sugar.
Manufacturing:
- Juniper twigs are thoroughly washed in cold water, then dried on a cloth towel.
- Then, using a sharp knife, grind them into as small pieces as possible.
- In a prepared sterile jar, a layer of juniper twigs is applied to the bottom, sprinkled with a layer of sugar.
- Then a layer of chopped branches is again laid out, which are again covered with sugar.
- This is repeated until the jar is completely filled. There should be a sugar layer on top.
- The jar is covered with a cloth and left in room conditions for 12-24 hours.
- The next day, the contents of the jar are mixed, water is added to the neck and the syrup is filtered through several layers of gauze. Wring out.
- Heat the resulting syrup until it boils and cook over very low heat until it thickens, stirring all the time.
- Ready-made juniper jam is laid out in sterile jars and hermetically sealed.
How to take juniper jam
Juniper jam, especially made from young twigs, is a product with a high concentration of nutrients. Therefore, it should be consumed not as a dessert, but rather as a medicine.
Usually use one teaspoon or dessert spoon of juniper jam after meals 2-3 times a day.
Contraindications
In addition to the obvious benefits, juniper jam can also bring harm to human health. It is not recommended to use it:
- pregnant women;
- persons with severe hypertension;
- those who suffer from kidney disease;
- with exacerbations of stomach and duodenal ulcers.
Terms and conditions of storage
Juniper cone jam can easily retain its properties in cool conditions without light throughout the year. Jam from juniper twigs can be stored in such conditions even longer - up to two years.
Conclusion
Juniper jam is an original and rare dish that has a pronounced healing effect. It is not difficult to prepare it, you should not just take it exclusively as a dessert and exceed the recommended daily intake.
