Healthy proper nutrition does not include canned food or sugar in any form. The ban also applies to homemade preserves. Many nutritionists consider such products to be dead and do not bring the body any benefit. But if you have collected a lot of forest berries and really like sweets, then for inner harmony you must indulge yourself with home-made jam. How to make it delicious from garden and bog cranberries, find out further from the article.
Selection and preparation of ingredients
Some sweet tooth justify their addiction to such desserts, appealing to the benefits of cranberry products and calling them the most healing gifts of nature. But in fact, the body receives beneficial effects only from fresh fruits. Official medicine confirms that they have antipyretic, wound healing, expectorant properties and stimulate the normal functioning of the cardiovascular and digestive systems, as well as strengthen immunity.
Cranberry fruits are the only ones from the whole fruit and berry variety that can retain freshness until a new crop. This feature of berries is due primarily to the specifics of the plant, the conditions for its growth and unique chemical composition.
The complexity of preparing ingredients for homemade jam is only in the harvest. ATwild species of cranberries grow in the temperate climatic zone of the Northern Hemisphere. It is easy to find them in well-lit areas in coniferous and mixed forests, as well as in mossy swamps.
Many chefs advise using a crop of large-fruited breeding varieties that are adapted to the conditions of home gardens for making confiture.Did you know? In Kievan Rus, cranberry berries were often presented to pregnant women as a symbol of successful gestation.
In any case, regardless of the place of growth, the berries should be ripe, dark red in color, whole, without any damage and signs of spoilage. If you have to deal with a purchased product, pay attention to its freshness. This can be judged by the condition of the skin. If it is withered and shriveled, it is worth looking for another product.
At the preparatory stage for the preparation of cranberry jam, the berries should be sorted out, discarding substandard specimens (damaged, spoiled, unripe), and then thoroughly washed several times in cold water.Did you know? The healing properties of cranberry berries were discovered in the 16th century by the ancient Indians. With their easy supply, containers with fresh fruits were mandatory on every seagoing vessel. For sailors, this was the first cure for all ailments.
Recipes
The value of cranberries is dictated by the large amount contained in the berry pulp and peel organic acids (for example, ursolic acid, which in its genetics and structure is equivalent to many physiologically important hormones), minerals (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, manganese, iodine, iron, cobalt), vitamins (C, PP, B1, B2). In addition, the berries contain a lot of sugar, mainly represented by fructose (0.3%) and glucose (2.4%).
Taking into account the specifics and characteristics of marsh fruits, the tendency to maximize the preservation of the healing properties of a product that has undergone heat treatment has long been established in cooking. To do this, many recipes provide the minimum proportions of sweeteners. In the arsenal of modern chefs, there is a wide selection of ways to prepare delicious homemade jam and confiture. Here are some popular and affordable recipes.
Jam
1.3 L 30 min.
Energy value per 100 g:
- Sorted and washed berries should be poured into a colander and left for a while, so that the glass is excess water.
- Then place the dried product in a large enameled pot with high walls and pour sugar on top.
- Using a blender for several minutes, smooth the mixture until smooth.
- Then put the pot with the berry and sugar raw materials on the stove and cook over low heat until boiling keys appear. After that, constantly stirring the cranberries, you still need to darken in such conditions for about 7 minutes.
- After removing the container from the fire, allow its contents to cool slightly. And then pass it through a fine sieve. This manipulation will allow you to get rid of many seeds and peel residues. Thus, at the final stage, you will get a homogeneous transparent substance that resembles jelly.
- The resulting mass is re-poured into a pan and, stirring, kept on low heat for about 5 minutes. It is important that the jam boil.
- Pour the boiling liquid into prepared jars and seal it tightly. Finished seams must be turned upside down and wrapped in a warm blanket. When they are completely cool, you can take them to the cellar.
Important! Sterilize cans in a microwave. To do this, it must first be washed in soda solution, then pour into each jar about a glass of cold water and steam in a microwave at maximum power for about 5 minutes.
Confiture
To make cranberry confiture, you will need very ripe berries. Pre-wash them, as in the previous recipe, you need to sort out, rinse with cold water and dry slightly from excess moisture. Next, the product is prepared as follows:
2 L 1 hour
Energy value per 100 g:
- Place the prepared berries in a large enameled pan with high sides. Use a blender to grind them to a homogeneous mass.
- Add water to the cranberry slurry and, stirring regularly, boil the mixture over low heat for about a minute and a half.
- Add granulated sugar to the bowl and mix it well with berry puree.
- Bring the raw material to a boil over low heat and then further for another 40 minutes. Do not forget to remove the foam that appears during the cooking process with a slotted spoon.
- Cool the resulting mass and place in a glass container with sealed carved lids.
Important! It is unacceptable to prepare home preservation in aluminum dishes. In the process of cooking, the metal reacts with the products, as a result of which they oxidize and endow with unhealthy nutrients, as well as an unpleasant metallic taste.
Features of storage of blanks
Under the right temperature conditions, cranberry jam or marmalade will not bloom and explode the lids on the banks. Given the benefits of berries and the absence of harmful hydrocyanic acid in their composition, a canned product can be stored in a cellar or refrigerator for several years.
It is important that the preservation is in a dark place, inaccessible to direct sunlight. Experts consider the regime in the range of 0 ... + 4 ° C to be the ideal temperature for its storage.
Step-by-step instructionMaking homemade cranberry rolls is easy. This is one way to preserve the crop. However, preservation of the healthy substances of jam and jams cannot compete with fresh and frozen berries, so decide for yourself in what form you would like to consume the healing gifts of nature.Important! It is best to seal jars with special vacuum caps, which will significantly extend the shelf life of preservation.
