Lingonberry is considered one of the most useful berries, so it is often not only eaten fresh, but also harvested for future use. Many housewives make, in particular, compote of lingonberries for the winter. This drink has a peculiar, slightly bitter taste. It is very refreshing, tones, improves the functioning of the urinary system, strengthens the immune system. Despite the fact that when cooking compote, lingonberry is subjected to heat treatment, it retains many of its beneficial properties, so that the drink from it can be used not only for culinary purposes, but also in therapeutic and prophylactic.
Cooking Features
Cooking lingonberry compote for the winter is a simple process, but without taking into account some features of the technology and the recipe, the drink may not taste good or quickly deteriorate.
- First of all, the lingonberries collected or purchased on the market should be carefully selected, parallel to clearing it of forest debris that has adhered to the leaves.
- It is necessary to wash the lingonberries as carefully as possible, since the skin of this berry is very thin and easy to damage. The best option is to fold the berry into a colander and dip it in cool water several times.
- For cooking compote you cannot use aluminum cookware. Suitable enameled, stainless steel, glass, ceramic and wood.
- Lingonberry compote will stand for a long time only if it is poured into sterilized jars and closed with sterilized lids.
Cowberry connoisseurs claim that the compote from it will be tastier if it includes fruits, such as apples, lemons, plums. However, without the addition of fruit, the drink turns out to be quite tasty, the main thing is not to regret sugar and berries, just following the recipe.
A simple recipe for lingonberry compote
Composition (3 liters):
- lingonberries - 0, 6 kg;
- water - how much will go into the jar (approximately 1, 5 l);
- sugar - 0, 4 kg per 1 liter of water.
Method of preparation:
- After washing the selected lingonberries, pour it into a three-liter jar (0, 6 kg - about 4 cups of berries). Before that, the bank needs to be sterilized.
- Boil water and fill it with a jar of lingonberries, but not to the brim, but on the hanger.
- Cover the jar with boiled lid in front of it, cover with something warm and leave for 20 minutes.
- Pour the lingonberry infusion from the jar into the pan, add sugar. It can be taken at 25% less than what is indicated in the recipe, if you are not too fond of sweet compotes.
- Boil water with sugar, boil the syrup for 5 minutes.
- Fill a jar with syrup and roll it up immediately.
- Turn the jar over and roll it up into something warm, not letting in heat.
- Leave to cool the jar covered, and after cooling down, move it to a cool place.
Lingonberry compote is best stored in a cool place, although it will quietly stand at room temperature until winter.
Lingonberry Compote with Lemon
Composition (3 liters):
- lingonberries - 0, 5 kg;
- water - 2 l;
- sugar - 1, 5 st .;
- lemon - 50 g.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse the berries. After the water has drained, put them in a sterilized jar.
- Carefully wash the lemon and slice, not peeling, into thin slices. The bones should be removed.
- Place lemon slices on top of the cranberries.
- Boil water, add sugar into it, wait for it to dissolve and boil the syrup for 5 minutes.
- Pour syrup on lingonberries and lemon.
- Hermetically close the jar with a metal lid, turn it over and cover with a blanket.
- After 12 hours, a can of compote can be removed for the winter. Keep compote better in a cool place.
The drink according to this recipe is obtained concentrated, with sourness and pleasant bitterness. Before serving it is advisable to dilute it with clean water.
Cowberry Compote with Apples
Composition (9 l):
- lingonberries - 2 kg;
- apples - 1 kg;
- water - 5-6 l;
- sugar - 1 kg.
Method of preparation:
- Wash and dry the lingonberries.
- Wash the apples (preferably sour varieties), cut the core out of them, cut the rest into small pieces, trying to make them the same size.
- Boil water, add granulated sugar and boil the syrup, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Put apple slices in the syrup and cook them on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and place them in sterilized jars.
- Place the lingonberry in the boiling syrup, boil it for about 15-20 minutes, until it turns white.
- Remove the lingonberries with a skimmer from the syrup, spread out over the apples.
- Fill the fruit and berry mass with boiling syrup.
- Roll up the jars and turn them over, cover them with something thick, not letting in heat.
- A day later, remove the cans with compote to the place of permanent storage.
This recipe is one of the most popular. Compote is well worth it at room temperature, but still, if you can put it in a cool place, it makes sense to use it.
Similarly, prepared and compote of lingonberries with plums. Plums in this case must be cleaned of seed, and boiled in syrup just 10 minutes. The rest of the technology is used the same, the ratio of components remains the same. This compote will have a different shade, more saturated, and a unique bouquet.
Compote of lingonberries like many, but this is not the only way to prepare it for the winter. In particular, it can be frozen, rubbed with sugar, canned in syrup. In this case, it will be even more useful, since it does not undergo heat treatment. It is even better to make lingonberries and compote, and “cold jam”, because they do not replace each other.
