Many southerners tried lingonberries only in canned form, buying it in a supermarket. But the residents of the northern and adjacent to these areas of the region collect berry almost buckets.
It grows in light coniferous forests, in mountainous and lowland tundra, in marshland. It is there that the lingonberry thickets occupy vast territories. Although “thickets” - it says loudly.
Lingonberry is a shrub with a height of 10-25 cm. But, as they say, the valve is small and expensive. So this berry has simply invaluable qualities.
- Lingonberry berries contain ascorbic, citric, malic, salicylic, benzoic acids, tannins, volatile production, manganese, potassium, vitamins C, A, B, flavonoids.
- Lingonberry has bactericidal, tonic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial properties.
They try to use it fresh, so as not to destroy by the heat treatment most of the nutrients.
Lingonberry has a delicate aroma, sweet-sour taste, but slightly bitter. This property is due to the presence of arbutin glucoside in its composition. This substance, in addition to the bitter taste, has a truly unique property - it is an excellent preservative. Moreover, this quality is enhanced by benzoic and salicylic acids.
When to collect lingonberries for blanks
Lingonberry ripens in August and September.
Gather it at the time of full maturity, when it is poured with juice and painted in bright red color. It was during this period in its composition accumulates the maximum amount of benzoic acid, responsible for the safety. It is not necessary to collect unripe berry. Firstly, its taste will be far from ideal, and secondly, such a berry is absolutely not subject to storage. After a short period of time, it begins to deteriorate.
But ripe lingonberries are excellently stored even in water, which many hostesses successfully use.
Jam, compotes, jellies are cooked from lingonberries, it is harvested in pickled, dried and wet form. Lingonberry in syrup without cooking is very popular.
Preparation of berries
Sort out the lingonberries, set aside unripe, overripe and crumpled berries. Remove all trash and twigs.
Sometimes in recipes there are recommendations for removing bitterness from the berries. They boil down to the fact that berries need to pour boiling water or steam. But in this case, along with the bitter taste, the healing properties are also destroyed. Therefore, it is enough to wash the berries thoroughly, put them on a clean towel and dry them to get rid of excess moisture.
Lingonberry in syrup without cooking: with lemon flavor
Ingredients:
- lingonberries - 1 kg;
- sugar - 0, 3 kg;
- water - 0, 4 l;
- zest or lemon juice to taste.
Cooking Method
- Cranberries are reassembled, washed under running water. Put on a towel, wait until the berries dry.
- Fold in a clean, dry jar.
- Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar. Cook the syrup by adding lemon zest or lemon juice. Strain and cool.
- Fill the lingonberries with the prepared syrup. Close the capron lid, put it in the refrigerator or cellar.
Lingonberries in syrup without cooking: Dried (method one)
Ingredients:
- lingonberries - 7 kg;
- sugar - 1, 5 kg;
- water - 2, 8 l.
Cooking Method
- Boil syrup out of water and sugar in advance. Strain through several layers of gauze, cool.
- Lingonberries sort out, remove the spoiled or unripe berries and impurities. Wash thoroughly with cold boiled water. Put on a sieve, wait until all the liquid is drained.
- Fill clean and dried jars with berries. Pour with cooled syrup. Close the lid, clean in a cool place.
Lingonberry in syrup without cooking: Dried (method two)
Ingredients:
- lingonberries - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1 tbsp .;
- water - 1 l;
- salt - 5 g;
- cinnamon and cloves - to taste.
Cooking Method
- Boil syrup from water, salt, sugar and spices in advance. Strain it through several layers of gauze. Cool it down.
- Lingen the cowberries, rinse in cold water. Put on a sieve or a clean towel.
- When the berries dry out of moisture, put them in clean, dry jars. Pour with cooled syrup. Close the cans with nylon caps, clean in a cool place.
Lingonberries in syrup without cooking: soaked, with apples
Ingredients:
- cranberries - 5 kg;
- apples - 1 kg;
- water - 5 l;
- sugar - 1 kg;
- cinnamon - 7 g;
- cloves - 2-3 buds.
Cooking Method
- Boil the syrup in advance. To do this, add sugar, cloves and cinnamon in boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Strain through several layers of gauze. Cool to room temperature.
- Lingen the cowberries, removing all the unsuitable for harvesting berries. Wash in cold water. Put on a towel to dry.
- Wash apples, cut into four parts. Cut stalks and seed chambers.
- In a clean, dry dish (it is better to take an enamel pan or ceramic pot), fill the lingonberry with a layer of 5-7 cm. Lay a layer of apples over it, which also cover with berries. Put the apples again. The top layer should be lingonberry.
- Fill the contents of the can with sugar syrup. Place a small wooden circle on top of the berries. Press down the berries with a light weight so that they do not float.
- Place the container with lingonberries in a cool place. After 2 weeks you can take a sample.
Mistress to note
If you want to feast on fresh cranberries in the winter, sort out the berries, remove the garbage. Pure dry berries in a basket or similar container. Put in a dry cool place. In this form, cranberries can lie without losing the presentation for up to two months.
Also fresh lingonberries can be frozen. She perfectly tolerates this procedure.
