The best ways to keep honeysuckle fresh and processed for the winter
Sweet and sour honeysuckle berries are one of the first vitamin supplements to the diet in late spring - early summer. These berries have a bright taste with a hint of bitterness. In order to please children and adults with vitamin fruits in winter, they are harvested in dried and frozen form, preserves, jams and jellies are cooked.
Detailed information on how to preserve honeysuckle for the winter is in our article.
The content of the article
The composition and benefits of honeysuckle
Blue berries are rich in natural sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose) and essential acids for the body (succinic, oxalic, malic).
The berries contain vitamins of group B, A and C, trace elements (calcium, iodine, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron), as well as fiber, tannins and pectin substances.
Due to its rich composition, honeysuckle is used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agent.
Useful berries are used in cosmetology. Berry gruel has exfoliating properties and is used in the treatment of skin diseases.
Fresh storage
Berries are among the foods that are difficult to keep fresh for a long time.
The most popular and affordable way to store fresh food is in a cold place. This can be a special compartment of the refrigerator, cellar or basement.
Attention! The slightest mechanical damage during the preparation of berries leads to their rapid deterioration. Moreover, rot affects not only the damaged specimen, but also all neighboring ones.
The main factor affecting shelf life is temperature. Exceeding the recommended values by only a few degrees reduces the shelf life.
The storage duration is also influenced by the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, the mass fraction of ethylene, and the humidity indicator.
Optimal conditions
Recommended conditions for fresh storage of honeysuckle berries: air temperature + 1 ... + 2 ° С and air humidity 90-95%.
The optimal storage mode can only be created with the help of special equipment. In the storage, the oxygen content in the air is reduced, which accelerates the process of ripening and wilting of the product. This is done using factory-made refrigeration units. The concentration of carbon dioxide is maintained in the range of 0.5-5%.
Storage periods
How long does honeysuckle keep in the refrigerator? In a normal household refrigerator or cold cellar, honeysuckle retains its freshness and taste for 2-3 days.
In specially equipped storage facilities with optimal temperature, humidity and the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide, berries remain fresh longer - up to 7-10 days.
Drying
Drying allows the honeysuckle to be stored for several months. Before starting drying, the berries are sorted out, damaged and spoiled ones are removed. After that, they are washed with running water.
The prepared fruits are laid out in one layer on a clean cloth to get rid of excess moisture, and then they begin to dry. Let's talk about different methods.
On air
Drying naturally with the help of sun and wind is the most convenient and economical way. The prepared product is laid out on clean sheets of plywood with holes or fine mesh grids.
A place for drying is chosen in partial shade or under a canopy, always with good ventilation. During the drying process, the berries are periodically turned over to dry evenly.
Council. If the berries are large, it is convenient to dry them by stringing them with a needle on a thread. The finished beads are hung in a ventilated room.
Drying in this way takes from one to two weeks, depending on the air temperature and the size of the berries.
In the oven
Drying in the oven is another convenient preparation method. Cover the baking sheets with paper and lay the berries on them in one layer. Drying begins at a temperature of + 40 ... + 45 ° C. After the berries have dried up and no longer release moisture, the paper is changed and dried at a temperature of + 60 ... + 70 ° C.
Need to know! A well-dried berry is a berry that does not release juice when pressed, but does not crumble either.
The door is kept ajar during the drying process. The berries are turned over from time to time.
In the Russian oven
You can dry berries, like fruits, in a Russian oven. They are laid out on grates or pallets and placed in an oven at a temperature of + 45 ... + 50 ° С. During the drying process, the layers are periodically shaken and inverted.
To provide ventilation in the oven, open the damper. The preparation of a dried product takes on average 5-6 hours.
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In the airfryer
It is convenient to use an airfryer to prepare a dried product. To prevent humid air from accumulating inside the appliance, a gap is left between the grill cover and the body.
At a temperature of + 50 ... + 65 ° C, honeysuckle reaches readiness in 2-3 hours.
In an electric dryer
For drying, use a device specially designed for this purpose - an electric dryer. The fruits are dried in accordance with the instructions.
Depending on the capacity of the dryer and the amount of product loaded in it, drying takes from two to four hours.
Storage of the dried product
The finished product is cooled and laid out in storage containers. These can be tight-fitting glass jars, plastic containers, or boxes.
The containers are removed in a dark, dry and cool place, away from strong-smelling spices and seasonings.
Freezing
Freezing allows you to prepare fresh berries for the whole winter. The defrosted berries make delicious smoothies and compotes, sauces for meat and pancakes, popsicles and cocktails.
Sorted, washed and dried on a towel, berries are laid out on trays in one layer and sent to the freezer.
Council. Choose strong, healthy and ripe berries for freezing. Then, after defrosting, they will retain an attractive appearance.
After 2-4 hours, the frozen berries are removed, laid out in containers or plastic bags and sent back to the freezer. Frozen berries are stored for up to a year, until the next harvest.
Thaw the product immediately before use. The day before, the container is moved to the refrigerator: gradually thawing, the honeysuckle will retain its shape and appearance.
Honeysuckle blanks for the winter
We offer several recipes for healthy and delicious desserts of their honeysuckle.
Jam
The berries are sorted, washed and sorted. Strong and dense ones are set aside for cooking whole-fruit jam, and soft and slightly overripe ones - for a five-minute period.
Whole-fruited
So that the berries do not lose their shape during cooking, they are dipped in ready-made hot syrup. The syrup is boiled from 1 kg of sugar and 200 ml of water. Pour 1 kg of berries into the boiling mass and gently shake the mixing container.
Cook the jam 10 minutes after boiling. The container is shaken periodically - so the mass will not burn, and the berries will remain intact. Then the jam is removed from the heat and left for 6-7 hours. Then it is brought to a boil again and poured into jars.
Five minutes
Take 1 kg of honeysuckle and pour in 1 kg of sugar. Leave for an hour so that the berries give juice, then stir and leave again for an hour.
The jam is brought to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 5 minutes. A delicious and healthy dessert is ready - it remains to arrange it in the jars.
With apples
To prepare delicacies according to this recipe, take 1 kg of apples (cut into slices and peeled from seeds) and 1 kg of honeysuckle. Syrup is boiled from 2.5 kg of granulated sugar and 300 ml of water and apples are poured into the boiling mass. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add honeysuckle and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from fire.
After 7-8 hours, bring the mass to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The finished delicacy is poured into cans.
Read also:
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With strawberries or strawberries
The housewives supplement the honeysuckle jam with strawberries (strawberries). The ratio is 1: 1. First, the berries are sprinkled with sugar (2.5 kg per 2 kg of berries) and left for several hours. After the sugar is soaked in the released juice, the container is put on the fire, bring the mass to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
The container is removed from heat and left for 7-8 hours. After that, it is boiled for another 5 minutes and laid out in banks.
Without cooking
The quickest way to make a healthy treat is to grind fresh honeysuckle with sugar. The berries are mixed with sand in equal proportions and ground by hand or using a blender.
The grated berries are laid out in containers and stored in a cold place for no more than 2 months.
Council. If you want to keep the fruits grated with sugar for a long time, put the jam in small containers and send it to the freezer.
Candied berries
Another option for keeping the berries fresh is to sprinkle them with sugar, being careful not to crush them. For 1 kg of honeysuckle, take 1.5 kg of sugar. Candied berries are laid out in jars and sprinkled with sugar on top. Store the product in the refrigerator for no more than 2 months.
Jelly
Sugar (800 g per 400 ml) is added to the honeysuckle juice and boiled, stirring, until it thickens. The hot mass is poured into jars and rolled up.
Confiture
For 1 kg of berries take 1 kg of sugar. The washed honeysuckle is chopped, mixed with sugar and brought to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes and lay out in banks. The jam will turn out to be jelly-like.
Juice
This version of blanks is suitable for those who are not allowed desserts with sugar. Fresh honeysuckle is sorted out and washed. Prepared berries are dipped in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and cooled in cold water as much. Then squeeze the juice, bring it to a boil, pour it into jars and roll it up.
Honeysuckle pastilles
The cake left after juicing can also be used. For example, make a marshmallow. For this, the cake is mixed with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio and left for 3-5 hours. To dissolve the sugar, the mixture is heated slightly and mixed thoroughly.
The resulting mass is rolled into a thin layer on parchment paper or a silicone mat, transferred to a wire rack and placed in the oven. Dried pastille at a temperature of + 80 ... + 90 ° C until tender (about 2-3 hours).
Important! The finished marshmallow does not leave marks on the hands, it is easy and soft to cut.
The dried layer is removed from the oven and cooled. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into pieces.
Compote
For a three-liter jar, take about 300 g of sugar and a third of a jar of honeysuckle. Put berries in washed and scalded jars and pour boiling water over them.
After 10 minutes, the water is poured into a saucepan, sugar is added, stirred and brought to a boil. The berries are poured into the prepared syrup and the jars are rolled up.
Conclusion
Having planted several bushes of early honeysuckle on your site, you will provide yourself and your family with a harvest of vitamin berries in May. And after spending a little time and preparing them for the winter, you will get tasty and healthy treats.
When dried, frozen and short-term heat treatment, honeysuckle retains not only taste, but also medicinal properties and helps to cope with colds in the cold season.