Useful properties of cranberries. The best combinations with berries

Cranberry tea is a healthy and tasty drink with an amazing aroma and a lot of medicinal properties. , increase immunity and help transfer toxicosis to the expectant mother. And the combination with other products will make the infusion more effective and healing. Due to its low calorie content, berry drinks are often included in diets to enrich the diet.

The secret of youth and health is in the composition

Cranberry is a small evergreen shrub from the heather family. Prefers damp, swampy places, peat bogs, sphagnum forests. The berries are harvested in autumn or after the first frost - then it becomes sweeter and juicier. In the northern regions of the country, cranberries have long been used as food as a vitamin and medicine.

Popular even today. It is perfectly stored and even after many months remains a source of vitamins and other useful substances. From fresh and stuffing for, jam and marshmallow are cooked. The fruits are dried, frozen, and what is not made from this tasty and healthy berry. It is also suitable for creating fragrant teas.

Attention. From a therapeutic point of view, the chemical composition of cranberries, namely the content of vitamins, acids, sugars and pectins, is of greatest interest.

Berries are rich in ascorbic acid, catching up with lemons, kiwi and strawberries. They also contain B vitamins, niacin, phylloquinone - a rare element that takes part in the process of blood coagulation and bone mineralization.
Of the sugars, glucose and fructose are especially important. Organic acids are no less interesting: citric, quinic, malic. It is they who give cranberries an invigorating sour-bitter taste. Of the polysaccharides, pectin attracts attention. The substance absorbs all toxins and poisons, cleanses the body and preserves the microflora.

The considered compounds to the greatest extent determine the main medicinal qualities of cranberries and are responsible for its effect on the human body.

Useful properties of marsh berries

You can talk about the benefits of tea with cranberries for a long time. The drink saves from heart disease and blood, fights viruses and bacteria, improves immunity and lowers cholesterol.

In addition, cranberries have the following medicinal properties:

• antibacterial;
• wound healing;
• anti-inflammatory;
• diuretic;
• blood-purifying;
• painkillers;
• hypotensive.

With regular use, cranberries will keep youth and health for many years. They are especially useful to the weaker sex.

Attention. The increased content of iron has a beneficial effect on women's health and reproductive function, and the ability to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and thin the blood will be useful for varicose veins.

Fruits in moderation promote digestion, improve appetite, eliminate the symptoms of dysbacteriosis.

Contraindications

Cranberries are a healthy but very acidic berry. This property of the fruit can adversely affect the gastrointestinal tract, so people with peptic ulcer and gastritis should not abuse drinks from the northern beauty.

Cranberry tea is absolutely contraindicated for people with individual berry intolerance or prone to allergies. Morse is not very useful for hypotensive patients. Excessive drinking can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure.

It is undesirable to give cranberry dishes to babies under 3 years of age. High allergenicity of fruits can cause a number of undesirable reactions, up to vomiting.

Advice. Rinse your mouth thoroughly after drinking teas, as the acid erodes tooth enamel.

How to prepare and save a healing berry

The most useful cranberries harvested before the first frost. It contains all the biologically active substances necessary for the body. In principle, you can pick berries in winter, but its value at this time is noticeably reduced, although the taste improves.
Preserve cranberries in a variety of ways. The simplest and most economical is freezing. The collected fruits are sorted, cleaned of debris and dried. Then they are poured into plastic bags and placed in a refrigerator, where they can be stored for 2-3 years.

Many housewives try to prepare sweet cranberries. Pure berries are placed in glass jars and sprinkled with sugar or poured with honey. The containers are sealed with lids and stored in the basement or pantry. Some do it even easier - pour boiled water over the dishes with berries, close them tightly and put them in a cool place. After being removed from the jar, the fruits do not differ from fresh ones.

Advice. If there is nowhere to store the blanks and there are few berries, they can be dried. The process is laborious and lengthy, but quite affordable.

Ice cream, sweet or soaked - any cranberry is suitable for making refreshing and healing drinks.

Recipes for delicious and healthy tea

Tea from the sour berry is prepared in many ways. A good drink on its own or with the addition of all kinds of tasty and healthy products. For flu, colds, acute respiratory infections or acute respiratory viral infections, it is taken hot, and to enhance the warming effect, it is supplemented with honey or ginger. During the summer heat, cool tea with mint or orange is ideal. It will quickly quench your thirst, give strength and vigor.

There are quite a few recipes for cranberry tea. Let's consider the most interesting ones.

Classic tea

For a drink, take a spoonful of cranberries, knead it and pour a glass of boiling water. Add honey or sugar to the mug and infuse for 5 minutes. Tea is ready.

This simple and tasty mixture is suitable for daily use, quickly restores strength and protects against stress.

Cranberries with mint

This combination of ingredients will be useful and pleasant both in hot summer and in autumn. Only in the latter case, the drink is consumed hot. Mint tea is suitable for children and. It will quickly relieve colic and spasms, reduce the manifestations of toxicosis.

To prepare a drink you will need:

• liter of water;
• 3 art. l. flower honey;
• 200 g cranberries;
• 6 tsp black or green tea;
• 4 tbsp. l. crushed mint leaves.

First, mint tea is brewed. Then crushed berries and honey are added to the drink. The mixture is infused for 10 minutes and consumed hot or chilled as desired.

Warming tea

Prepare such a drink with ginger root. It is especially good on cold winter evenings, when you really want something hot and tasty.

For a warming cocktail take:

• 2 cm unpeeled ginger root;
• 3 art. l. loose tea;
• 4 tbsp. l. cranberry puree;
• 2 liters of water;
• cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom optional.

Spices, crushed ginger and tea are poured with boiling water and infused for 5-6 minutes. Berries are added to the hot mixture, mixed, honey is added to taste. Drink warm.

Attention. This simple recipe for tea with cranberries and ginger will prevent colds and help those who are already sick to recover, boost immunity and improve mood.

Vitamin orangeade

It is not only delicious, but also a very healthy drink. The increased content of ascorbic acid will increase immunity, in winter it will relieve colds and beriberi, in summer it will give a charge of vivacity and good mood. And the combination of sour berries and sweet orange will give the orangeade a unique taste.

For tea you will need:

• 200 grams of cranberries;
• 2 tbsp. l. loose green tea;
• one orange;
• cinnamon and honey to taste.

Mashed fruits and crushed fruit are combined with pre-brewed tea. The mixture is heated over low heat for 60 seconds and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Flower nectar is added to the finished drink. Fragrant and healthy tea is ready.

Cranberries with honey

Everyone knows about the benefits of honey and cranberries. And the combination of these components is doubly healing. The drink helps to fill the lack of vitamins and minerals, improves tone and gives strength.

A couple of tablespoons of cranberries are well kneaded and pour 250 ml of boiling water. Insist 10 minutes under the lid. In the finished tea put 2 tablespoons of honey. Drink warm.

Vitamin drink

In this infusion, cranberries are combined with sea buckthorn. To give softness and reduce acidity, the drink is prepared on the basis of green tea. Vitamin mixture will appeal to adults and children. It will strengthen the body, increase stamina and protect against stress.

For a drink, vitamin fruits are taken in equal amounts, a liter of boiling water and a couple of tablespoons of loose tea. It is better to insist such a cocktail in a thermos. Honey is also added to taste. Consume hot or chilled.

Cranberry tea during pregnancy

Can pregnant women drink cranberry tea? Of course yes. However, it should be remembered that everyone has a different reaction to sour berries, especially during the period of bearing a child. If the body does not accept vitamin tea, you do not need to drink it through force. You can make up for the lack of nutrients in another way.

Advice. When using berries, you need to remember about contraindications. It is better to discuss with your doctor in advance the possibility of including cranberries in your diet.

So, what are the benefits of tea during pregnancy:

• taste with sourness reduces the manifestations of toxicosis;
• cranberry improves intestinal motility, eliminates constipation;
• diuretic and antimicrobial effect and reduces swelling;
• strengthening blood vessels and thinning the blood, the berry protects against the appearance of varicose veins in the later stages;
• folic acid (vitamin B9) prevents malformations in the fetus.

Drinks with cranberries will support the health of a woman at the most crucial moment of her life. If a pregnant woman suffers from hypertension or frequent intestinal upset, tea is a must. Prepare it according to the above recipes, if there is no allergy to additional components.

Cranberries are a valuable medicinal and food product. The beneficial properties of the red berry have been studied for many years. In Rus', the benefits of sour fruit were mentioned as early as the 16th century in Domostroy. Her juice then treated scurvy, cough, fever, treated wounds, cuts. During the study, not only a list of diseases was compiled in which it can have a positive effect on the body, but also a number of contraindications. Zhuravin grows in Russia, Europe, USA. For Americans, this is a festive berry, which is traditionally served with various Thanksgiving dishes.

What is cranberry

An evergreen plant from the Heather family, a shrub with small, thin shoots, up to 30 cm long - cranberry, called the "northern lemon", crane, geravika. The berries of a wild plant are red, spherical, up to 1 cm in diameter. Certain varieties that are bred by breeders have fruits of about 2 cm. The marsh plant begins to bloom in late May - early June, and fruit picking occurs in mid-September, continues until winter. Translated from Latin means "sour ball". Unlike other shrubs, this evergreen bog, vaccinium, lives for over 100 years.

Bog berries are eaten fresh, frozen, dried, soaked, dried. If stored properly, whole, ripe fruits can be stored until late spring. It grows well on forest, tundra and moss marshy soils. More than 20 varieties grow in Karelia, among which there are large-fruited ones. The evergreen swamp grows throughout Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Canada, the North of the USA, Alaska.

Useful properties of berries

Northern fruits have long been considered medicinal due to the high concentration of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Before describing their benefits, it must be pointed out that in case of stomach ulcers, it is not recommended to eat them. Healing properties of sour berries:

• The increased content of antioxidants that protect cells from the harmful effects of free radicals that cause premature aging, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
• The presence in the berries of vitamins B, C, PP, iodine, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron has a positive effect on the work of the cardiovascular, immune, nervous systems, gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal system.
• Fruits have an antiviral, antipyretic effect, fight infections, remove toxins and allergens from the body. The juice of berries with honey helps to eliminate sputum, soften the throat, increase immunity, performance, and brain activity.
• It has a diuretic effect, while not washing out potassium from the body, which strengthens blood vessels.
• Reduces blood pressure, normalizes cholesterol levels, strengthens the walls of blood vessels.
• Enhances the action of antibiotics due to the high content of phytoncides.
• Useful content of bioflavonoids, which enhance the activity of food enzymes, destroy bacteria, stimulate the immune system, slow down the aging process, eliminate free radicals.
• The benzoic acid contained in the fruit has an antimicrobial effect.
• Useful for maintaining the health of the heart, thyroid gland, gastrointestinal tract, nervous, reproductive systems, the creation of red blood cells, antibodies, improving the appearance of hair, skin and nails.
• A high concentration of potassium has a positive effect on the state of blood vessels, capillaries, kidneys, muscles, and the genitourinary system.
• Juice compresses are used for rashes, irritation, skin inflammation, itching, eczema.

What can be cooked from cranberries

Northern lemon goes well with both sweet and meat dishes, it is difficult to find a product with which she is not able to make friends. Recipes using sour fruits diversify the home menu, cranberry dishes:

• granola with apples, dried fruits and northern berries;
• salsa;
• cocktails: vitamin fruit drink, juice, jelly;
• pastries: muffins, pancakes, pancakes, pies, cakes, bread and more;
• cranberry oil;
• sorbet, mousse;
• sauce;
• meatballs, meatballs;
• salad;
• jam;
• vitamin sweets, etc.

Preparations for the treatment and prevention of diseases

For long-term preservation of the beneficial properties of berries, it is better to choose those that are harvested before frost, but managed to ripen on a branch. Fruits that are harvested unripe will not be stored for a long time, while they are inferior to mature ones in nutritional value. A whole, undamaged "severyak" is well stored in a dark, cool place for up to three months, and if it is put into jars and poured with cold distilled water, then the shelf life increases to eight months. It is recommended to change the water in such a blank every 2-3 weeks.

In the process of harvesting fruits for the winter, it is not recommended to heat them, because. while useful properties are lost, vitamins are destroyed. All valuable qualities, including vitamin C, will be preserved for a long time by rubbed with granulated sugar. To make it, fresh berries are carefully sorted out, mixed with sugar in a ratio of 1 to 1, left for several hours to let the juice flow. Then they interrupt everything with a submersible blender or pound with a wooden mortar. Arranged in sterile dry jars, stored in a refrigerator or cellar.

You can make an effective remedy for a sore throat: mix cranberry and beetroot juices, honey and vodka in equal amounts. Leave the mixture for three days. Use 1 tbsp. l. three times a day. Tones, gives strength, energy, increases the ability to work sour cranberry tea. It is very simple to make it - put a handful of fruits in a mug, crush and add honey to taste, pour hot water.

An effective remedy for the treatment and prevention of colds is cranberry juice. To make medicine, you need to take three glasses of northern fruits, knead and squeeze out the juice, filtering through a sieve. The remaining cake pour 2-2.5 liters of boiling water, add sugar to taste, bring to a boil, remove from heat, leave to brew. After cooling, strain and add the juice drained earlier.

Baking with cranberries

Bright red "severyak" is ideal for preparing delicious desserts that can be prepared almost all year round, because. it is well kept. Fresh fruits appear on the shelves in early autumn and are sold until late spring, while frozen ones are available all year round. Berries are rich in pectin, thanks to which they can be used to make excellent fillings for pies, cakes, strong jelly, thick jam. For a child, you can make a cupcake from cranberries, which you can cook with him. This will require the ingredients:

• flour - 250 g;
• butter or margarine - 160 g;
• sugar - 1 tbsp.;
• eggs - 2-3 pcs.;
• milk - 130 ml;
• sour cream - 3 tbsp. l.;
• cranberries - 270 g;
• orange - 0.5 pcs.;
• baking powder - 2 tsp;
• salt - a pinch.

First you need to squeeze the juice from half an orange, grate the zest. Put the fruits, half of the sugar, 70 ml of water and the resulting juice into a saucepan. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes until the berry softens, remove from heat and cool. Then beat the butter and the remaining sugar until white, add the eggs one by one. Continuing to beat, add in turn the sifted flour, milk, sour cream, orange zest. Pour the batter into a greased springform pan, smooth with a spatula. Then pour out the filling. Bake at 175 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool in shape.

Another great recipe that is perfect for a snack at work or school is vitamin cereal and nut bars. To make them, you will need:

• cereal mixture - 250 g;
• honey - 100 ml;
• chocolate - 200 g;
• nuts - 150 g;
• pumpkin seeds - 70 g;
• northern fruits - 100 g;
• raisins - 50 g;
• dried fruits to taste - 100 g.

First you need to chop nuts, seeds, dried fruits, mix everything with cereals and fruits of the bog. Heat honey and gently mix with dry ingredients. Transfer the resulting mass into a greased form and tamp well. Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C until golden brown. Cool the resulting cake well, turn it over onto a tray. Melt chocolate in the microwave, pour future bars over it. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then cut into portions.

Soaked and dried berries

There are many ways to preserve the northern lemon for the winter, including drying and urinating. The dried berry loses a little in vitamins, but it is stored much longer fresh. The drying harvesting technology is simple - the fruits must be sorted out, washed and dried, poured in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Everything is sent to the oven with a temperature of up to 70 ° C for 7-10 hours. Another way to make a blank is to dry it in the sun. You can spread the berry on the spacing, or string it on a rope and hang it in a ventilated sunny place.

The maximum benefit is preserved in the soaked berry, which is prepared with a minimum of cost and effort. All you need is a crane and distilled water. To prevent fermentation, the fruits must be sorted out, removing the damaged ones, rinse them in water. Then pour into jars, fill with water, cover with a lid and take out to a cool, dark place. In this form, it is stored for up to a year.

Sauces for second courses

Beef, lamb, duck, goose, turkey, and even game pair perfectly with cranberry sauce, which is good for its sweet and sour taste and appetite awakening aroma. All kinds of spices, herbs, onions, garlic, citrus zest, ginger, honey are added to it. One of the easiest recipes is red sour berry salsa, which is easy to make with these ingredients:

• cranberries - 2 tbsp.;
• granulated sugar - 50 g;
• lemon juice - 3 tbsp. l.;
• fresh ginger - 1 tbsp. l.;
• greens - 4 tbsp. l.

Pour all the ingredients into the blender bowl and grind until gruel. Add salt and pepper to taste. It goes well with pork and other meats, as well as with cheese and cottage cheese. Another quick sauce recipe is cranberry-onion sauce, which is prepared similarly to the first, except that blanched onions are added instead of ginger, and the whole mixture is boiled for 10 minutes. The zhereviki sauce can be made from your favorite ingredients, adding herbs, spices, and it will sparkle with a new taste and aroma.

Juices and drinks

Various drinks are prepared from the crane: juice, jelly, fruit drink, compote, liqueur, tincture, kvass, liquor and even wine. Marshberry juice is good to make from fresh or frozen fruits. For 200 grams of berries, you need to take 0.5 cups of granulated sugar and 1 liter of water. Zheravika needs to be kneaded, squeeze the juice out of it, pour the resulting cake with water, add sugar and bring to a boil. Then cool, strain and mix with juice. Morse is ready to use.

Cranberry compote is a tasty and healthy drink. For a classic recipe, you need 250 g of crane, 1.5 liters of water and 0.5 cups of sugar. First you need to sort and wash the berries, pour water into a cooking pot, and add the fruits already to boiling water in order to preserve the maximum of vitamins. Boil for 5 minutes, add sugar, remove from heat, leave to infuse until cool. After that, the berries are removed with a slotted spoon.

Freshly squeezed juice from the sour "severyak" is a source of vitamins and minerals contained in the fruits, which have a positive effect on the work of the whole organism. In order to make this drink, you need to take ripe berries, crush them and squeeze out the juice using cheesecloth or a fine sieve. A juicer is also perfect for this purpose, which will greatly facilitate the process. A fresh drink has healing properties, so it is recommended to prepare it in small portions.

Cranberry Recipes

Healthy northern lemon goes well with a variety of dishes. The berry is good for making fruit drinks, juice, compote, in which you can add apples, pears, pumpkins - our traditional autumn fruits and vegetables. It is good to make exquisite jelly from mashed fruits, a thick filling for pies, muffins and buns. A variety of recipes for cranberry sauce will not leave indifferent any culinary connoisseur, as the berry goes well with game, pork, beef, lamb. The fruit is added to tea, cookies, casseroles, salads, sauerkraut and many other recipes.

Home mors

• Time: 50 min.
• Servings: 5-6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 23 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for breakfast, for an afternoon snack.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

According to this recipe, mothers and grandmothers prepared fruit drinks when their children had the first signs of a cold. Years have passed, and the recipe is still relevant. The main advantage of zhereviki is the ability to store it fresh for several months, and in the freezer - up to one year. All year round you can pamper your family with a fresh vitamin drink.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 2 tbsp.;
• water - 1 l;
• honey or granulated sugar - to taste;
• juice of half a lemon.

Cooking method:

1. Rub the berries through a sieve, put the remaining cake in a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat, leave to cool.
3. Strain the broth, mix with squeezed cranberry juice.
4. Pour sugar and add lemon to taste.

cranberry tincture recipe

• Time: 60 minutes preparation, 7 days steeping.
• Servings: 10 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 190 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: drinks.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Homemade alcoholic drink based on vodka and cranes - tincture. Some recipes include sugar as an ingredient, while others use herbs such as lemon balm. The basic recipe for making an alcoholic drink can be made at your discretion, add your favorite ingredients, remove unloved ones. Store homemade northern lemon tincture in the refrigerator for up to one year.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 300 g;
• vodka or cognac - 0.5 l;
• water - 200 ml.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the berries, sort, dry. Fold in a jar with a volume of 1-1.5 liters. Crush until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
2. Pour vodka or cognac, distilled water and stir.
3. Cover the jar with a lid, leave for 7-10 days in a dark, cool place.
4. Then the drink must be filtered through several layers of gauze.
5. To make the drink sweeter, you need to add sugar to taste in the tincture.

Shortcrust cranberry pie

• Time: 90 minutes.
• Number of servings: 6-7 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 364 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: medium.

Swamp berries can be used to make various pies, cakes, pastries and muffins. Shortcrust pastry goes well with light sourness. The sweetness of the cake can be adjusted by the amount of sugar added. Zheravika can be used both fresh and frozen, and even soaked. You can add cinnamon, citrus zest, ginger, and other spices to the filling.

Ingredients:

• flour - 350 g;
• frozen butter - 300 g;
• sugar - 1 tbsp.;
• eggs - 3 pcs.;
• salt - a pinch;
• cranberries - 0.5 kg;
• sugar - 200 g;
• whipped cream for serving - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Butter cut into small cubes, mix with flour, salt and sugar. Grind the mixture so that crumbs are obtained.
2. Then the eggs are added one at a time, each time mixing the dough until smooth.
3. Knead tight shortcrust pastry, wrap in cling film, refrigerate for 40-60 minutes.
4. Mix cranberries with sugar, boil over low heat for 10-15 minutes until the skin of the berry bursts. Cool the resulting mass.
5. From the dough, it is necessary to roll out a layer 2-3 cm larger than the baking dish, cover it with baking paper. Transfer the dough to the form, trim the excess around the edges, if necessary. Poke 10-15 holes in the dough with a fork.
6. Send the pie base to bake at 185 ° C for 5-10 minutes until the dough is browned. Get it, cool the resulting cake a little.
7. Pour breadcrumbs into the filling for the pie. Their amount depends on the density of the cranberry jam, they should absorb excess liquid. If the filling is moderately thick, then you can do it without them.
8. Pour the zherevich with sugar into the pie and send it to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until fully cooked.
9. Serve with whipped cream.

• Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Servings: 10 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 312 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Sweets called "cranberries in sugar" are not only a very tasty and original dessert, but also a healthy preparation that will not do harm, but only benefit, especially in the autumn-winter season, when there is a risk of catching a cold. Such a delicacy is eaten with pleasure by children, not even suspecting what sweets are made of. Due to the lack of heat treatment, crane retains all useful properties.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 1 kg;
• egg white - 2 pcs.;
• powdered sugar - 1 kg.

Cooking method:

1. Prepare cranberries - clean them of debris, rinse, dry well.
2. Squirrels lightly beat with a whisk, mix them with berries.
3. Put them in a colander, let the excess protein drain.
4. Alternately, in small portions, roll the zherevich in powdered sugar.
5. Put on baking paper, dry at room temperature for 2.5-3 hours, or in the oven at 50 ° C for 30 minutes.
6. If desired, you can repeat steps 4-5 to get a denser layer of powdered sugar.
7. Place candies in airtight containers.

Kissel lingonberry-cranberry

• Time: 60 min.
• Servings: 2 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 53 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

A traditional Russian drink - jelly made from cranes and lingonberries, or any other berries, will decorate both an ordinary and a festive table in any family. An obligatory component of this drink is starch, due to which it acquires a jelly-like form. The more starch you add to your drink, the thicker it will be. Fresh or frozen fruits, or cranberry juice are added to homemade jelly, thanks to which the maximum benefit of the swamp is preserved.

Ingredients:

• cranberries, lingonberries - 150 g;
• sugar - 100 g;
• potato starch - 1 tbsp. l.;
• water - 650 ml.

Cooking method:

1. Sort the berries and wash well. Rub through a sieve, squeeze out the juice and set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Transfer the cake to a cooking container, pour hot water, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth or sieve.
3. Add sugar to the resulting broth, bring to a boil again, removing the foam.
4. In a separate bowl, dilute starch with cold water so that there are no lumps. Pour the starch into the boiling berry syrup in a thin stream, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
5. Add squeezed berry juice to hot jelly, mix well. Lingonberry-cranberry jelly is ready.

Sauerkraut with cranberries

• Time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Servings: 10 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 47 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: snack.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Sauerkraut with northern lemon is an easy-to-prepare and inexpensive product that contains almost all B, A, C, K vitamins necessary for human health, as well as antioxidants and minerals. All these components strengthen the immune system and prevent premature aging. With regular consumption of sauerkraut with marsh berries, the cells are enriched with nutrients, which contributes to their regeneration.

Ingredients:

• white cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots - 200 g;
• cranberries - 200 g;
• dill seeds - 10 g;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt - 75 g;
• bay leaf - 3-4 pieces;
• black pepper - a pinch.

Cooking method:

1. Clean the cabbage from the upper leaves, rinse. Chop into thin strips, avoiding the stalk.
2. Grate carrots on a coarse grater.
3. Sort and wash the berries.
4. Sprinkle chopped vegetables with salt, sugar, dill seeds, pepper. Knead and mix with your hands until the juice appears.
5. Put a bay leaf on the bottom of the container for sauerkraut. Lay cabbage in layers, sprinkling it with red fruits and bay leaves.
6. Tamp the cabbage so that it starts up the juice, put oppression and cover with gauze.
7. Leave in a warm place for 3-4 days.
8. Transfer the prepared cabbage to jars, close with nylon lids.
9. Store in a dark cool place. Serve with vegetable oil, onions and herbs.

Puff pastries with berry filling

• Time: 60 minutes.
• Calorie content of the dish: 250 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: medium.

Zhuravina is a real storehouse of vitamins, so it is used to prepare various dishes, including puff pastry baking. Puffs with berry filling is a recipe from the “guests on the doorstep” category. The dish is prepared quickly and easily, and the result is delicious pies that are much better and healthier than store-bought counterparts. You can make puff pastry yourself, or you can buy it at the store. Below is a recipe for cranberry puffs from ready-made puff yeast dough.

Ingredients:

• puff pastry - 0.5 kg;
• berries - 200 g;
• sugar - 3-4 tbsp. l.;
• starch - 1 tbsp. l.;
• egg yolk - 1 pc.

Cooking method:

1. Berries fall asleep with sugar and starch. Leave for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough into a layer 3 mm thick, cut it into rectangles.
3. Put a spoonful of berries on each piece of dough, after draining the juice.
4. Then you need to fold the rectangle in half and fasten the edges of the pie with a fork.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the puffs on it. Brush them with egg yolk.
6. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for 20-30 minutes.

Sweet and sour cranberry meat sauce

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Servings: 3-4 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 153 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: sauce.
• Cuisine: Russian, American.
• Difficulty: easy.

To get the right sauce with exquisite taste, color and aroma, it is recommended to use only fresh berries. Unripe fruits will add unnecessary bitterness to the dish. The classic red sweet and sour sauce recipe is easy to make with berries that are initially boiled until they burst. Then the rest of the ingredients are added, which you can add and remove at your discretion.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 500 g;
• onion - 100 g;
• sugar - 200 g;
• apple cider vinegar - 150 ml;
• cinnamon - a pinch;
• cloves - to taste;
• salt, pepper - to taste;
• garlic powder - 1/3 tsp;
• water - 1 tbsp.

Cooking method:

1. Berries and chopped onions put in a saucepan, pour water, bring to a boil over low heat, simmer for 7-10 minutes.
2. Beat the resulting mass with a blender, add spices and vinegar.
3. Put on fire, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes until a homogeneous sauce.
4. Serve chilled with any kind of meat.

Cranberries for the winter without cooking

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Number of servings: 4-5 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 212 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

The benefits of marsh red fruits have long been known, but only fresh berries have healing properties, because. during heat treatment, most of the vitamins and trace elements are destroyed. One of the sparing recipes for its preparation for the winter is considered "cold jam". Making berries pureed with sugar is quick and easy, but there are some nuances. Heat treatment destroys pathogenic microflora, thereby increasing the shelf life of canning products. Preparations that are made without cooking require strict adherence to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 1 kg;
• sugar - 1 kg.

Cooking method:

1. All berries must be carefully reviewed, spoiled ones removed. Rinse them in running water and dry well with a paper towel. There should be no moisture on the fruits.
2. Banks for harvesting must be sterilized.
3. Geravik can be pureed in a blender, twisted in a meat grinder or rubbed through a sieve.
4. Pour the resulting puree with sugar, cover with gauze and leave for 10-12 hours.
5. Then mix the jam well, arrange in sterile jars and close the lid.
6. You need to store such a dish in the refrigerator or basement.

Salad with cranberries

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Servings: 2 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 32 kcal per 100 g.
• Purpose: snack.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

White cabbage salad with cranberries is not only a healthy vitamin product, but also a recipe for a dietary diet. The calorie content of this dish is only 32 kcal per 100 g of product. The salad is perfect for those people who are fasting or vegetarian. Red fruits and cabbage are the two main ingredients, and the rest of the components can be replaced. Instead of vegetable oil, low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt is used.

According to doctors, cranberries are among the most useful foods for humans. It has many healing properties, and in terms of taste characteristics it is not inferior to other types of wild berries.

History and geography of the product

The homeland of cranberries is North America, where it appeared in the diet of local residents as early as the 16th century. Mostly wild berries were consumed fresh and used for filling pies. Later they learned to get nourishing juice and excellent medicine from them by mixing berries with animal fat. In winter, this remedy was saved from colds and strengthened weakened immunity.

Since the 19th century, cranberries have been actively grown on special plantations in the United States, which today are the largest producer of this amazing berry. The same plantations began to be created in Belarus, Canada, Poland and in the countries of Northern Europe.

In Russia, cranberries grow throughout the territory, including Kamchatka, the Far East, Siberia and the Arctic. Most of Ukraine, European countries, Canada, northern United States and Alaska are rich in this berry.

In the wild, cranberries can be found in almost all countries where there are swampy forest soils, peat areas with high acidity, sphagnum and moss bogs. Of all the berry bushes, cranberries have the longest lifespan. Some species live over 100 years.

Species and varieties

In nature, there are several types of cranberries, and all of them have edible berries. Particularly common are its types, such as:

American cranberry (large-fruited) introduced from North America. It is grown mainly for commercial purposes;
common cranberry, growing everywhere where there are sphagnum and peat bogs. It is most often used in a processed form;
red cranberry, common in the mountains of East Asia and South America.

Small-fruited cranberries are also used for food, but because of the small and sour berries, they are not very in demand.

Among the varieties, the most popular varieties of cranberries:

WITH early term maturation: "Ben Lear", "Erliblack";
co medium term maturation: "Bergman", "Wilcox", "Hoves", "Franklin";
With late deadline maturation: McFarlin, Pilgrim, Stevens.

Among the varieties of cranberries, there are small-fruited, large-fruited and varieties with medium-sized fruits. They are also classified into table, technical and universal varieties.

Beneficial features

In terms of the content of nutrients, cranberries surpass many common types of berries. It contains vitamins of groups B, C, K1, PP, organic acids, bioflavonoids, pectin substances and a whole range of trace elements, including iodine, boron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron. All the substances necessary for the human body found in cranberries are well balanced, which allows them to be absorbed with maximum benefit.

Cranberries are rich in natural antioxidants. Ripe berries are rich in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidin - substances that have a bactericidal effect. They have a destructive effect on harmful bacteria, strengthen the immune system and help to quickly cope with colds. Thanks to antioxidants, cranberries slow down oxidative processes in the body, thereby protecting its cells, tissues and blood vessels from destruction.

The juice of the berries contains the substance resveratrol, which prevents the formation of cancer cells in the prostate and large intestine, so the berries must be consumed to prevent cancer. Oleanolic and ursolic acids contained in cranberries nourish the heart muscle, dilate blood vessels and stimulate the pancreas. Thanks to these elements, cranberry eliminates headaches well. It must be included in your diet cores and people suffering from high blood pressure. It helps to normalize blood pressure, reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol.

Cranberries are low-calorie foods with antipyretic, antimicrobial and diuretic effects. 100 g of berries contain only 26 kcal, which makes it possible to include it in dietary dishes with overweight. The systematic use of berries, especially in the winter-spring period, helps to reduce the risk of developing infectious and vascular diseases.

Taste qualities

Cranberries are valued not only as a universal healing agent, but also as a product with excellent taste characteristics. It has an important feature - it retains its taste and nutritional properties for a long time even after transportation over long distances.

Ripe cranberries have a rich color and a pronounced sour-sweet taste with a slight bitterness. Unripe fruits are tart.

Cranberries are good in their natural form, and if you add them to ready-made dishes, they will become even tastier and healthier. The spicy sauce prepared on its basis will successfully complement poultry, meat or fish dishes and will allow them to reveal their taste qualities brighter.

Application in cooking

Cranberries are eaten frozen, fresh, dried and soaked. It is nutritious and useful in any state, since it almost does not lose its beneficial properties during processing. Cranberries go well with oranges, apples, fresh vegetables, salted mushrooms, nuts. It perfectly complements the taste of river fish, seafood, poultry and different types of meat.

Fortified fruit drinks, jelly, jelly, cocktails, juices, cranberry kvass, marshmallow are prepared from cranberries. It is added to vegetable salads, pies and various desserts. Cranberries are very popular, rolled in powdered sugar or grated with sugar. In this form, it is stored for a long time and can later be used for making desserts.

Cranberries are used in sauerkraut, in the preparation of hot sauces and seasonings for fish, meat and poultry dishes. It is used in the production of liqueurs and tinctures to give them a richer color, subtle aroma and a pleasant sour taste. Cranberry leaves are used as tea, steaming them with boiling water and insisting for a while.

Cranberries are a valuable and tasty food product that should be eaten as often as possible. It improves immunity, gives strength, energy and prevents the development of many diseases.

Berries are healthy treats that indulge in a real variety of tastes and smells. To make the perfect berry drink or dessert, you need to know what combinations are best to use them. Here are the most successful combinations of berries, fruits, spices and alcoholic beverages to create culinary masterpieces.

Cranberry- due to its pleasant sourness, it should be combined with sweet and delicate foods. Cranberry juice It will be even better if you add a mango, sweet apple or pear to it. Cranberries also pair well with gin, orange liqueur, cream, kefir, chocolate, and cinnamon.

Cowberry- gets along well with green apples, cloves, cinnamon, orange and currants. It can be added to tequila, martini and jasmine tea. If you want to add bitterness to the drink, the best choice would be cowberry. Recipes very popular with her.

Sea ​​buckthorn- it is combined with almost all berries and fruits of a similar orange color. It can be combined with dried apricots, quince, citrus fruits, persimmons, pears, pineapples, apricots and bananas. From alcohol, sea buckthorn can be mixed with vodka, cognac and champagne.

Strawberry- gets along wonderfully with cherries, kiwis, blueberries, peaches, oranges, bananas, melons, blackberries and of course chocolate. It can be added to rum, soda or vodka. Strawberries can even be made into nutritious smoothies with cereal, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

Order natural berries with sugar from us, in which all useful properties and vitamins are preserved (without heat treatment)

Currant- goes well with alcoholic beverages, in particular port, gin and dark rum. Of the berries she is more suited to, blackberries, lingonberries, raspberries and cranberry. Recipes with currants often also include chocolate, lemon balm and cottage cheese.

Blueberry- reveals its taste even better with strawberries, blackberries, oranges and green tea. For flavor, it is added to vermouth, red wine and vodka. With rum, the most successful combination will also be blueberry. Recipes alcoholic beverages using this berry are almost limitless.

Raspberries- a versatile berry that goes especially well with oranges, cherries, plums, currants, apricots and its sister blackberry. There is practically no such dessert or refreshing drink in which there would be an extra raspberries. Recipes with it should always be on the notice of gourmets.

Cherry- very good friends with cinnamon, citrus fruits, pineapples, plums, apples, strawberries, raspberries and other types of berries. It can be added to cognacs, liqueurs, vermouths, red wines and get stunning cocktails.

Blackberry- pairs perfectly with raspberries, oranges, blueberries, currants and strawberries. From it you can make both a sweet dessert, an alcoholic cocktail and a sweet mors. Recipes full of different options.

Almost all types of berries are combined with ginger, honey, vanilla, mint, ice cream, yogurt and other types of dairy products. In the range of "Berry Master" you can find the best berry base for culinary experiments. These are berry purees and fresh jams of the highest class!

Berries for all diseases

All beneficial properties of berries impossible to enumerate. These are safe and truly effective medicines that can prevent the occurrence of diseases and even help in the treatment ... alcoholic cocktails at home. They can be used as...

Cranberry juice will increase your appetite, and help you cope with a cold. After all, the beneficial properties of the wild berries that make up the composition can hardly be overestimated: it has antipyretic, firming and anti-inflammatory properties, as a result of which it turns the drink into a healing drink that helps to cope with ailments in the off-season.

How to cook cranberry juice?

Cranberry juice - does not require much effort, time, special skills and is very easy to prepare. As a rule, the berries are kneaded, boiled in water for no more than 5 minutes, squeezed, filtered and left to cool the broth. For taste, sugar, honey, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon are added to the drink, and herbal decoctions are added to enhance the beneficial qualities. Although making cranberry juice is a simple process, a few tips will help improve the quality of the drink.

1. Ready fruit drinks can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days, otherwise the drink will become absolutely useless.
2. To preserve vitamins, it is better to squeeze the berries into a cooled fruit drink.
3. You should not get carried away with long heat treatment: the longer the berries are boiled, the less their value.
4. When choosing a sweetener, it is better to give preference to honey.

Cranberry juice is a recipe aimed at maximizing the preservation of nutrients and vitamins, therefore, fresh berries are not subjected to heat treatment, but simply gently crushed and juice is squeezed out of them. The squeezes are poured with water, brought to a boil and filtered. The finished broth is cooled and, only chilled, combined with berry juice.

Ingredients:

• fresh cranberries - 550 g;
• water - 2.5 l;
• sugar - 250 g.

Cooking

1. Gently mash the washed cranberries.
2. Put the remaining squeezes in a saucepan, fill with water and bring the mass to a boil.
3. Squeeze out the hot broth, add sugar, mix and cool.
4. After cooling, mix the decoction with berry juice. Cranberry fresh juice can be drunk immediately or sent to the refrigerator.

Cranberry juice from frozen berries - recipe

Those who did not have time to stock up on healthy fresh berries in the season can cook fruit drinks from frozen cranberries. Such berries are no worse than fresh ones, and when properly defrosted and cooked, they do not lose their properties and are superior to many other drinks. You only need to rinse the berries in cold water, let them thaw for a couple of minutes and follow the suggested recipe.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 200 g;
• sugar - 100 g;
• water - 1.5 l.

Cooking

1. Give the cranberries time to thaw: rinse the berries with cold water and hold for 5 minutes at room temperature.
2. Put in a blender and grind.
3. Put the crushed mass in gauze and squeeze the juice into the pan.
4. Add water, sugar, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
5. Leave homemade cranberry juice for 15 minutes, then strain and drink.

Due to the concentration of vitamins, wild berries are too acidic and not suitable for eating. It is much more pleasant to see them on the table collected in one vitamin drink at once. An excellent example of such a neighborhood is cranberry and lingonberry juice. With it, you can replenish the supply of vitamins, and enjoy a delicate, sweetish taste.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 350 g;
• lingonberries - 250 g;
• water - 3 l;
• sugar - 150 g.

Cooking

1. Rub the cranberries and lingonberries through a sieve.
2. Send the juice to the refrigerator, and pour the squeezed berries with water, add sugar and boil for 2 minutes.
3. Cool, strain and mix with berry juice.

Many housewives also prefer cranberries to all other vitamin drinks. The thing is that this is the most correct and healthy way to combine garden and wild berries rich in useful properties in order to taste rich in taste, refreshing and invigorating healing nectar. The latter will quench your thirst and warm you in the cold.

Ingredients:

• blackcurrant - 300 g;
• cranberries - 250 g;
• sugar - 150 g;
• water - 1.5 l.

Cooking

1. Rinse and mash blackcurrants and cranberries.
2. Put in cheesecloth and squeeze the juice into a separate container.
3. Pour the remaining berry pomace with water and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Strain hot broth, add sugar and cool.
5. Mix with berry juice and refrigerate for storage.

Cranberry juice without sugar is not only useful, but an effective remedy. An unsweetened drink quenches thirst faster at high temperatures, improves body tone and helps fight overexertion. In addition, this is a great opportunity to enjoy the taste of berries in their purest form.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 200 g;
• water - 1.5 l.

Cooking

1. Grind the cranberries, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth.
2. Pour the berry pulp with water and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Cool the broth, strain and mix with berry juice.
4. Such cranberry juice is recommended to drink immediately after preparation.

Cranberry juice with honey - recipe

Cranberry juice with honey is a popular drink. The reason for this is the use of two natural components, which are a source of useful substances, to preserve which, it is better not to subject the berries to heat treatment, but to chop, squeeze and mix with water and honey. The latter, in combination with cranberries, will help in solving seasonal problems.

Ingredients:

• water - 2.5 l;
• cranberries - 550 g;
• honey - 80 g.

Cooking

1. Scald cranberries with boiling water.
2. Grind in a blender.
3. Dilute the mass with cold drinking water and strain.
4. Season cranberry juice with honey and mix.

Cranberry juice in a slow cooker

One of the most correct and healthy ways of cooking, because in order to preserve all the beneficial properties of berries, they do not need to be boiled. In this case, the slow cooker will only perform the function of a thermos, thanks to which the drink will preserve the vitamin reserve as much as possible and convey the taste and natural aroma of wild berries.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 450 g;
• sugar - 200 g;
• boiling water - 1.5 liters.

Cooking

1. Grind the berries, squeeze the juice into a separate container and refrigerate.
2. Put the squeezers in the slow cooker, pour in boiling water and turn on the "Heating" mode for 1.5 hours.
3. After the time, strain, add sugar and berry juice.
4. Ready juice is better to use immediately or send for storage in the refrigerator.

The best way to include a child in the menu is to cook cranberry juice. Moreover, the children's recipe is not much different from the traditional one, which is convenient for parents who can prepare a drink for the whole family. The susceptibility of an immature organism should be taken into account and for the first time dilute the fruit drink by half with water.

Ingredients:

• cranberries - 150 g;
• water - 1.5 l;
• sugar - 80 g.

Cooking

1. Before preparing cranberry juice for a child, the berries must be steamed in a water bath for 3 minutes.
2. Gently mash, squeeze and put the juice in the refrigerator.
3. Fill the squeezes with water, boil for 10 minutes, cool and strain.
4. Mix with sugar and berry juice.
5. Cranberry children's juice is recommended to be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.