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What is the difference between lingonberries and cranberries and which is healthier? Guide to autumn berries: Lingonberries, viburnum, sea buckthorn and other vitamin bombs How much iron is in cranberries, lingonberries, viburnum

In October and early November, you can freely buy the last autumn berries at markets and fairs: viburnum, cranberries and sea buckthorn. Bright, juicy, sour-bitter - these berries are a valuable gift from nature, because each contains a huge amount of vitamins. They help with colds, increase immunity, and replenish vitamin deficiencies.
Autumn berries are usually not eaten raw, except by those with a specific taste. But they make preserves and jams, bake pies with them or make juices. Previously, healthy berries were soaked or fermented, but now they are often frozen.

Sea ​​buckthorn

A unique berry, unfortunately, little in demand. Maybe because it is difficult to collect and, accordingly, it is expensive in markets and fairs. Or maybe because of its specific sour-astringent taste.
Be that as it may, sea buckthorn is very useful. It contains a huge list of vitamins: C, B1, B2, PP, K, P and E, carotene, as well as many flavonoids, iron, boron, manganese. There are tannins and fatty acids (oleic, linoleic). In addition, sea buckthorn berries contain serotonin, which is responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system.

Sea buckthorn relieves cough, runny nose and other respiratory diseases. And sea buckthorn oil has a bactericidal and wound-healing effect.

Cake with sea buckthorn cream

1 chocolate bar
2/3 stick of butter
50 g powdered sugar
1.5 cups flour
Filling:
2 cups sea buckthorn
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp. butter

Step 1. Melt the chocolate in a water bath. Cool slightly.
Step 2. Grind the powder with butter and add chocolate. Stir and sift the flour.
Step 3. Quickly stir the dough, form it into a ball and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.
Step 4. Grease a baking pan, spread the dough over it, make sides and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.
Step 5. Rub the sea buckthorn through a sieve. Add butter and sugar to the puree and bring to a boil.
Step 6. Beat the eggs, pour in the hot puree, place in a water bath and cook until thick, stirring constantly.
Step 7. Cool. Then place it on the baked base. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Apples baked with sea buckthorn

4 apples
1 cup sea buckthorn
1 cup of sugar
2 glasses of water

Step 1. Core the apples with plenty of pulp.
Step 2. Squeeze out 1/3 of the sea buckthorn. Set aside the juice, mix the juices with apple pulp and add hot water.
Step 3. Boil the apples until soft, then strain the broth, rub the apples through a sieve.
Step 4. Add 1/3 cup of sugar to the broth and cook the syrup. Remove from heat and add squeezed juice.
Step 5. Wash the sea buckthorn and sprinkle with sugar. Fill apples with mixture.
Step 6. Bake the apples in the oven until soft, pour over apple sauce when serving.

Sea buckthorn jam

1 kg sea buckthorn
2 kg sugar

Step 1. Wash and dry the berries.
Step 2. Grind the berries with sugar. Store in a dark place.

Sea buckthorn oil

Sea buckthorn juice extracts
Any vegetable oil

Step 1. Fill the presses with oil and leave for a month
Step 2. Strain and use for salad dressing or for cosmetic purposes.

Cranberry

The most delicious and versatile autumn berry. Fruit drinks, kvass, pies, jams, mochenya, fermentations, salads, meat dishes and even soups - in October you can organize entire cranberry feasts.

Cranberry acts as an excellent antipyretic, cooling and antiscorbutic agent; it also enhances the effect of antibiotics and sulfonamides. Cranberry also improves digestion and has a diuretic and bactericidal effect.

In winter and early spring, frozen cranberries will help fight vitamin deficiency and improve your mood.

Winter salad with cranberries

3 carrots
4 potatoes
1 can of peas
100 g salted mushrooms
1 white onion
½ cup cranberries
Greenery
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Step 1. Boil and peel carrots and potatoes. Cut into cubes.
Step 2. Chop mushrooms and onions. Mix all the vegetables.
Step 3. Add cranberries and peas. Add chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Fill with oil.

Cranberry-orange sauce for meat dishes

2 oranges
1.5 cups sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
A small piece of ginger
2 cups cranberries
Pepper

Step 1. Cut the zest from the oranges and squeeze out the juice.
Step 2. Mix sugar and orange juice, bring to a boil, cook until the syrup begins to thicken.
Step 3. Remove from heat, add cranberries, lemon juice, ginger, a few strips of orange zest, and pepper.
Step 4: Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the cranberries begin to pop, about 7 minutes.
Step 5. Cool before serving.

Cranberries in sugar

500 g cranberries
500 g powdered sugar
1 protein

Step 1. Wash and dry the cranberries. The berries must be whole, strong, and large.
Step 2. Beat the egg white a little, add to the cranberries and mix gently so that each berry is covered with protein.
Step 3. Pour powdered sugar onto a board and roll the berries in it.

Kalina

This is one of the most effective berries for colds. People also said about viburnum that there is no disease for which viburnum would not help. But this, of course, is an exaggeration, since this berry also has contraindications, for example, it should not be consumed in case of hypotension, pregnancy, arthritis, gout, urolithiasis, increased acidity of gastric juice, thrombophlebitis.

Viburnum contains a huge amount of useful substances. It strengthens the heart, helps with nervous disorders and insomnia, is an excellent cough reliever, and is a diaphoretic.

Viburnum is a berry with a slightly bitter taste. It is collected after the first frost, since it is frost that relieves viburnum from excessive bitterness. Jams, marmalades, and marmalades are made from viburnum. Sometimes it is simply rubbed with sugar or honey and drunk as a snack with tea.

Viburnum marmalade with apples

1 kg viburnum
3 Antonov apples
1.5 kg sugar

Step 1. Peel and core apples. Cut into large slices and bake in the oven.
Step 2. Steam the berries in the oven. Then rub them through a sieve along with the baked apples.
Step 3. Add sugar to the puree and cook until it thickens.
Step 4. Pour the mixture into a baking dish or baking sheet in a thin layer and dry in a warm oven (50-60 degrees). Then cut into pieces.

Pumpkin jam with viburnum

500 g pumpkin
500 g viburnum
1 kg sugar

Step 1. Wash the viburnum without removing it from the brushes, place it in a colander, steam blanch over boiling water for 5 minutes and immediately rub through a sieve.
Step 2. Peel the pumpkin, cut into small cubes, simmer in a small amount of water until soft and rub through a sieve.
Step 3. Mix pumpkin puree and grated viburnum, heat to a boil and add granulated sugar, stirring continuously. Simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes, making sure it doesn't burn.
Step 4. Pour the finished jam hot into sterilized jars.

Cranberry juice is a delicious drink that even a novice cook can prepare. It easily overcomes thirst and brings many benefits to the body.

Cranberries are the undisputed leader among berries in terms of the volume of nutrients. It has found application in the field of cosmetology and medicine, but is more often used in cooking.

Classic cranberry juice

Ingredients:

  • Water – 1.5 liters.
  • Sugar – 350 g.
  • Cranberries – 500 g.

Preparation:

  1. Sort the cranberries, rinse, pour boiling water over them and rinse again in cooled boiled water.
  2. Mash the cranberries with a spoon, add a glass of water, stir and pass the cranberry mixture through thick cheesecloth.
  3. Place the squeeze in a container, add a glass of water, stir additionally and squeeze. After another operation, discard the spin, mix the juice with cool water and add sugar.

Cranberry juice in a slow cooker

Ingredients:

  • Water – 2 liters.
  • Cranberries - 2 cups.
  • Sugar – 1 glass.

Preparation:

  1. Place the cranberries sorted and treated with water into a colander and crush with a spoon. Carry out the procedure over a bowl. The juice released by the berries will flow into the bowl.
  2. Pour sugar into the multicooker container, pour in cranberry juice and add the pulp. Pour boiling water from a kettle over all ingredients. After stirring, leave the cranberry juice covered for 4 hours.
  3. Strain and taste.

How to make fruit juice from frozen cranberries

Ingredients:

  • Frozen cranberries – 500 g.
  • Boiled water – 6 glasses.
  • Sugar – 300 g.

Preparation:

  1. At the initial stage of preparation, remove the cranberries from the freezer and keep them in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Pour over water, place on thick cheesecloth and crush with a wooden masher until juice appears.
  3. Squeeze out the resulting mass. Dilute the juice with warm boiled water and add sugar.
  4. After mixing, the cranberry juice is ready. A couple of mint leaves will decorate the drink.

Cranberry and honey juice

Ingredients:

  • Cranberries – 1 cup.
  • Water – 1 liter.
  • Honey – 2 tbsp. spoons.

Preparation:

  1. Grind the sorted and washed cranberries in a blender and squeeze out the juice using gauze.
  2. Pour the juice into a glass container, close and place in a place with low temperature.
  3. Fill the squeeze with water, boil and cook for 5 minutes. After cooling, strain the liquid, combine with cranberry juice and add honey.
  4. Cranberry and honey fruit drink is good both warmed and cold.

Video recipe

Cranberry-based fruit drinks are easy to prepare. This wonderful drink will fight back against any store-bought soda.

Beneficial properties of cranberry juice

Cranberry is a valuable red berry with a diameter of 1.5 cm. It grows in swampy areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Even ancient people used it to fight illnesses.

This wonderful berry contains a rich vitamin complex, which makes it an important food product. Cranberry juice improves body tone and helps in the fight against various infections, is extremely useful for the treatment and prevention of diseases, and improves immunity.

  • Contains many antioxidants. They prevent the attachment of dangerous bacteria and other microorganisms to the lining of the bladder, which prevents the development of infections.
  • Contains betaine. This biologically active compound manages to easily kill bacteria that destroy the gastric mucosa, which performs a protective function.
  • It has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. Cranberry helps in neutralizing bacteria that cause otitis media, sore throat and various diseases of the respiratory system.
  • The berry is rich in polyphenols, which improve heart function and normalize cholesterol levels. As a result, the risk of stroke and atherosclerosis is reduced.
  • Cranberry juice is used in the treatment of gynecological diseases. The hypuric acid it contains enhances the effect of antibiotics on pathogenic microorganisms.
  • Contains flavonoids that increase the strength and elasticity of capillaries and promote the absorption of vitamin C. As a result, the likelihood of hypertension is reduced.
  • Stimulates the production of pancreatic and gastric juice. Cranberries are often used to prevent inflammatory processes in the digestive system and to combat diarrhea.
  • Prevents the appearance of bacteria that cause gum inflammation and caries. Diseases of the oral cavity are less common, and toothache does not cause discomfort.
  • Cranberries contain a lot of potassium, which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of hormonal glands. Therefore, cranberry juice is recommended for people experiencing hormonal imbalance.

The beneficial properties of the presented drink are truly impressive. Since it contains an extensive vitamin complex, many organic acids and pectins, it is recommended to drink it for people with poor appetite, headaches or insomnia.

How to make lingonberry juice

Lingonberry is considered a medicinal berry, and a drink prepared from it is characterized by amazing healing properties and is rich in vitamins.

It is impossible to overestimate the benefits of the drink. I will tell you how to make lingonberry juice at home, and you will verify its healing properties in practice. At the same time, it will help quench your thirst even on the hottest summer day.

Classic lingonberry juice

Ingredients:

  • Water – 2 liters.
  • Lingonberries – 300 grams.
  • Sugar - to taste.

Preparation:

  1. Fresh and frozen lingonberries are suitable for preparing the drink. Rinse the berries and squeeze the juice into a ceramic, glass or porcelain container. I do not recommend using metal utensils, since the acids contained in lingonberries interact with metals.
  2. Squeeze the juice through a sieve or using a juicer. Place the lingonberry pomace in a container, add boiled water and place on the stove. Once the mixture boils, remove, cool and strain.
  3. Mix the resulting composition with the previously prepared juice, add a little sugar and mix. Then pour the lingonberry juice into a small jug and place in a cool place. I recommend heating the nectar before drinking.

Video cooking

Lingonberry and mint juice

Ingredients:

  • Berries – 300 grams.
  • Water – 2 liters.
  • Sugar - to taste.
  • Mint.

Preparation:

  1. After sorting, rinse and dry the lingonberries. Then put it in a jar, add a little sugar to taste, a few fresh mint leaves and pour in boiling water.
  2. Seal the glass container securely, wrap it in a warm blanket and set aside overnight. In the morning, strain the drink and squeeze out the lingonberries. However, the procedure with berries can be carried out before pouring boiling water. The taste of the fruit drink will not change.

Lingonberry and beet juice

Ingredients:

  • Berries – 1 kg.
  • Beetroot – 1 kg.
  • Water – 3 l.
  • Sugar – 200 g.

Preparation:

  1. Pour the juice squeezed from lingonberries into a dark container and place in a dark place. Pour the pomace into a liter of clean water, boil and strain.
  2. Pass the peeled beets through a coarse grater, boil in the water left over from the lingonberries, and squeeze out the juice.
  3. Combine the juices, add sugar and boil.

As you can see, lingonberry juice is easily made in a home kitchen. The main thing is to have berries on hand. By drinking the drink, recharge your body with energy, improve your health and prevent the occurrence of various ailments. It's hard to believe that such a simple lingonberry drink has so many benefits, but it is true.

Beneficial properties of lingonberry juice

In terms of the number of useful elements, lingonberry juice will compete with citrus, grape or apple juice. The drink has been used in folk medicine since ancient times; it is simple and quick to prepare at home.

Continuing the topic of conversation, I will consider the beneficial properties of lingonberry juice. This elixir of health, gifted by Mother Nature, should be present in every refrigerator.

  1. Normalizes blood pressure. Provides a diaphoretic and antipyretic effect, which makes it relevant during colds. Improves appetite and eliminates problems with the digestive system.
  2. Regular consumption improves the functioning of the nervous system. Sleep is normalized, depression is overcome and resistance to stressful situations is acquired. Lingonberry juice can improve a person’s condition, prevent the occurrence of joint diseases, and cleanse the kidneys.
  3. Doctors advise drinking lingonberry juice for many diseases, including: vitamin deficiency, anemia, poisoning, fungal infections, and respiratory diseases.
  4. A worthy alternative to pharmaceutical medicines for coughs. Having bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties, it eliminates sore throat and prevents the development of ARVI.

Lingonberry juice during pregnancy

Even pregnant women who suffer from iron deficiency anemia are allowed to drink the lingonberry drink. During this period it appears often. It saturates the body with deficient substances, strengthens the immune system and improves mood.

Helps with mood swings during pregnancy, calms nerves, prevents constipation and eliminates swelling.

If you are pregnant, be sure to consult your doctor before including the drink in your diet. The doctor will determine the advisability of use and calculate the optimal rate.

Lingonberry juice is a natural diuretic, but consumption in abnormal quantities leads to dehydration, migraines and puts a strain on the kidneys. You should drink it no more than three weeks in a row.

Viburnum juice recipes

Viburnum juice is considered an elixir of health, an inexhaustible source of nutrients, is characterized by excellent taste and acts as a folk medicine.

Let's look at recipes for viburnum juice. The finished soft drink from viburnum is simultaneously characterized by refreshing sourness and pleasant sweetness, which makes the taste unique.

Traditional viburnum juice

Ingredients:

  • Viburnum – 400 g.
  • Sugar – 150 g.
  • Water – 1 l.

Preparation:

  1. Rinse the viburnum berries with water and remove the stems. Then place them in a small container and crush them with a wooden masher. Fill the resulting slurry with water, add sugar and place on the stove.
  2. As soon as bubbles begin to rise from the bottom, wait two minutes and remove the pan from the stove. After cooling, strain through cheesecloth and pour the viburnum juice into bottles.

Viburnum juice with juice

Ingredients:

  • Viburnum – 400 g.
  • Sugar – 150 g.
  • Water – 1 l.

Preparation:

  1. Divide the viburnum berries into three parts. Set aside one part, rinse the remaining two, crush in a saucepan, add sugar and leave for several hours.
  2. Squeeze the juice out of the reserved viburnum. I don’t recommend throwing away the cake. Place it in a container with candied viburnum, add water, boil for two to three minutes, cool and strain.
  3. Add berry juice to the resulting drink, stir and taste for sugar. Sweeten if necessary. Store in the refrigerator for a maximum of two days.

Some housewives add honey to viburnum juice, but reduce the amount of sugar by half. Pour the hot drink into a saucepan, wait until it cools and add two tablespoons of honey. Once dissolved, pour into bottles.

Traditional recipes for viburnum juice do not include the use of additives. If desired, I advise you to add a quarter of a small spoon of grated ginger. Do this before boiling the cake. Cloves or cinnamon will also work. The main thing is not to overdo it, as these seasonings can drown out the berries.

The cycle of paintings by Nikolai Fomin leaves no one indifferent. So clearly recognizable associative impressions are conveyed in the images of girls personifying the berries of Russia. The beautiful nature of Russia, the rich colors of the seasons, realistic animals and birds set off the central figures of the berry girls: Viburnum berry, Blueberry berry, Raspberry berry, Honeysuckle berry, Sea Buckthorn berry, Drupe berry, Bearberry berry, Lingonberry berry, Blackcurrant berry, Blueberry berry , Red currant berry, Cranberry berry, Strawberry berry, Princeberry berry, Cloudberry berry, Blackberry berry.

Kalina

Many poems and songs have been written about this wonderful berry; its fiery image has always excited the eyes and imagination of people. Even having shed its large palmate leaves, a tall viburnum bush glows for a long time with scarlet beads of fruit against the background of a gray pre-winter or already snow-covered forest, until they are pecked by restless flocks of thrushes or single hazel grouse. Here, in the picture, autumn is in full swing. The oak grove sheds its lush crown, and the foliage of the viburnum acquires a great variety of shades of yellow, green, red and ocher. At this time, the mating season of the mighty bison continues; the bulls rage at each other, tear off their horns and break young trees. Filled with bitterish juice, but prettier with each frost, large grains of berries bend the branches with scarlet robes, as if exalting the glory of fiery undying beauty before the next extinction of Nature. Even a flat viburnum seed with its outline resembles a heart in which love is born. It is not for nothing that among the people, viburnum has always been a symbol of girlish beauty. That is why the image of a stately, proud and noble Slav woman in bright, rich clothes, on a faithful, playful companion, carrying her rider through the autumn forest, appeared.

Blueberry


It is indisputable that with the introduction of a foreign faith, the native faith of the Slavs did not disappear at once, but was preserved, thanks to its spiritual strength and applied natural knowledge, many centuries later. So our ancestors, discovering and settling new lands, transferred the fires of this faith to new spaces. In this case, the action takes place in Eastern Siberia, where larch-white moss with dwarf cedar in the undergrowth and extensive thickets of blueberries are common. Its elongated blue-gray berries were always a welcome addition to the table, and a handful of them brightened up the rest of a traveler sitting near a blueberry tree. Due to age and other changes, blueberry leaves, in addition to the usual green, can have many shades of red, yellow and brown, which creates a fancy bright carpet, especially in the autumn forest. Wood grouse love to eat blueberries, one of which paid for his carelessness by being spotted and barked at by the girl’s faithful taiga companion, the husky. While her devoted assistant, sticking out his tongue, cheerfully examined the larch tree, the girl sat down to rest. Of course, she is blue-eyed and dreamy - I simply cannot see a blueberry in any other way - but at the right time her eye is sharp and her hand is firm. A crossbow is a weapon that can be wielded with girl power.

Raspberries


Raspberries grow most abundantly in burnt areas and clearings, where it is convenient to collect them. Those who did this remember the clouds running overhead, and the wind swaying the pink waves of fireweed inflorescences, and the trunks and small snags insidiously lurking in the tall grass, trying to trip up the raspberries, and the stench of elegant stink bugs examining the raspberries, and the snare large spiders, sometimes falling on the hand, causing ancient fear and disgust, and small crimson thorns piercing the palms or thighs, and, of course, the eternal desire to put the fragrant berry itself more often in the mouth than in a basket, jar or other container. And someone came across the “furry berry picker” himself - a terribly hungry bear for raspberries, who in most cases ran away at his heels, scared no less than a two-legged berry picker. And at the time of flowering, the bees take a good bribe from the raspberries. Among the Slavs, perhaps, this is the most revered berry, giving sweetness to the lips, and heat and strength to the sick body. Its color is songfully called sunrise and sunset, the shade of elegant fabric or the beauty of a girl’s lips. And who doesn’t know the common expression “raspberry girl”? Bright, catchy, healthy, desirable, vigorous beauty is emphasized by comparison with this berry.

Honeysuckle

Of our berries, it ripens earlier than all of us. And although it gives a bitter taste, children willingly eat it, attracted by its bluish-light fruits, and when the harvest of other berries is weak, it is also used for home preparation. The drink made from it is especially good, perfectly quenching thirst. And the honeysuckle bush itself looks ingenuously welcoming - without thorns, with rounded, smooth leaves and branches, densely strewn with berries, which have received a not very printed name among the people for their shape. Honeysuckle prefers mostly shaded areas along the edges of forest edges. Here, in the thick grass and bushes, you can unexpectedly stumble upon a luka - a large forest sandpiper, long ago, at the suggestion of the nobles, called in Rus' by the German word “woodcock”. Sluka can have a second brood just during the period of honeysuckle ripening. Flightless puffy sandpipers move independently, hiding or running away from possible enemies, but some hunters claim that in case of obvious danger, the female puffbird can carry her child away from harm through the air, holding the chick between her paws. This moment is captured in the picture. The girl is a little frightened by her mother's noisy take-off, but she will quickly pull herself together, and her natural primary fear will quickly be replaced by surprise and curiosity. I wanted to give the image itself restrained, calm features and smooth movements.

Sea ​​buckthorn


The berry is rich in its taste and healing content, pleasing to the eye with a bright yellow-red dense scattering along hard spiky branches, densely dotted with green-silver narrow leaves, not allowing anyone passage in places of its abundant growth. So the girl came out with fiery hair and the same by no means gentle disposition - lively, with a caustic tongue, with her nose always turned up. Those who have ever collected sea buckthorn remember the painful pricks of its thorns and the burning tingling sensation from the juice that got into the wounds. That’s why we had to adapt and take care of our hands when collecting. Many people use special wire hooks for this. The gray shrike likes to place its prey on the thorns of thorny bushes in reserve - a small, thrush-sized, but very warlike bird that deftly hunts grasshoppers and even larger game - rodents, birds and lizards. And between the sea buckthorn thickets themselves, roe deer often hide, and their rut occurs in late summer and early autumn. Alarmed either by the presence of a person or by an approaching thunderstorm, males with neat horns make anxious barking sounds and follow their friends to other secluded places.

Stone berry

Probably everyone knows this berry, and many are familiar with the light, gelatinous pulp of red, irregularly molded berries with a seed inside, which, in fact, gave the plant its name. Children will never miss an opportunity to put a stone fruit, or “drupe” as they like to call it, into their mouths. They also collect it along the way, in the absence of more noble berries. The medicinal properties of the green part of the plant itself are also known - for healing wounds, for hair care and other purposes. For me, the name “bone man” imposed the image of a slender, thin girl, a “sterlet,” as they say in some areas. For the same reason, I provided her with bone amulets. The girl was tired, thinking about something of her own, sitting down on a trunk broken by a long-ago windfall. A wild aurochs bull once died under this trunk, having accidentally wandered from the river floodplain into a coniferous forest that was not quite typical for it. His horned skull had long been bleached by the sun, and more than one generation of grass had broken through the cracks and eye sockets. However, life goes on. A quiet chatter was raised by alarmed red-tailed jocks, and a marten poked its curious muzzle out of a rotten hollow log, fixing its beady eyes on the girl. But she indulged in her dreams and hopes.

Bearberry

Many who have had to pick lingonberries have made mistakes when the berries that fell into their mouth suddenly turned out to be tasteless, mealy, and even with seeds. Bearberry can indeed be confused with lingonberries at first. Its berries never had much value, although they probably helped out in times of famine. The main attention was paid to its leaves, which have medicinal value. This is how the image of a young green-eyed herbalist, busy collecting them, arose. Here a gray-haired woodpecker examines trees and anthills, heading with its diving flight to the next place. And since another name for bearberry is bearberry, a bear with babies, who, as you know, love to frolic in the water, turned out to be appropriate down by the stream.

Cowberry

Lingonberries are good both for their appearance and for their sweet, slightly spicy taste, as well as for the sensations experienced when picking them - strong, tight clusters, mosses strewn with bright beads, lichens at the foot of trees or old stumps, shiny and smooth leathery leaves that also good for forest tea. To make it easier for ourselves to collect this useful, but small berry, our ancestors long ago invented special wooden scoop-rakes with a jagged edge, which in our time have been replaced by metal “improved” structures. Contrary to the popular belief that this method harms the lingonberry bushes themselves, tears out leaves and twigs, a diligent and experienced picker, without exerting any force, easily moving and shaking the rake, helping with his free palm covering the scoop on top, separated the berries from the stems. Filled with natural faith, our ancestor accepted the gifts of Mother Nature with respect, observing the rules, not written by anyone, but refined over centuries, which, unfortunately and shame, are forgotten by today’s descendants. The image of lingonberry is a rosy-cheeked and cheerful girl. Her perky mood is also supported by a pair of agile, curious chipmunks, preoccupied with stuffing their cheeks. And the edges of the forest, old burnt areas and clearings are examined by the bear for the presence of anthills and chipmunk pantries. And of course, having come across a lingonberry curtain, the brown giant will not leave this tasty berry without attention.

Black currant

Black currant is seen in a completely opposite way to its red sister. And she loves damper places, and her clusters are shorter, and they hang on the bush for a long time, even after frost. And what an unforgettable, special taste of its berries! And who doesn’t know this amazing invigorating spirit emanating from its leaf, with which they love to season a real forest drink! I decided to give the image itself a sad, slightly gloomy and witchcraft look. It is emphasized by the deaf riverine spruce forests, and the thick fog over the beaver pond, whose hardworking owners are busy storing branches for the winter, and the tiger-footed owl who caught a gaping vole, also personifying witchcraft and darkness. And yet, the general oppressive ugliness of this forest wilderness is diluted by the gold of crumbling birch leaves and the black pearls of poured currant berries, which will still have time to please forest dwellers or humans with their taste.

Blueberry

Raven-colored hair, sable eyebrows and a playful, languid gaze of sharp blue eyes - this is how blueberries appear, long known for their beneficial effects on vision. I depicted the girl in a mosquito net, since it is known that annoying bloodsuckers like to lurk in blueberry bushes. But now it’s hot, and the breeze is blowing through the pine forest, driving away the annoying mosquitoes, and you can throw the net away from your face. A hazel grouse perched itself on a pine branch - a big fan of blueberries, equally willing to fill its crop with the berries themselves, as well as with its leaves and green shoots. And the girl’s fingers and soles will be decorated with crimson-violet spots of crushed blueberry for a long time.

Red Ribes

This is a very cheerful berry. In clear weather, its clusters are like precious stones, and in the translucent pulp, so that all the seeds and veins are visible, the sun plays, as if hiding its warmth in each of the berries. Picking red currants is a real pleasure. There is no need to squat or bend your back. You can stand up to your full height and quickly fill a container hanging at your belt with berries that easily come off from the bunch you pass through your fingers. And all around the sun penetrates through the spreading foliage of the linden trees growing in the clearing, the air is full of the smells of herbs and flowers, the admirers of currants - white-browed thrushes - are chattering, flashing their red underwings with each flap. The girl who personifies red currants is fiery blonde, with a kind wide smile.

Cranberry

This berry is so familiar to everyone that just the mental imagination of it makes one’s mouth set sour, not to mention the very taste of cranberries, which softens and becomes sweeter only when the berry lies under the snow until spring. For many peoples, cranberry was one of the healing agents that helped them survive the winter and all the diseases associated with it. In some Slavic languages ​​it is called crane berry, crane berry, and its names are translated from Germanic languages ​​in the same way. Apparently, this is connected with the very place where cranberries grow - swamps, favored by cranes, or with its flowers, reminiscent of bird heads with long beaks. In the picture it is already time for the first frost, and the cranes have flown away. But black grouse and wood grouse come to the swamps to feast on berries, sometimes leaving their feathers on the hummocks. The moose race continues, their groans resounding through the forests and outskirts of the swamps, challenging a worthy opponent to a duel and looking for females. In the heat of rivalry and love excitement, eagles lose caution and even become dangerous to humans. But the thoughts of the girl who went to pick the berries are occupied with something else. She is filled with ignorance and anxiety caused by possible heartache. Only for a short moment are they distracted by the sourness of the bitten berry, which cramps the cheekbones. Or maybe, on the contrary, it only intensifies the surging gloomy feelings. Meanwhile, cranberry is a berry filled with healing powers. So the girl’s cheeks are covered with a healthy blush, and she will be able to experience a lot more in life.

Strawberries

Perhaps the most memorable acquaintance with wild berries in childhood begins with strawberries. Everyone remembers the hot air, filled with the chirping of grasshoppers and the buzz of many flying insects, a sunlit clearing and the lights of this most delicious of berries peeking out from the grass, remembers how he strung strawberry “beads” on a blade of grass and happily ate them, or picked up a handful of berries, and then he put them in his mouth en masse. And the strawberry itself seems to me like a maiden lying down and basking in the sun. A young shepherd is secretly watching her. Arthropods are moving in the grass, grasshoppers are jumping from blade to blade of grass, and a young bluish-black agile falcon is hunting for them. On the high bank, dotted with burrows of shorebirds, the walls of the settlement rise, and in the sky, rays piercing the clouds illuminated the sign of the Sun, which gives light and warmth to all living things.

Prince

Which berry is first brought to the nose before being put into the mouth? For the prince - a modest-looking berry, unfamiliar to the average and southern resident. This northern woman has a surprisingly pleasant smell and an even more wonderful taste. To know it, the princess should be given all honors: first bow down, because, despite its other name - northern raspberry, the princess grows as a separate low plant, often at a distance from its other fellow tribesmen, then pick the plant itself, because it is difficult to separate the burgundy with your fingers. red beads of berries from the receptacle, you can only bite them. This explains its complex and almost impossible preparation. However, in places where it grows abundantly, knyazhenika was previously collected to make a liqueur that tastes amazing. Both the name and the characteristics of this berry directly gave birth in my imagination to the image of something princely and honorable. The princess with a small retinue and nanny is leaving, or maybe heading to another city. The weather is clear, clouds slowly pile up over the lake, and in the air, grass, forest - everywhere the eternal game of life and death continues. The red-backed vole was also flattered by the prince, but a kite hovering over the clearing might spot her for dinner. Here is one of our most brightly colored nightingales, a blue-breasted male bluethroat, carelessly busy cleaning his wing, and a small hobby falcon is already making a lunge at him. It is unknown what awaits these people along the way, what the impenetrable forest hides. Therefore, the princess is given a sign that it is time to move on.

Cloudberry

Cloudberry is an amazing berry. It has an amazing taste, its yellowish-orange color dispels any sad thoughts, and the ripe berry itself is so tender that it begins to collapse in the collection container under its own weight, which is why, for example, the second half of the bucket of this northern berry is collected much slower than the first one. I see Cloudberry as a very cheerful and mischievous girl. The image itself was based on my beloved wife Olga, so I somewhat modernized the cut of the clothes. Evening falls over the moss swamp, turning the clouds the color of cloudberries. The boxes are filled, and all that remains for her and her friend is to lick the red juice from their fingers, throw the burden over their shoulders and get out onto the sandy mane covered with pine trees. The badger dug a hole in the roots of one of the pine trees. A frightened black grouse flies deep into the swamp. Every high bog is an overgrown ancient lake, and where there is a thin layer of peat or where there is a water outlet, a trap lurks for a carelessly treading guest. In addition to swampy places and hollows, you should also beware of snakes, because vipers love to bask on hummocks, often covered by wild rosemary or rosemary bushes. And it is unknown what ancient secrets the thickness of the swamp itself hides.

Blackberry


Prickly, entwining other trees, clinging to clothes, scratching, forcing shrubs with burgundy, dark blue or almost black berries to be avoided - this is the blackberry. For the first time I saw blackberries along the banks of the channels in the floodplain of the upper Ob. Accordingly, the image was formed quickly - a strong, vigorous, dark-haired girl, probably lively in songs, conversations and sharp with words. She had just swam in a small river overgrown with alder trees. The leisurely water weakly sways the stems of buttercups, arrowheads and floating leaves of pondweed, and over its surface along the shore, the carrier waders, integral to any body of water, sweep, whistling.

Not many people know about the benefits of viburnum and cranberries for hypertension, but these berries contain a large amount of essential vitamins and microelements. From them you can prepare delicious berry purees, tinctures, and decoctions. Take natural medicine in courses and at certain times.

Traditional treatment of hypertension with viburnum involves the use of not only berries, but also branches, bark, leaves and flowers. Only red viburnum has beneficial properties, and dark varieties are not eaten. Viburnum with golden berries tastes more pleasant and does not have a characteristic bitterness, but it is less healthy.

Treatment of hypertension with viburnum berries

Viburnum is rich in carotene and vitamins A, E, P. In terms of vitamin C content, it is far ahead of citrus fruits. Minerals in viburnum fruits include vanadium, potassium, iodine, calcium, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and iron. The use of viburnum for hypertension is explained by a number of reasons. The first of them is a diuretic effect that helps normalize blood pressure. Its use reduces swelling associated with heart failure and poor kidney function.

Viburnum for hypertension in the form of a decoction is used as a sedative for poor sleep, frequent mood swings, tearfulness or nervousness.

Regular consumption of viburnum in food helps to cope with swelling, sleep disorders, depression and neuroses.

The presence of antioxidants helps cleanse the walls of blood vessels, and vitamin P strengthens them and restores natural firmness and elasticity. But you can use viburnum for hypertension only after consulting a doctor. This is due to the fact that berries are both beneficial and harmful for hypertensive patients. Fruits, bark and leaves should not be taken if:

  • The presence of peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum,
  • High stomach acidity
  • High level of blood clotting,
  • Chronic kidney diseases during periods of exacerbation,
  • Pregnancy,
  • Tendency to thrombosis.

Those with allergies should use viburnum with caution: a large amount of berries eaten can cause an increase in temperature, itching and redness on the skin.

Collection and storage

The bark of the bush begins to be harvested in early spring, from the moment the sap begins to flow, and ends when the first buds bloom. It is dried in a shaded and well-ventilated area. Viburnum bark is saturated with such biologically active elements as:

  • Yellow-red resin,
  • Saponin,
  • Tannins,
  • Phylloquinones,
  • Ascorbic acid,
  • Acetic acid,
  • Triterpene saponins.

The berries are harvested in late autumn, after the first frost. Earlier preparations may have a bitter taste. During the same period, bush leaves are harvested.

The fruits are collected in clusters - this way the beneficial properties of the berries are better preserved.

There are several ways to store viburnum: freezing and drying. The berries are dried in the oven at temperatures up to 90 °C. But it’s more convenient and easier to freeze them. To do this, the berries are placed in plastic containers or bags and placed in the freezer.

Healing recipes from viburnum

Decoctions and tinctures

The easiest way is viburnum decoction. To do this, pour three glasses of shrub fruits with two liters of boiling water and leave for 8-10 hours. The resulting infusion of viburnum is filtered, and the sediment is wiped in a bowl. Softened berries along with liquid honey (about 700 g) are added to the decoction. Take 15-25 minutes before meals, half a glass three times a day.

Viburnum tincture not only lowers blood pressure, but also has a beneficial effect on digestion, improves well-being and mood. It’s easy to prepare: wash the berries, mash with a fork and pour warm water. The jar is put in a dark place for several days. The drink replaces tea well, and for greater taste it can be diluted with sugar or honey.

The infusion can be prepared from honey and viburnum in another way. 3 cups of berries are poured with two liters of boiling water and left for at least 11 hours. Strain and rub through a fine sieve. Add 450 g of honey to the resulting mass, mix well and place in a cool place. Take viburnum-honey infusion, one-third of a glass, three times a day, 20-30 minutes before meals.

Viburnum juice

To prepare the juice, fresh berries are covered with sugar. Take equal proportions. It takes 12-15 hours for the berries to release juice. Take a tablespoon of juice before meals. Berry puree is also taken according to the same scheme. It contains a lot of sugar, but has a good tonic effect and lowers blood pressure. 10 table berries are ground through a sieve and mixed with 450-550 g of honey.

Dried berries with honey

Another cooking option is in the oven. Well washed and dried berries are placed on a baking sheet and placed in the oven for 20-30 minutes at a temperature of no more than 80 °C. The dried viburnum is ground, mixed with honey and a small amount of water, and returned to the oven for another 25-30 minutes. Take a spoon half an hour before meals.

Viburnum jelly

To cook jelly, you need to take a glass of sugar and the same number of berries, a couple of liters of water and 3 tablespoons of starch. The berries are placed in a saucepan and mashed with a fork. Add water and place the saucepan on medium heat for 17-20 minutes. Pour half a glass of cold water over the starch and stir. Pour sugar into a saucepan, mix well and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour dissolved starch into the boiling mixture, reduce heat and cook for another 15 minutes.

Bark decoction

Normalizes blood pressure, improves overall well-being, and has a diuretic effect. The bark needs to be crushed in a mortar to a powdery state. Pour 30 g of powder into a liter of hot water and put on low heat. Cook for about half an hour, then leave covered in a warm place for another 3-4 hours. Then filter and drink a tablespoon three times a day. And to improve the taste, add lemon juice or liquid honey.

Beneficial properties of cranberries

Cranberries, like viburnum, can normalize blood pressure and strengthen the immune system. Traditional treatment for hypertension includes many recipes with this sour swamp berry. Cranberries contain many flavonoids - natural antioxidants that strengthen blood vessel walls. The berry also has a diuretic effect. Potassium, contained in large quantities in the fruits of the bush, improves the functioning of the heart muscle, alleviates the symptoms of tachycardia and reduces the load on the cardiovascular system. The mineral also has a tonic effect for both blood vessels and the entire body. Regular consumption of cranberry infusions can lower cholesterol levels. The active substances contained in the plant improve mood, restore hormonal levels, and improve the functioning of the stomach and intestines.

If you drink fresh cranberry juice for two months, your blood pressure will normalize without additional medications.

Therefore, treatment with cranberry is considered effective, especially in the initial stages of the disease.

Cranberry also has contraindications for hypertension. These include:

  • Stomach ulcer,
  • Haemorrhoids,
  • Gastritis,
  • Gout,
  • Urolithiasis disease.

It is also necessary to remember that berries increase the level of acidity and destroy tooth enamel. It is not recommended to consume cranberries for pregnant and lactating women.

Treatment of hypertension with cranberries

The best remedy for hypertension is fresh berries, without heat treatment. It can be added to salads, side dishes, teas and other drinks. Very often it is used together with sugar and honey.

Berry puree

One of the simplest recipes: grind 600 g of berries until pureed and mix with a glass of hot water. Leave for 20 minutes, strain. And using an infusion with honey will only enhance its effectiveness. You need to take a tablespoon 25-35 minutes before breakfast and lunch.

Morse

Cranberry juice is one of the most popular ways to consume the berry. For preparation, use a juicer or blender. 2 cups of cranberries are crushed, 2 tablespoons of honey are added to the berry puree. The mixture is transferred to a bowl and poured with two liters of hot water. Leave for 30 minutes.

Cranberry tinctures

You can also make a delicious cranberry liqueur. Mash the berries (about 250 g) in a mortar or using a fork and sieve, add a little sugar, and pour in 300 ml of vodka. Close the lid tightly. The tincture is kept for a week in a cool place. An infusion of berries and leaves is no less useful. Place dried or fresh leaves and berries in a thermos and pour boiling water over it. The drink is ready to drink in 3-4 hours.

Walnut and cranberry salad

You can also make a healthy vitamin salad from cranberries. To do this, take about 150 g of any lettuce leaves, 50 g of fresh berries, the same amount of walnuts, 100 g of goat cheese and 2 oranges. The ingredients are placed in a salad bowl, everything is mixed, a sauce of one lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 5 tablespoons of olive oil is added.

Cranberries in sugar

Take 500 g of berries, 100 g of powdered sugar, a bag of vanillin, one protein. The cranberries need to be washed and dried. For 7-9 minutes, beat the egg whites, vanillin and powdered sugar with a mixer. Each berry is dipped into the resulting mass and laid out on parchment to dry.

food blogger

November - snowfall, raw material, slush, snot and blues... I suggest not focusing on the “side effects” of the coming winter alone, but think about how to protect yourself as much as possible from colds and bad mood (wintering in Bali is not an option) in order to enjoy enjoy all the wonderful things that come with this time of year. Skis, sleds, skates, mulled wine, snowballs, New Year and Christmas have not been canceled! Moreover, nature has come up with a whole bunch of other ways to help you have a pleasant winter. Among them is adding November's winter superberries to your diet!

aka “snow berry” and a Slavic symbol of love

Energy value:

proteins – 0 g

fats – 0 g

carbohydrates – 7 g

Only 26 kcal

Benefit

Viburnum is the best immunostimulant in the world, since its vitamin C content is three times higher than even raspberries. This fact already makes the berry the best remedy for the prevention and treatment of colds. Next on the list are vitamins K, D, T, P, potassium, phosphorus, pectin, tannins, organic acids, iron. The ideal balance of ferrum and ascorbic acid makes viburnum a faithful assistant for iron deficiency, anemia and anemia. Viburnum berry decoction is both a diuretic and a sedative, and the alkaline salts and alkaloids it contains save from insomnia and restore nerves lost in traffic jams. But the main superpower of viburnum lies in its antihypertensive properties. It lowers high blood pressure and is a good prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

We will need:

  • 400 g viburnum
  • 20 ml honey

Let's start cooking:

  1. We remove the berries from the branches, remove the debris, rinse thoroughly and dry on a paper towel.
  2. We puree the berries in a blender and strain through a sieve (we don’t throw away the cake, but use it for infusions, fruit drinks, or dry it and add it to tea).
  3. Stir the resulting puree with honey until smooth and pour into sterilized jars and store in the refrigerator.

aka "northern lemon"

Energy value:

proteins – 0.5 g

fats – 0.2 g

carbohydrates – 3.7 g

Only 26 kcal (and 306 kcal in dried cranberries)

Benefit

Cranberry is a berry from the lingonberry family and, of course, contains a whole casket of useful substances, in principle, characteristic of all its berry sisters and brothers. Cranberries are rich in sugars, organic acids, pectins (by the way, there are more of them in cranberries than in all other relatives), and vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, PP and K1. Needless to say, there is more than enough vitamin C in cranberries?!

But this berry is not rich in ascorbic acid alone. The main value of cranberries lies in their phytonutrient value. The words “flavonoids”, “anthocyanins” and “proanthocyanidins” may not mean anything to you, but these and other phytochemicals invisibly play a key role in the healthy functioning of our body. The phytonutrients contained in cranberries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making the berry a powerful fighter not only against colds, but also against any other immuno-infectious diseases. Scientists strongly recommend including cranberries in your diet in the fight against cancer. It is believed that the juice of the berry prevents the creation and spread of cancer-causing enzymes in the body.

We will need:

  • 350 g cranberries (frozen or fresh)
  • 35 g fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. orange zest (don't be lazy to use fresh)
  • 200 ml orange juice
  • 450 ml water
  • 75 ml orange liqueur

Let's start cooking:

  1. Defrost the cranberries, grate the zest, ginger, make fresh orange juice and put everything in a blender.
  2. Add water and liqueur.
  3. Marinate the game, grated with salt, pepper and spices, for 5–6 hours.
  4. Bake according to the recipe.

aka “fox” or “cow” berry, “mountain viburnum” and “red blueberry”

Energy value

proteins – 0.7 g

fats – 0.5 g

carbohydrates – 8.2 g

Only 46 kcal

Benefit

Lingonberry is an ancient berry (it was first mentioned by Virgil, who in his “Bucolics” spoke of it as “a vine from Mount Ida” - the home of Cybele, the goddess of fertility). Lingonberries contain carbohydrates, acids, pectin, carotene, and, of course, vitamins (A, C and E are the leaders among others). Thanks to their tannins, lingonberries can be actively used for detoxification. Being a mild laxative, diuretic and choleretic agent, lingonberry (in particular, juice, tea or decoction) cleanses the intestines, kidneys, and liver.

Lingonberries contain sugars (sucrose, fructose, glucose). Diabetics, perhaps, should not abuse it, but for people with high acidity, it will help cope with gastritis and cure ulcers. This berry also has excellent tonic properties, helps to endure both physical and intellectual stress, and to rehabilitate after a serious illness, stress and prolonged depression. Lingonberries and the tasty treats prepared from them help with women's ailments and even help maintain pregnancy.

We will need:

  • 350 g frozen lingonberries (you won’t find another one, since the freezing procedure only makes them sweeter)
  • 150 ml of freshly squeezed clementine juice (for those who don’t know, clementine is a tangerine orange or mandarin orange, whichever you prefer)
  • 1/2 tsp. clementine peel
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
  • cinnamon stick
  • 1–2 clove stars
  • 1 star anise

Let's start cooking:

  1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat.
  2. Stirring constantly, let it bubble for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat even more and, continuing to stir, bring the jam to the desired degree of thickness (20–30 minutes).
  4. Transfer to a sterile clean jar and store in the refrigerator.


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