How to store lingonberries at home: different storage and preparation methods

Picking lingonberries is a very short period of time, but if you have time to do this, then you can enjoy them all winter long. If you want to keep the berries fresh for a long time, then there are several ways to prepare them: Freezing, drying and soaking. Any of these methods will allow you to preserve the beneficial properties. Lingonberries can be stored in this state for several years. Soaked berries need to be stored only in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. Keeps in the freezer for about a year.

Benefits of lingonberries for the human body

Lingonberries can honorably be called a universal berry. Because it can be used for many purposes. For cooking? Wonderful! Lingonberries are a wonderful side dish for almost everything, because there are so many different ways to prepare them. Use lingonberries in medicines? No problem!

Not many people know that preparations made from the leaves are used in addition to diuretics; they are a very good disinfectant and anti-inflammatory agent. Lingonberries strengthen human capillaries. May improve vision and help people with tuberculosis. Ascorbic acid is also made from the leaves and is used in the manufacture of various acids.

Pregnant women are recommended to eat lingonberries. Since it is rich in all the vitamins necessary for the body: C, B1, B2, A. It has a sufficient amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Increases the overall tone of the body, putting the nervous system in order.

Eating lingonberries is not recommended for people with kidney disease and hypertension.

Features of preparing soaked lingonberries

They prepare it for future use in different ways, but, as practice has shown, it is the soaked one that lasts much better and longer.

To do this, it is important to carry out the process correctly

Urination has the following features:

A large number of berries for preservation in this way are placed in large containers made of plastic or wood.
Before placing lingonberries in a container, the berries undergo careful selection.
If you come across leaves during the preparation process, do not throw them away. By transferring lingonberries with them, we get an additional portion of vitamins and microelements in the marinade.
Antonov apples will give a pleasant aroma to the forest gift. They are cut into large cubes and placed on top.
Soaked lingonberries without sugar and spices will last for a long time. The fruits contain benzoic acid, which is responsible for preservation, but the filling must be changed periodically. Without sugar, it can become moldy or sour.

Important! Lingonberries are very useful in any form. Regular consumption will improve metabolic processes, strengthen the heart and blood vessels, and in winter it will be an excellent immunomodulatory agent.

Preparing berries correctly

To collect berries, it will not be enough for you to simply find a bush with lingonberries. You need to know a few harvesting rules:

It is very important to pick berries that are bright red or even burgundy.
Fruits can be picked only in ecologically clean regions. Away from roads and factories.
It is best to plan your berry picking trip in dry and sunny weather.
If you notice that the lingonberries are spoiled, it is better not to pick them or throw them away immediately. The fruit should be the same color and firm to the touch.

In honey

To prepare berries in honey, you will need 300 g of fresh lingonberries and exactly the same amount of liquid flower honey.

Lingonberries are also prepared, freed from debris and washed. Then they dry it.
The finished berries are mixed with honey. If the honey is too thick, it must first be melted in a water bath. The resulting mixture must be carefully placed in sterilized jars.
Remember that the berry should be slightly submerged in the liquid.
Cover with lids and store in a cool place, for example, in a refrigerator.

How to store fresh lingonberries

Lingonberries contain a large amount of benzoic acid in their berries. That is why keeping lingonberries fresh will not be difficult. In ancient times, lingonberries were called the berry of immortality, because this berry can cure many diseases.

For example, it can remove toxins from the body, strengthen blood vessels, and improve the digestion process. People with high sugar in the body need to regularly eat lingonberries to normalize blood sugar.

What are the benefits of lingonberries?

The beneficial properties of lingonberries have been known since time immemorial. The berry is rich in vitamins, micro- and macroelements, minerals, as well as other beneficial substances.

Fresh fruits, decoctions and infusions are used for many diseases. They will help with diabetes, as they contain a large amount of copper, gout, reducing uric acid, and cystitis. Externally they are useful for sore throat, scabies, ulcers and lichen.

Lingonberries are useful for low acidity, hypertension, fever, by enhancing the effect of antibiotics, to restore strength after a long illness. It also helps remove heavy metal salts from the body. Increases immunity and serves as a prevention of colds.

Storing dried lingonberries

To prepare dried lingonberries, you need to select only ripe lingonberries, remove all leaves and other debris. Then place the lingonberries on a baking sheet in a preheated oven to 60 degrees. It is best to spread the berries in a thin layer, stirring from time to time so that the lingonberries do not burn.

After all the berries are dried, place them in a jar or container and place them in a place where there is no direct sunlight. When dried, lingonberries do not lose their beneficial vitamins.

Adviсe

For preparations of any type, you should use only fully ripe berries. Fruits do not tend to ripen or “ripen,” as it is often called, in the presence of heat. Heating will only speed up the decomposition processes of useful substances.

One of the main properties of the plant is to actively absorb harmful substances and even radiation from the environment, concentrating it all in the fruits. Therefore, you cannot use berries collected in industrial zones, near large enterprises, or near roads. When purchasing, you should clarify where exactly the harvest was obtained.

Lingonberries are one of the healthiest berries. Everyone can find a tasty and simple way to cook for themselves. To do this, you need to spend just one day of autumn and enjoy delicious jam all winter, drink sweet fruit drinks and lingonberry compotes.

How do you like the article?

How to store lingonberries in their own juice with sugar

Rinse the berries thoroughly with water, then wait until the berries are completely dry. Place the lingonberries into small jars and start filling. First pour 1/3 of the jar, then use a wooden spoon to press the berries until the juice appears. Repeat the procedure until the jar is filled with berries in their own juice.

Cover the jars with lids and leave to steep for a couple of days. After they expire, the juice level will become lower, after which you can repeat the procedure of adding berries, or simply put it in the refrigerator. The shelf life of lingonberries in this form is 1-2 weeks.

In syrup

For lingonberries in syrup you will need 1 kg of berries, 300 g of sugar and two glasses of water.

The lingonberries are carefully sorted and dried.
Then, place exactly half of its volume in the jar.
Pour sugar and water into a saucepan. If desired, you can add some cloves and lemon center. The mixture must be boiled, then cooled.
The syrup must be poured into the rest of the jar. Everything is closed with a stylized lid and stored in the refrigerator or in a cool place.

Canning lingonberries

For preservation you need: 1 kilogram of lingonberries and 0.5 kilograms of sugar. Before starting, add 2 tbsp to the cooking container. tablespoons of water and add the pre-washed berries. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Sugar must be added gradually. We place the finished fruits in sterile jars and fill them with the syrup that we obtained during preparation. We close the jars and lower them into the cellar.

If you don't want to cook lingonberries on fire. But if you like the recipe in its own juice, then there is another recipe especially for you. You need a wooden barrel or bottle. Place the fruits, washed in advance and cleared of excess debris, into containers.

The layer should be 3-4 cm. After that, the berries must be pressed down thoroughly until the juice appears and about 2 cm of sugar should be poured on top. We continue to do this procedure until the entire container is filled. The outermost layer is lingonberries.

The tightly closed container is kept for 2 days in a warm room until the juice is released. After which you can take it to the basement or pantry, enjoying delicious lingonberries in their own juice.

Do I need to sort and wash the berries before harvesting?

With any storage method, before storing berries for the winter, they must be sorted and washed. Sometimes this stage is abandoned so as not to bruise the fruit. It's a delusion. Only strong, whole berries can be harvested, while the presence of green, overripe fruits, as well as twigs or other small debris in the total mass, can lead to the entire harvest spoiling very quickly.

Harvested or purchased lingonberries must be carefully sorted, leaving only whole berries. Then they need to be washed in a colander or in a container of water. You need to wash the berries in small portions, and when using a colander, use low water pressure so that the fruits do not bruise.

The cleaner the berries are, the longer they will last.

Washed fruits should be completely dried. To do this, they can be placed on trays or dishes and left for several hours in a non-sunny place. It is best to place the berries in one layer. If this is not possible, you need to carefully mix them a couple of times with your hands so that all the fruits dry out. You can speed up this process a little by spreading paper towels under the berries and covering the fruits on top with them.

Lingonberry leaves

Few people know that lingonberry leaves also have a large amount of useful substances. Very often they are used in medicine and for the manufacture of medicines. The leaves are collected in early spring, in dry weather. Only green leaves without any signs of damage are selected.

Leaves that have survived winter frosts are especially rich in macroelements. Cold preserves all useful substances.

It is best to store lingonberry leaves in craft bags to reduce injury to them. The shelf life reaches 3 years.

Preparing berries for storage

Red fruits should be collected in September-October. Dense berries that have a rich pink or bright red tint are considered suitable for storage. Brown fruits are not recommended to be eaten fresh or processed; they are overripe and tasteless. When overripe, lingonberries become less useful, so it is better to pick them when they are not ripe. In this case, the berries need to be “brought” to maturity.

The harvested crop must be properly prepared. This stage includes several activities:

Remove debris from the total mass: branches, leaves, sand.
Cleansing. The berries are washed under running water to remove any existing contaminants (dust and dirt). After this, the fruits are dried on paper towels or placed on a cloth to remove moisture.
Rejection. It is worth removing rotten and damaged specimens from the total mass. The presence of traces of mold on the peel is also unacceptable.
Repeated rinsing. After removing the unusable berries, the remaining material must be washed.

Attention! Lingonberry is a wild forest berry that is rarely grown in summer cottages. When collecting, it is important to be able to assess the environmental friendliness of the region. Picking berries in forests located along highways is unacceptable; you won’t get any benefits from eating them due to the carcinogens contained in the juice.

Where is the best place to store lingonberries?

The shelf life depends very much not only on the preparation method, but also on the storage location.

If your goal is to preserve the berries for as long as possible, then you can safely store them at room temperature. This way you can store the product for 1-2 months. For longer storage, use different seaming methods.
The basement is the best place to store canned goods. You can store both fresh and canned berries. The cellar has an excellent temperature and does not receive direct sunlight.
Fresh lingonberries are best stored in the refrigerator. The only thing is that the shelf life is only a couple of weeks.

Features of storing workpieces

It is recommended to store preparations made from soaked red berries in a cool and dark place - a refrigerator, basement or cellar. If the jars of berries were closed with ordinary plastic lids or a layer of gauze, then you need to ensure that the lingonberries are always covered with liquid, adding clean water to the jar as needed.

Important! Lingonberries can be stored well throughout the winter due to the presence of benzoic acid in their composition. This substance prevents the growth of bacteria and preserves the freshness of the fruit for a long time. It is recommended to store the berry preparation in a glass container, so

because upon contact with metal utensils, an oxidation process occurs. When using jars with metal lids, soaked lingonberries can be kept at room temperature, placing them away from heat sources. If the workpiece was placed in a jar with a regular plastic lid, then it is kept at a temperature of no more than +5 ° C in a place protected from sunlight

It is recommended to store the berry preparation in a glass container, since oxidation occurs upon contact with metal containers. When using jars with metal lids, soaked lingonberries can be kept at room temperature, placing them away from heat sources. If the workpiece was placed in a jar with a regular plastic lid, then it is kept at a temperature of no more than +5 ° C in a place protected from sunlight.

Soaking lingonberries for the winter yourself is not at all difficult - to do this, you just need to choose high-quality ingredients and follow the technology for preparing the delicacy. And with the help of the recipes listed in the article, you can experiment with the taste of the finished dish, choosing the one that you like the most.

How to freeze lingonberries for the winter

The easiest way to preserve berries is to freeze them in the refrigerator. There are a couple of options on how to do this:

1) Freeze whole berries.

Naturally, before cooking it is necessary to wash the berries and remove excess debris. Next, place the berries on a baking sheet in a thin layer and cover with cling film. Put it in the freezer. When the berries are frozen, they can be moved to a bag or container for convenience.

2) Make a puree of berries with sugar.

Freezing lingonberries in the form of puree is a very convenient option for use in baking. To do this, pour the washed berries into a blender. Add sugar in different quantities. Then grind it to a porridge state. Transfer the resulting mass into jars and place in the freezer.

Preparing lingonberries before starting the process

The method of soaking came to us from ancient times; our ancestors prepared food for the winter in this way, because they did not have freezers or jars for seaming. Nowadays, many different methods of preserving food have been invented, but they have not abandoned the practice of soaking lingonberries. This way it is preserved much better.

In order for the product to be preserved as expected, it is necessary to carry out a preliminary preparatory process. Its subtleties are as follows:

Each berry is inspected for rot and bruises; spoiled ones are placed in a separate container; they will not take part in the urination.
Select ripe but firm fruits.
Washing thoroughly is a must.
The water is allowed to drain from the berries; if desired, you can dry them.

Dishes also remain important; the quality of the final product directly depends on it. Under no circumstances should aluminum containers be used - oxidation of the metal will lead to the formation of toxic substances

The product immediately goes from being useful to being harmful. The most acceptable option are wooden barrels or glass jars. Food-grade plastic will perfectly preserve urine throughout the year.

The containers are thoroughly washed with soda and rinsed. It is advisable to sterilize glass jars before starting work.

Useful tips for choosing containers

Since there are a lot of methods for storing lingonberries, containers must be selected based on the method of preparation and storage. If you choose the freezing method, then frozen berries can only be stored in bags. Glass jars and bottles are suitable for rolling or soaking.

Paper bags or cotton bags are used for drying, and wooden jars are ideal for soaking the berries. Here's where you shouldn't store lingonberries in any form - plastic. Scientists have already proven that when food is stored in plastic for a long time, it can absorb carcinogens. Which can have a very bad effect on the human body.

Based on this, we can conclude that there are many different ways to store such a wonderful berry - lingonberries. If you prepare it responsibly, you will get an excellent berry that is very beneficial for the human body and rich in vitamins and macroelements.

Read: Storing grapes at home - methods, nuances, conditions and shelf life and rules for storing sausage

How to quickly sort through the harvest

Having harvested a large harvest, it is worth asking the question: how to clean the fruits from so much debris? In this case, there are several effective ways to clean raw materials. Which one to choose depends on the degree and type of contamination of the harvested crop.

Cleaning on rough surfaces

To clean the harvested crop from debris, it is necessary to make an inclined chute. Cover the bottom of the device with a rough cloth, and roll the berries down the gutter in small portions. During the cleaning process, debris will remain on the surface of the fabric, and the fruit will begin to roll into the basin.

Sifting in the wind

This cleaning method is suitable in windy weather. A wide basin needs to be placed on the ground, a small container with the harvested crop should be raised up one and a half meters. Start pouring out the fruits in small portions. The wind will blow away the debris, and the clean berries will fall into the prepared container.

Using a vacuum cleaner

Dry berries can be quickly removed from debris using a vacuum cleaner. Place a small amount of fruit in a sieve and direct air flow from below. To do this, the vacuum cleaner hose is connected to the blower.

Using a wide mesh

When picking lingonberries in the forest, not only twigs and small leaves, but also sand and soil particles end up in the container with the berries. You can get rid of such pollution using a wide mesh. It needs to be installed at an angle, a film should be spread underneath or a large container should be placed and the fruits should be slowly poured out.

Lingonberry marshmallow

Mix the sorted and washed berries with granulated sugar in a ratio of 2 to 1 and cook with constant stirring until very thick. When the mass has completely cooled, cut it into strips with a knife or scissors, sprinkle with sugar and store in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes with holes for ventilation.

Lingonberry marshmallow can be consumed as a natural delicacy, which also has medicinal properties, and can be used to make compotes and jelly. Pastila helps cleanse the gastrointestinal tract and supplies the body with vitamins A, B, C, E and group B.

Description and composition

Lingonberry is an evergreen shrub of Vaccinium vitis-idaea. The photo shows what a lingonberry looks like in its natural habitat.

The calorie content of 1 cup of fresh berries is 75 kcal. Also present in this quantity:

9 grams of plant fiber, most of which comes from its most beneficial form - pectin;
36% of the daily value of vitamin C;
30% - vitamin A.

The list of biologically active compounds of lingonberries that have antioxidant activity is similar to the one that determines the benefits of cranberries. In addition to vitamins A and C, these are proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, and flavonols.

The berries contain benzoic acid, thanks to which they remain fresh for a long time and do not require complex preservation and sugaring to preserve for the winter.

They also contain salicylic acid, which also has antimicrobial properties. And many other healing acids - citric, malic, tartaric.

How to properly fill berries with water

There are several different ways to soak lingonberries. The fruits can be poured with cold water, sugar or honey syrup, as well as diluted lingonberry juice. This is done according to several traditional recipes.

Recipe for lingonberries soaked in cold water

To store berries you need to prepare a special container. These can be glass jars or plastic containers. They need to be washed or sterilized well and dried. After this, the sorted berries need to be placed in containers so that they occupy from a third to half of their volume. Ideally, the amount of water should be twice the amount of fruit.

The water for pouring should be boiled and cooled in advance. The fruits should be filled with chilled water, the temperature of which should be below room temperature. The water level in the container should be a few fingers below the top.

It is advisable to store soaked lingonberries in a dark, cool place. The optimal temperature is +3-5 °C. In villages, such preparations are kept in cellars, and in urban conditions, the berries can be placed in the refrigerator or on the balcony, if the temperature there is appropriate.

It is also useful to read: How to clean lingonberries from debris

Recipe with sugar or honey syrup

Lingonberries can be poured with sugar or honey syrup to give the berries a sweet taste. To prepare it, you need to take 500 grams of sugar or half a liter of liquid honey and 2.5-3 liters of water. Water should be put on fire, honey or sugar should be added to it, boiled and placed well so that the added components dissolve.

After the syrup has cooled, they need to pour over the berries. This is done in the same way as when using clean water.

Recipe with lingonberry juice

During the process of washing and sorting the berries, some of the crumpled fruit always remains. You can squeeze the juice out of them and use it to pour other berries. Typically, a small amount of juice is mixed with water and boiled briefly. If desired, you can add sugar to the water to give it a pleasant taste. The resulting syrup can then be drunk or used to make compotes.