Autumn berries fight seasonal blues

With the onset of autumn, there is an increasing lack of solar heat, and with it cheerfulness and good mood. But in nature, everything is arranged harmoniously, it is worth looking around – and among the already bare branches of trees, the last autumn berries that have already gained juice and real ripeness are striking with bright spots. Here they are the real, nutritious and tasty cure for many ailments. Let’s talk about their benefits and methods of preparation today.

If you start talking about autumn berries, then of course, it’s worth mentioning the most popular and widespread in our strip, about the “king of autumn berries”, about wild rose. Probably, there is not a single person who would not know about its beneficial properties. Rosehip increases the body’s resistance to various infections. It is rich in many vitamins, especially vitamin C, and 2-3 berries eaten per day provide the daily norm of this vitamin. It has anti-aging properties, helps in the treatment of diabetes, maintaining heart health. Rosehip is very useful for women’s health. Rosehip decoction promotes the formation of flora in preparation for conception and pregnancy, removes excess fluid, relieves swelling and chronic fatigue.

Berries are best harvested before they are fully ripe. Slightly unripe fruits contain more vitamins and tolerate drying and storage well. Such berries have a bright red color and a sour-sweet astringent taste.

You need to dry the berries in the shade, in a dry, well-ventilated area, shaking the tray with berries from time to time. The drying time takes about a month.

Rosehip decoction recipe. To prepare a rosehip decoction, pour boiling water over the fruits in a ratio of 1:6, cover with a lid and keep in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. To prepare the infusion, a rosehip decoction is infused for 6-7 hours, then filtered. With this cooking option, ascorbic acid in berries is not destroyed and enhances the effect of other trace elements: iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, silicon. Take half a cup a day. You can add honey to the broth, but not sugar. To make the rosehip brew faster, you can grind it.

Another widely known and no less useful berry is viburnum.

The fruits of viburnum are an excellent tonic, as well as anti-inflammatory, wound healing, diuretic and choleretic agent. Berries and viburnum juice are used in the treatment of colds, coughs, gastric and duodenal ulcers, colitis, liver disease, rheumatism, internal bleeding, relieves convulsions.

Various dishes are prepared from viburnum, but it is especially good as a seasoning for meat.

Sauce for viburnum meat. Viburnum berries (1 glass), it is necessary to crush with a crush. Punch through a sieve to get rid of the seeds. Cut a bunch of greens to taste. Garlic (4-5 cloves). Salt – half a teaspoon, sugar – 2-3 teaspoons. A teaspoon of lemon juice. Grind everything in a blender, bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat for just a minute, stirring constantly. The sauce is ready. We serve it immediately with meat, fish, pizza and pancakes. Or pour into clean jars and refrigerate. Viburnum sauce is stored for up to three months. You can experiment with the ingredients. For example, lovers of spicy should add a little chili pepper or grated ginger to the sauce.

Speaking of autumn berries, one cannot fail to mention one more miraculous berry, about sea ​​buckthorn. Its widespread use makes sea buckthorn more and more popular. Due to the large amount of fiber and protein, sea buckthorn is classified as a superfood, and due to the light pineapple notes in the taste of berries, it is called the “Siberian pineapple”. Sea buckthorn can also be called a vitamin bomb, which allows you to cope with inflammation and resist even cancer cells. Sea buckthorn will help to cope with oxidative stress, heal wounds, reduce weight and maintain skin elasticity.

From the fruits of sea buckthorn, jam, marmalade, fruit drinks, sweets, kvass and wine drinks are made at home. In some cuisines, berries are added to soups and meat dishes. Sea buckthorn oil is especially useful.

How to cook sea ​​buckthorn sauce and oil. To do this, grind fresh or defrosted berries until juice appears. Drain the juice, and pour the cake with sunflower oil. Let this mass brew for several days. The oil is ready. For sauce, boil sea buckthorn juice with sugar over low heat until thick, serve with sweets or meat.

Wild berries are also useful for a stable emotional state – blueberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries and cowberry. They are also rich in vitamin C, which protects brain cells and improves the production of dopamine, the pleasure hormone.

These berries are well preserved fresh and soaked, they are boiled, dried, infusions and kissels are made. Due to their pronounced astringent action, especially in blueberries, they can be used as medicinal.

In our country, these berries grow on swampy soils, in the taiga, in the tundra, in the highlands. And only in the Caucasus is a rare variety found – the Caucasian blueberry. This is a three-meter tree with blueberries.

But since, nevertheless, these are northern berries, these berries are more common in the recipes of the northern countries. For example, swedish blueberries.

For this dish you will need: 3 cups of grated wheat bread or crackers, 3 cups of blueberries, ½ cup of granulated sugar (of which 2 tablespoons for bread), 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter (you can use sour cream or margarine), juice of ½ lemon, 2 tbsp. spoons of powdered sugar, nuts to taste.

Pour granulated sugar into grated wheat bread or ground crackers and lightly fry the mixture in butter, margarine or sour cream, stirring constantly. Mix the washed blueberries with granulated sugar and add a little water and boil lightly. Berries and bread, alternating, put in a salad bowl and put in the cold. Mix lemon juice with powdered sugar and pour it over a chilled dish, sprinkle with chopped nuts on top.

Alina Fedorova.

Author’s photo