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Recipes for preparing thorns for the winter are quite varied. It can be salted, pickled, made into sauces, jam or jelly. The berries are often used to prepare low-alcohol drinks or simply frozen fresh. The fruits of garden and wild blackthorn are suitable for processing for the winter.
Features of sloe blanks
The crop grows in the form of a shrub and is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia (except for the northern latitudes). Hybrid forms of sloe are grown in gardens. Harvesting cultivated representatives for the winter is no different from processing wild ones. The taste of all types is tart with bitterness and a small amount of acid.
To get rid of bitterness, blackthorn is harvested after the first frost or the collected berries are placed in the freezer for a day.
To prepare thorns for the winter at home, use good quality raw materials.
Only ripe berries are used; unripe ones will be too tart and sour, overripe ones will be soft, with an unpleasant smell of fermentation.
Fruits with signs of mold or dark spots on the surface are not suitable. The peel should be dark blue, without soft areas.
The thorns are processed for the winter in their entirety or the pit is removed. It all depends on the recipe. If it is necessary to remove the peel, the berries are doused with boiling water. Wild blackthorn is difficult to process from the stone; it is prepared in its entirety, then ground to separate the pulp.
The preparation of raw materials for all recipes is the same
Turn processing algorithm:
- The collected fruits are reviewed and illiquid ones are thrown away.
- Remove the stalks.
- Fill with cold water. Small particles of litter and leaves will float to the surface.
- The liquid is carefully drained, the berries are placed in a colander and washed under the tap.
The fruits are laid out in a thin layer on a cloth napkin so that the moisture completely evaporates.
What can be made from thorns for the winter
The berries are suitable for making desserts, juice, compote. You can prepare thorns for the winter by salting and pickling. Can be processed into ketchup or sauce. This option is ideal as an additional ingredient for meat dishes. Due to its tart taste, the berry is often used to prepare a low-alcohol drink, such as liqueur or tincture. Below are several common ways to prepare thorns for the winter with the best preservation recipes.
Sloe jam
Most of the berry is occupied by the seed; it is better to make jam without it. The prepared thorn is cut in half and the core is removed. Then the raw materials are weighed and the dessert is prepared at the rate of 700 g of sugar per 1 kg. If you need sweet jam, you can take it in equal proportions.
Preparing dessert for the winter:
- The turn is placed in a cooking container and covered with sugar. Shake well.
- Leave the preparation for 12 hours, it is better to do this in the evening, the fruits will completely release their juice overnight.
- Place on the stove, stir gently so that no undissolved crystals remain at the bottom.
- After boiling, foam forms on the surface. It is removed and the mass is kept for 3 minutes. and turn off the stove.
- In this form, the thorn is left for 8-11 hours.
- The process is repeated three times with the same time interval of infusion and boiling.
At the end of the last cooking, the boiling jam is poured into sterilized jars and sealed.
Thanks to repeated short heat treatment, parts of the fruit remain intact
Sloe jam
Components:
- thorn – 1 kg;
- sugar – 1.2 kg;
- water – 300 ml.
Making jam for the winter:
- Whole fruits are placed in a cooking container and filled with water.
- Place it on the stove.
- Boil the sloe for 15 minutes over low heat.
- Knead the raw materials until smooth.
- To separate the seeds and peel from the pulp, the mixture is placed in a colander and ground with a spoon.
- Return the mixture to the cooking container. Add sugar and boil for 20 minutes over low heat. Stir occasionally.
- Remove from the stove and leave for 5-6 hours.
- Boil again for 25 minutes. By the end of the process the mass will become thick.
Pour the jam into sterilized jars and seal tightly.
The dessert turns out thick, aromatic, dark burgundy in color.
Sloe jelly
Blackthorn can be used to prepare jelly for the winter; in recipes, only the juice of the berries is used with the addition of a thickener, or the mass is boiled to the required consistency. After prolonged heat treatment, the thorn loses most of its beneficial substances. Therefore, it is better not to use prolonged boiling.
Components:
- sloe juice – 1 l
- sugar – 700 g;
- gelatin – 4 tbsp. l.;
Preparing jelly for the winter:
- Whole fruits are placed in a cooking container and filled with water until it just covers the surface.
- Place on low heat and boil for 15 minutes.
- Drain the mass into a colander, crush it with a masher, and squeeze it with your hands so that the cake turns out without any remaining liquid.
- The resulting mass is passed through several layers of gauze. The juice is obtained without pulp fragments.
- The raw materials are combined with sugar, stirred and left until the crystals dissolve.
- Gelatin is poured with water.
- Place the juice and sugar on the stove and boil for 10-15 minutes. Before completing the process, swollen gelatin is introduced.
They are packaged in jars and rolled up.
Zhelfix or pectin can be used as a thickener.
Sloe compote
You can twist the sloe for the winter in the form of compote. This is the easiest way to recycle.
Cooking algorithm:
- A glass jar is filled 1/3 with berries.
- Add sugar. For a three-liter container - 360 g, for 2 liters - 250 g, for 1 liter - 120 g.
- Fill with boiling water to the top. Roll them up and place them on the lids.
- Turn over and shake the container.
The drink turns out to be a rich burgundy color with a pleasant tart aftertaste.
Sloe juice
For the recipe for preparing sloe juice for the winter, it is better to take garden varieties. The fruits of hybrids have a good pitting, they are larger and have more pulp. The easiest way is to pass it through a juicer, boil the resulting liquid along with sugar and roll it up.
If you don’t have the necessary equipment, you can prepare juice for the winter as follows:
- The seedless sloes are placed in a cooking container.
- Add water to cover the surface and blanch the raw material.
- Grind through a colander and filter with gauze.
- Add sugar to taste or do without it.
- Return the juice to the cooking container and boil for 10 minutes. adjusting the taste.
Boiling, distribute into sterilized jars and seal.
You can add mint, cinnamon or any spice you wish as a flavoring.
Tkemali from thorns
Ingredients (for 4 kg of sloe):
- coriander seeds – 1 tbsp. l. with a slide;
- garlic – 2 medium heads;
- ground red pepper – ½ tsp;
- salt - to taste;
- water – 300 ml.
The sequence of preparing a Georgian dish from blackthorn for the winter:
- Place the fruits in a container with a double bottom or a non-stick coating, add water.
- Boil over low heat until the bones are completely separated.
- Coriander seeds are ground in a mortar.
- Do the same with garlic.
- When the turn is completely boiled, remove it from the heat, allow to cool and grind.
- The mass is returned to the cooking container. If it turns out thick, it is diluted with boiled water to the desired consistency.
- The workpiece is placed on the fire and brought to a boil.
- Enter 1 tbsp. l salt and taste.
- Mix garlic, coriander, hot pepper in a bowl. Dilute with boiling sloe juice to a homogeneous consistency and add to the total mass.
As soon as the tkemali boils, it is packed into jars and hermetically sealed.
Product shelf life – up to three years
Sloe sauce
There are quite a few options for preparing sauce for the winter. You can make it spicy, sweet and sour, with the addition of a variety of herbs. Below is a recipe that does not require a lot of time and material costs.
Components:
- thorn – 1 kg;
- salt - to taste;
- sugar – 4 tbsp. l.;
- pepper mixture – ½ tsp;
- vegetable oil (odorless) – 50 g;
- garlic – 3-5 cloves;
- coriander and basil - 1 tsp each;
- water – 600 ml.
The sequence of preparing the sauce according to the recipe for the winter from sloe berries:
- The fruits are placed in a cooking container. Add water.
- Boil until the seeds are completely separated.
- Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
- Grind the mixture through a colander and squeeze out the remainder with your hands.
- Berry puree is placed on low heat. After boiling, add vegetable oil, salt and sugar. Stand for 30 minutes.
- The garlic is crushed, mixed with the remaining spices according to the recipe, and diluted in a bowl with hot thorn mass.
- All components are combined and kept boiling for another 15 minutes.
Poured into cans or bottles. Hermetically sealed.
Spicy sauce served with meat or poultry
Pickled sloe
Ingredients for 1 kg:
- water – 1.5 l;
- 9% vinegar - 90 g or 3 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
- sugar – 3 tbsp. l.;
- black and allspice – 6 pcs.;
- salt – 30 g.
If desired, you can add cloves to taste.
How to close sloe for the winter in a marinade:
- Whole fruits are sprinkled with spices and the sterilized jars are completely filled; containers with a volume of 0.5 are suitable for this purpose; 0.3 or 0.2 l.
- Boil water and fill containers with thorns hot to the brim. Cover with lids on top. Leave for 20 minutes.
- The liquid is drained, sugar, bay leaf and salt are added. Boil the marinade for 5 minutes.
- The jars are filled with hot water and sealed.
The workpiece is well insulated for gradual cooling.
Canned berries in marinade taste like olives
Salted thorn
Ingredients for 2 kg of fruit:
- salt – 5 tbsp. l.;
- water – 1 l;
- olive oil – 1 l;
- allspice – 4 peas;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.
Recipe for pickling sloe for the winter:
- Prepare the brine. Boil water with salt until the crystals dissolve.
- The turn is placed in an enamel container. Fill with hot brine, set pressure, and leave for a day.
- Drain the liquid, boil again with the addition of spices, and allow to cool.
- The thorns are placed in jars and filled with brine. Place in the refrigerator for 15 days.
- Take out the berries and wash them with warm water. Lay out on a napkin to allow the moisture to evaporate.
Return to sterilized jars and fill with oil.
The product is ready for use in a week
Sloe liqueur
To prepare an alcoholic drink, you will need vodka, purified moonshine, or alcohol diluted to 40%.
Ingredients:
- alcohol-containing base - 1 l;
- thorn – 1 kg;
- sugar – 200 g.
How to make the liqueur:
- The berries are separated from the seeds, placed in a glass container and covered with sugar, mixed.
- The container is closed and placed in the sun for three days.
- Add alcohol and transfer the liqueur to a dark, cool place and leave for three weeks. Shake the contents periodically.
- Filter the liquid and return it back to the container.
After a few days, it is separated from the sediment, bottled, and tightly closed.
The drink is ruby in color, its strength is 28-30%
How to preserve thorns for the winter
In order not to subject the berries to heat treatment, they can be dried or frozen. In this form, the preparation for the winter completely retains all the beneficial properties, vitamins and chemical elements.
Sloe drying
There are several ways to dry fruits for the winter. The easiest option is outdoors. The berries are placed on a baking sheet or tray in a thin layer, covered with gauze on top. They are kept in the open sun for five days and brought indoors at night. The thorns are stirred periodically so that the moisture evaporates evenly. Then the baking sheet is left in the shade for another three days.
If you use an oven, the drying process for the winter will take place in three stages.On the first day, leave the berries for four hours at a temperature of 500. The device is turned off and opened. The next stage also lasts four hours, but at 70 0C. On the third day, preheat the oven to 750 and keep the fruits in it for 2 hours.
Use the preparation to prepare compote, kvass or add to muesli
Sloe freezing
If there is no time to dry the fruits, they can be stored for a long time at sub-zero temperatures in the freezer compartment.
Sequence of freezing sloe for winter:
- The fruits are washed under the tap.
- Lay out on cloth.
- Stir occasionally so that the water completely evaporates from the surface of all fruits. Only dry thorns are frozen.
- Place in small containers or bags.
- If the container is soft, spread it over the surface of the freezer in one layer.
- After two hours, when the berries become hard, you can place the bags one on top of the other.
Before use, move the bag or container from the freezer to the refrigerator shelf and leave for several hours. To defrost completely, leave at room temperature.
Frozen thorns retain their nutritional value until the next harvest.
Conclusion
Recipes for sloe preparations for the winter involve the use of only ripe, good quality berries. They are processed into desserts, pickled, salted, and made into juice. To completely preserve the chemical composition, the fruits are frozen or dried. Sloes are suitable for preparing hot or sweet and sour sauces for meat dishes.
