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Cooking and agricultural breeding go side by side. Sunberry jam is becoming increasingly popular among housewives every year. The berry, similar in structure to a tomato, has won the hearts of many gardeners, and, as a result, the question of preserving it for future use is very important for some.
Beneficial properties of sunberry jam and contraindications
Sunberry jam contains berries that are also called Canadian blueberries. They contain a large amount of vitamins and microelements beneficial to the body. The jam made from the berries of this nightshade contains vitamin C, which is responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system. In addition, sunberry is rich in vitamin A, which is beneficial for the body, which helps improve vision and is also responsible for removing harmful toxins from tissues. Chemical elements include calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. There are also rarer microelements:
- zinc;
- manganese;
- copper;
- silver;
- selenium;
- chromium.
Among the biologically active elements, it is customary to distinguish bioflavonoids and a whole complex of tannins. That is why jam from this berry is actively used to treat colds, and also helps with disorders of the digestive system, acting as a natural absorbent. Many doctors recommend taking sunberry-based products to treat eye diseases and diseases of the circulatory system.
Among the most common contraindications are an allergic reaction to the components of the plant and the possibility of stomach upset if consumed in excess. Drivers should use jam with extreme caution. The substances contained in this berry may cause slight drowsiness.
How to Make Sunberry Jam
The taste of the fruits of this nightshade is not too bright and somewhat bland. Therefore, it is most often processed together with other ingredients, such as sugar. To compensate for the lack of sweetness in the finished dish, most often when preparing jam, sunberries are mixed with sugar in a 1:1 ratio.
To get a high-quality finished product, you need to be especially careful when choosing the main ingredient. Before cooking, the berries are sorted by hand, getting rid of spoiled and insufficiently ripe fruits.It is important to wash the berries well under running water to remove dirt and possible parasites. Otherwise, the cooking process is similar to cooking almost any jam.
Sunberry jam recipes
Despite its relatively recent appearance in cooking, housewives already have a huge number of recipes for sunberry jam. Dessert made from them has a refined taste and is appreciated by consumers. If desired, you can grind the finished dish through a sieve to get jam, or leave whole berries. There are also recipes for preparing the dish when the berries are first ground in a meat grinder.
Since the taste of sunberry is not strong enough for some, there are many ingredients that are added to the dessert. Traditionally added fruits include apples, oranges and quinces. There are also recipes with the addition of various spices and herbs - mint, cardamom and vanilla.
Easy Sunberry Jam
The simplest solution for making jam from sunberry fruits, or black nightshade, is classic cooking with the addition of sugar. The dessert turns out very tasty and is best suited for those who are not yet familiar with this wonderful plant. To prepare you will need:
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 1 kg sugar;
- 3 mint leaves.
Nightshade is mixed with sugar and placed in an enamel pan. The mixture is brought to a boil and boiled for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. After this, you need to wait 2-3 hours and return the pan to the stove and add mint to it. This operation is repeated 3 times. The finished jam is placed in small jars, rolled up and sent for storage.
Sunberry jam through a meat grinder
Using a meat grinder allows you to shorten the long cooking process. Ground fruits will release all their flavor much faster, so the entire cooking will not take more than 30 minutes. To prepare, you need to take 1 kg of berries and 1 kg of sugar. You can add the aroma of the finished product by grinding a few mint leaves in a meat grinder.
Sugar is added to the ground berry pulp, mixed and placed on the stove. Cooking is carried out over low heat for half an hour with constant stirring. The jam is placed in sterilized jars and sealed tightly.
Sunberry jam with apples
This recipe occupies the most important place among the options for making sunberry jam. Apples add an extra sour taste to the dessert. That is why it is better to give preference to fruits of the sweet and sour type. Antonovka and Simirenko varieties are best suited for the recipe. To prepare you will need:
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 1.5 kg sugar;
- 5 medium sized apples;
- 300 ml water.
Apples are peeled and pitted and passed through a meat grinder along with the berries. Sugar and water are added to them. In a large saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning. For complete readiness, the jam is cooked for about 40-45 minutes. After this, it is cooled and poured into jars for further storage.
Raw Sunberry Jam
Raw jam is considered to be fruits crushed and mixed with sugar. Among the most popular arguments in favor of this method of preparation is that fruits and berries retain their beneficial properties as much as possible, since they have not been subjected to heat treatment. For this sunberry jam recipe you will need:
- 1 kg of berries;
- 1 kg sugar;
- 2 apples.
The dessert is prepared as quickly as possible.Apples are peeled and ground in a meat grinder. Sunberries are also ground in a meat grinder and mixed with applesauce. Add sugar to the mixture and mix it thoroughly. The finished raw jam is laid out in jars and covered tightly with a lid to avoid the possible entry of air and harmful microorganisms.
Sunberry Orange Jam
Orange adds an unsurpassed citrus aroma and bright sourness to the dessert. The combination with sunberry is one of the most classic recipes for making jam. To prepare you need:
- 2 large oranges;
- 1 kg sugar;
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 1 glass of boiled water;
- 3 mint leaves.
Remove the zest from the oranges with a special knife, then squeeze out the maximum amount of juice. The berries are ground in a blender or meat grinder, sugar, zest, water and orange juice are added. The mixture is placed on low heat, brought to a boil and cooked for 40-45 minutes until fully cooked. The cooking process takes longer, since it is necessary for excess moisture to be removed from the jam. The finished dish is cooled and placed in pre-sterilized jars.
Delicious sunberry quince jam
Housewives recommend adding quince to jam for its incredible aroma and unusual bright taste. The finished dish combines the benefits of two sources of vitamins at once, which is why it is extremely popular among healthy food lovers. To prepare it you need:
- 6 quince fruits;
- 1.5 kg sugar;
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 300 ml water;
- a bunch of mint or lemon balm;
- several barberries.
Sunberries are twisted in a meat grinder together with peeled and pitted quince fruits. Barberry is added to the fruit. After this, the mixture should sit for 4-5 hours.Then it is transferred to a saucepan, sugar, water and herbs are added. The mixture is boiled for about half an hour, then removed from the heat and left to rest for 12 hours. After this, it is brought to a boil again, and then poured into jars prepared in advance.
Using Sunberry Jam
Like any other jam, the dish is traditionally used as an addition to toast or cookies during tea drinking. Sunberry jam is an excellent filling for all kinds of pies and cakes. In addition, it is ideal as an addition to other desserts - for example, ice cream. The unusual taste of the finished product allows it to be successfully used in making hot toddy - in combination with other ingredients you can get a real culinary masterpiece.
The finished dessert can be used not only as a separate dish, but also as a medicine. Regular consumption of several teaspoons of sunberry jam per day brings great benefits to the cardiovascular system, normalizing blood pressure. It increases the elasticity of blood vessels, reducing their fragility.
Eating 100-150 g of dessert per day helps relieve constipation and indigestion. This is achieved due to the high proportion of pectin, which is a strong sorbent. Also, its use relieves intestinal spasms and colic.
Terms and conditions of storage
Like any jam, sunberry dessert can be stored for quite a long time. Sugar is a strong preservative that prevents the development of harmful microorganisms. If the correct storage conditions are observed, the benefits and taste of jam can last for 2-3 years.
A dark, cold room, such as a basement or cellar, is best suited for storage. In the absence of the above, you can use a refrigerator, but it is very rare that you have the opportunity to allocate enough space in it for home canning.
Conclusion
Sunberry jam is a new trend in the culinary community. It is valued not so much for its taste as for its incredible healing properties that can help in the fight against serious illnesses. If you add additional ingredients to it, you can get a very tasty dessert that even picky gourmets will appreciate.
