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Frozen sea buckthorn will become a real vitamin find in winter or early spring. In the fall, fresh berries are harvested, which retain their healing properties if the freezing rules are followed.
Is it possible to freeze sea buckthorn
Berries, containing a lot of minerals and vitamins, if properly frozen, are almost identical in composition to fresh ones. Frozen sea buckthorn is healthier jam and canned compote. If the freezer is spacious, sometimes whole branches of the plant with berries are placed in it.
Nutritional value of frozen sea buckthorn
In properly frozen fruits, the composition of microelements remains almost the same as in fresh ones - 90%. Vitamins are also not affected, except for the rapidly degrading vitamin C, which still remains in large quantities, unlike heat-processed products. This substance is very unstable. Even when stored in a room for 24 hours, its amount is reduced by ten percent.The same thing happens with a frozen product, but 6 months before. If you freeze quickly, a little goes away - up to 20% of ascorbic acid.
Calorie content of frozen sea buckthorn
In 100 g of berries, depending on their growing conditions, there are 75–85 kilocalories. Contains fresh berries:
- 1.2 g protein, or 5 kcal;
- 5.7 g carbohydrates, or 25 kcal;
- 5.4 g fat, or 52 kcal.
Frozen fruits contain almost the same amount.
The benefits and harms of frozen sea buckthorn
The healing effects after eating berries differ only in the smaller amount of vitamin C in the frozen product. The fruits have a positive effect on increasing the body's defenses, the condition of blood vessels, treat vitamin deficiency, inflammatory processes, and promote the healing of skin lesions. Sea buckthorn is rich in antioxidants, is considered a strong natural antibiotic, and is used to prevent cancer.
At the same time, the presence of acids makes it undesirable for use in case of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. Being an allergen, it can cause a painful reaction.
How to properly select sea buckthorn for freezing
Only ripe orange berries should be frozen. After harvesting, the fruits should not be kept for a long time, a maximum of 5–6 hours, so that they do not lose vitamins naturally. Prepare thoroughly for freezing:
- the fruits are freed from large branches and leaves, poured into a deep bowl with water several times;
- after each water change, the number of twigs, petioles and damaged fruits floating to the surface decreases;
- then they sort more, extracting the crushed berries - they make tea or compote, grind them with sugar;
- Whole selected fruits are taken out with a slotted spoon and laid out in a thin layer on a kitchen towel to dry for 20–30 minutes.
How to freeze sea buckthorn for the winter
There are several methods for freezing berries, including using modern household appliances. Refrigerators with blast freezing chambers allow you to preserve the structure of tissues and get rid of microbes. Freezers with fast freezing function process the product at -22 ºC. It is better to freeze fruits in small portions, so that the thawed product can be consumed immediately. Berries should not be repeatedly exposed to low temperatures, as beneficial substances are lost. You can prepare ready-made portions of fruits, ground with sugar, in small containers.
Shock freezing of sea buckthorn
This technology is more common in industry, but there are also household appliances that allow you to instantly reduce the temperature in a separate freezer to -30... -50 degrees. When frozen in a conventional chamber, large ice crystals form in the intercellular space of the fruit, breaking the cell walls. Thawed berries bleed juice and become flabby. Under conditions of shock freezing, tiny crystals are formed, the cell walls remain intact, and as a result the product looks like fresh. Blast freezing requires a rapid decrease in temperature starting from -25 ºC.
Freeze portions of sea buckthorn in containers or plastic bags
Prepare the container in which the frozen product will remain in advance. Purchase special small containers for the freezer or use small containers for dairy, culinary or confectionery products. The process of freezing whole Siberian pineapple fruits is carried out in two ways.
- Most freezers have a compartment with a shelf-tray for freezing fruits and vegetables. It is covered with parchment paper and the fruits are laid out in one layer. Frozen berries are then packaged in small portion containers or sealed bags.
- The fruits are immediately placed in selected containers or regular bags in pre-distributed small portions. Dry and clean containers or cups are not filled to the top and are not closed immediately, but after freezing.
Sea buckthorn frozen with sugar
A sweet semi-finished product is also prepared.
- The berries are rubbed through a sieve.
- Sugar is added to the finished puree to taste.
- They are packaged in convenient containers so that you can use the sweet jam in one day.
How to properly defrost sea buckthorn before eating
It is worth taking care of defrosting before use. You need to plan when you will need vitamin products.
- It is better to defrost berries in the refrigerator, placing the bag on the top shelf. The advantages of this method are that the nutrients of sea buckthorn are preserved, and harmful microflora does not develop. The process is lengthy, takes up to 9 hours.
- At room temperature, sea buckthorn will defrost faster, but there is a danger of simultaneous growth of bacteria.
- It is not recommended to quickly defrost sea buckthorn in the microwave, since the technology destroys the cellular structure of the product.
What can you cook from frozen sea buckthorn?
Frozen berries contain most of all its beneficial components.
- The fruits are consumed without any processing, with porridge or tea.
- By combining with sugar, you get a high-calorie, but high-vitamin dessert - fresh jam.
- Frozen berries or jam briquettes are used to prepare fruit drink, jelly or compote.
- If sea buckthorn is taken for these purposes, it is not defrosted, but immediately placed in boiling water, adding sugar.
- To fill the pies, defrost the sea buckthorn and keep it in a sieve for some time to allow the juice to drain.
- They prepare jellies and sauces for pancakes, as well as for meat.
- Sour berries are used when stuffing poultry for baking in the oven.
Shelf life of frozen sea buckthorn
Packages and containers with frozen berries are laid out in sections for storage. It is advisable to keep them separate from meat and fish so that odors are not absorbed. Make sure that the containers are hermetically sealed and that no moisture is released: due to condensation, the chamber has to be defrosted more often. At normal freezer temperature, -18 ºC, sea buckthorn can be fully stored for 9 months. During this period, the valuable product needs to be used, otherwise it will not bring any benefit to the body later.
Conclusion
Frozen sea buckthorn pleasantly diversifies the set of products in cold weather. It is better to store vitamin-rich sea buckthorn berries frozen for the winter. They will be indispensable during the cold season.
