Contents
Red currant is a berry that is often used to make jams, jellies, fruit puddings. Currant fruits are distinguished by a recognizable sour-sweet taste. Culture grows in the main regions of Eurasia. Redcurrant jelly without cooking for the winter is prepared according to different recipes, using additional ingredients.
The benefits of raw redcurrant jelly for the winter
Raw currant jelly in terms of benefits is comparable to the effect of fresh berries on the human body. Proper preparation makes the product not only tasty and healthy, but also able to be stored for a long time.
Jelly from currant berries without additional cooking is prepared and left for the winter. In the cold season, such a vitamin preparation helps to increase the body’s immune forces, as well as prevent the development of many diseases.
- The red berry contains unique coumarins. Due to this property, the quality of blood clotting improves. This helps to avoid blood clots, which is why redcurrants are often recommended to improve blood circulation.
- Antioxidants and a high content of vitamin C make currant blanks useful for the prevention of colds, and also help prevent beriberi.
- Trace elements, vitamins and useful elements help to restore the activity of body systems at different stages of rehabilitation after illness.
- Fiber activates the digestive processes, helping to cleanse the body of toxins and harmful substances.
- Red currant has a rejuvenating effect. Regular intake improves the condition of hair, nails, the upper layer of the epidermis.
- The berry has diuretic and choleretic properties. These influences help to avoid edema, activate the activity of the main filtration organ of the body – the liver.
- Pectin, which is contained in red currant, helps to maintain the natural state of cells and activates regeneration processes.
Red currant jelly, prepared in a cold way, with regular use, normalizes the activity of brain cells.
Features of making redcurrant jelly without cooking
Heat treatment of any fruit reduces the benefits. Experts say that ascorbic acid under the influence of high temperatures significantly changes the structure, so the cold cooking method is more in demand.
For jelly, ripe berries of a rich shade are harvested. The ripening time depends on the climatic conditions of the region. As a rule, the culture ripens unevenly. The fruiting period stretches from mid-July to mid-August. Some late-ripening varieties may bear fruit until the end of August.
The composition of red currant is known for its content of natural pectin. This is a substance that is a natural thickener, so berry jelly does not need the addition of special components to create a structure.
Jams and preserves are recommended to be prepared from fresh fruits. Berries that have been stored for a long time secrete juice and become unsuitable for cooking. The juice remains a binding component during preparation: due to its properties, the preparation acquires a jelly-like form and is stored after preparation.
The peculiarity of the berry is that even with the most careful collection, small twigs and petioles remain among the fruits. Before preparing jelly, the fruits are sorted and excess elements are removed. The berries are washed by soaking in warm water for 10 minutes. Then shake and spread on a towel to absorb excess liquid.
Redcurrant recipes without cooking
Jelly without cooking from berries such as red currants is prepared for the winter by any of the available methods. Some of them allow you to use juicers or blenders. In this case, it is necessary to carefully separate the juice from the resulting cake.
Types of jelly recipes are divided into several groups:
- with or without gelatin, agar-agar;
- without additional cooking or by boiling until the sugar is completely dispersed, followed by cooling.
A simple no-boil redcurrant jelly recipe
To prepare redcurrant jelly without cooking, products are taken as ingredients in a standard proportion: for 1 kg of sugar – 1,2 kg of currants.
Prepared fruits are passed through a meat grinder. The resulting cake is laid out in a loose layer on gauze or a clean cloth folded in half, crushed, squeezed out the juice and drained separately. The cake remaining after pressing is removed for further use.
Juice, sugar are mixed, infused until the crystals are completely dissolved. When insisting, cover the container with a clean lid or towel. After complete dissolution, the workpiece is left at room temperature for 12 hours.
Red and white currant jelly without cooking
Currant berries are prepared, then covered with sugar, topped up with 1 glass of water per 1 kg of berries. Mash the currants with a crush or spoon and leave until the sugar dissolves. After 3-4 hours, the resulting liquid is drained, filtered.
Gelatin (2 g) is soaked until swollen, then mixed with the resulting liquid. Gelatin and syrup are intensively stirred and put in the refrigerator.
Caloric value
The recipe for cold redcurrant jelly involves the use of a smaller amount of sugar. The gelling components of the fruit help maintain the density of the cooked dish. Sugar improves and emphasizes the natural taste of red currants.
The bulk of the calories come from sugar. Jelly prepared according to the classic recipe in a cold way has an indicator of about 245 kcal. The mixture consists of proteins and carbohydrates, while the carbohydrate index exceeds 80%.
Shelf life and storage conditions
Homemade preparations can be stored under optimal conditions for several years. The mixture without additional heat treatment is stored in the refrigerator.
With subsequent sterilization of the jars, the blank can be stored from 6 months to 2 years. Sterilization is a method of heat treatment of storage containers. They are processed by one of the selected methods:
- with the help of steam;
- in the oven;
- by boiling.
The prepared mixture is laid out in jars, then put away for storage. Content conditions may vary. On the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, jars are stored from 6 months to 1 year.
On the basement shelves, the blanks are stored without loss in glass jars for up to 2 years. At the same time, they take into account that the sun’s rays should not fall on the banks. In addition, home preservation is not stored near heaters, which are sometimes used to heat potatoes in a particularly cold season. It is also not recommended to refreeze blanks: storage with air temperature control is considered the best savings option, jumps in which can cause fermentation or molding of the product.
Conclusion
Redcurrant jelly without cooking for the winter is a unique and useful product. The jelly-like structure is liked by adults and children, regular use of the jelly product avoids colds and increases immune defenses.
Redcurrant jelly reviews without cooking
