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There are situations when honeysuckle is bitter, but this is the earliest and most useful berry that ripens in gardens in May. She has an unpleasant aftertaste for several reasons. It can be adverse weather conditions or a varietal feature. Lack of moisture, dry summers turn even the sweetest fruits into a bitter delicacy.
Why honeysuckle tastes bitter
Changeable weather in summer can spoil the taste of the future harvest. Rain and high humidity will only enhance the sweetness of the berry pulp. Drought and exposure to direct sunlight will add a slight bitterness.
Honeysuckle with bitterness ripens in favorable weather conditions, when rainy weather alternates with sunny. Such a taste is considered the most organic, inherent in the fruits of this particular plant.
The variety “Sinilga” is initially characterized by increased, characteristic bitterness, weather conditions are not able to affect this quality.
Shrubs with bitter fruit pulp grow mainly in the northern regions of the country.
The varieties of the old selection are distinguished by the same characteristics. These include:
- Blue spindle – a hybrid bred more than forty years ago.
- Zest – a variety obtained in the Urals in the 90s.
- Selene – a seedling obtained from Altai honeysuckle has been on variety testing since 1993.
- fire opal – a frost-resistant variety with bitter berries, which has been listed in the State Register since 1980.
Shrubs bred in recent decades bear fruit with sweet berries. In order not to get a crop that is bitter, varietal plants are purchased.
The sweetest fruits give such hybrids:
- Gzhel early – a vigorous shrub, which is included in the State Register for all regions of Our Country.
- Lazurite variety – medium-sized, winter-hardy shrub, high in vitamin
- Bogdan – fast-growing, high-yielding variety. The fruit tasting score is 4,8 points.
- Bakchar Jubilee – mid-season, productive variety with large sweet and sour berries.
Is it possible to eat bitter honeysuckle
Some lovers like it when honeysuckle fruits are bitter. They can be eaten almost without restrictions, if there is no allergy. Berries that are bitter are put into processing, making marshmallows, jams, compotes and jams from them.
In folk medicine, it is the bitter fruits that are used. They will help restore proper metabolism, cope with problems of the digestive tract, lower blood pressure.
How to remove bitterness from honeysuckle
Honeysuckle berries are bitter if not cared for properly. The right variety, regular watering and pruning will make them sweet.
The harvested crop, which is bitter so that it is not possible to eat it at all, is processed with sugar. Pass through a meat grinder and mix with sugar in a ratio of 1:1,5. The resulting raw jam is sent to the refrigerator for a month. The real vitamin delicacy will not be bitter.
You can also freeze bitter fruits for the winter. After being treated with low temperature, they lose most of their bitterness and become more beneficial for the body. The berries are suitable for making compotes, jelly and jams.
For consumption in winter, it is recommended to use frozen, fresh berries.
If you eat 5-7 pieces a day, you can protect yourself from colds with the onset of cold weather.
Prevention of bitterness in honeysuckle
The key to the ripening of sweet berries in cultivars of honeysuckle is proper and regular care. The plant is unpretentious, but does not tolerate indifference.
Young seedlings are rooted in partial shade. Under natural conditions, the shrub grows near the forest, does not tolerate exposure to direct sunlight. It is necessary to avoid the close occurrence of groundwater and drafts.
Before flowering, top dressing is applied under the bush
After the color crumbles, the plant is fertilized again. It does not tolerate chemical solutions, it is fed only with organic matter.
If the honeysuckle has overwintered on the site, pruning is carried out after the snow has melted. Remove frozen and damaged shoots.
As soon as the weather becomes steadily warm, the shrub is regularly watered. It is enough to do this once every 1 weeks. During the season you need to carry out up to 2 waterings. Each shrub will require at least 10 buckets of water.
As needed, weeds are removed and the soil around the tree is loosened. After watering, the trunk circle is mulched.
As soon as the first crop ripens (mid or end of May), they are in no hurry to remove it from the branches – it will be bitter. It is necessary to wait for full ripening and leave the berries on the mother plant for another 2-3 days. Overripe honeysuckle fruits lose most of their bitterness and become sweet. But they are not recommended to overexpose them on the branches, they can crumble.
In autumn, honeysuckle bushes are cut again. The branches growing inside the crown are removed – they create a shadow in which the berries become smaller and begin to taste bitter.
Conclusion
Honeysuckle is bitter if it is the fruit of a wild shrub. Modern dessert varieties have a pleasant sweet and sour taste. In order for a seedling from a nursery not to bear fruit with bitter berries, proper care is required for it. At the same time, the wild game growing nearby is not uprooted; it will serve as a good pollinator for a noble plant.