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How to collect sea buckthorn quickly, video
Sea buckthorn is a bright and healthy berry, it ripens at the end of summer and can survive on branches until frost. Its peculiarity is a strong and short stalk. It is worth pushing a little harder, and the berry will burst. To preserve the harvest, you need to figure out in advance how to quickly collect sea buckthorn without damaging it. Gardeners come up with various devices and tricks to speed up the harvest.
How to collect sea buckthorn quickly and efficiently?
The most active collection of orange berries takes place in September and early October. At this time, it is already cool and harvesting with bare hands is rather unpleasant.
Tools and devices for collecting sea buckthorn
Several devices are used to automate the process. They must cut the stalk without damaging the integrity of the skin.
- Wire loop – “cobra”. A very simple device. You will need a stick that fits comfortably in your hand, thin wire, and duct tape. Bend the wire into a loop, sharpen the end, and tie it to the stick. It is convenient to cut berries with such a tool.
- The tube. A small diameter pipe is made of thin sheet metal. A harvest bag is tied to one end. If you make a device up to a meter long, then it is easy to pluck a high-growing sea buckthorn. Bring the tube to the berry and cut off the stem, it will roll into the bag. This is the cleanest way.
- Scraper. A thin string is pulled over the slingshot, and with its help the stalks are carefully cut. Suitable for removing unripe or hard berries after freezing.
These tools facilitate the direct separation of the fruit from the branch. However, they do not guarantee purity. Sea buckthorn will have to be sorted out and rinsed thoroughly.
How to collect sea buckthorn by hand
Hand picking is preferable if you want a pure, selected berry. It is best to remove sea buckthorn from a branch by hand at the very beginning of its maturity, at the end of August. She is already ripe, but still quite dense.
Manual harvesting can be accelerated:
- Cut off the so-called ripe cobs from the tree. These are annual fruiting branches with shrinking shoots. They will not give either an increase or a harvest for the next year. At home, they can be washed and frozen directly, or they can be easily robbed.
- Wait for the first freeze. Spread a clean oilcloth under the tree and shake it. Most of the crop will crumble. You just have to sort and rinse the berries.
- If it’s October and the sea buckthorn is still on the branches, it’s time to collect the juice. Wash the berries directly on the tree. Put on tight rubber gloves and squeeze the fruit into a container. To do this, slide your hand from top to bottom along the branch. Be sure to strain the resulting liquid and boil.
Hand picking sea buckthorn is no more difficult than using tools.
Use whatever technique you like for harvesting. Watch the video on how to collect sea buckthorn and choose the best option for yourself.