Contents
Dried barberry is a useful fruit of the Barberry family. Today there are more than 300 varieties of plants that grow in almost any conditions. Dried berries of fruit bushes are popular not only in the preparation of healthy infusions, but are also regularly used in cooking.
The burgundy fruits of the shrub have an elongated oval shape, to taste – sweet and sour. Compotes, juices, jellies are cooked from dried barberry, used as a spice for cooking many dishes. The plant has medicinal properties – it helps to prevent and cure many diseases.
Drying delicious berries is easy enough. But in order to preserve all the benefits of the fruit, you need to know the correct process technology.
Useful properties of dried barberry
Dried barberry is rich in vitamins and minerals. The fruits of the shrub are widely used in folk medicine. Particularly effective in the treatment of colds and viral diseases.
The composition of the berries contains a valuable and very rare alkaloid berberine, which actively fights against pathogenic microflora. To achieve a therapeutic effect and not harm your health, it is important to know the correct dosage of berberine. Unripe fruits contain much more of it than fully ripe ones.
If the fruits are supposed to be dried, after complete drying, the concentration of barberine will be significantly lower. Therefore, unripe fruits can be used for drying, but with caution.
But barberry is rich not only in barberine. The fruits of the shrub are used to treat many diseases of various organs and systems.
- Gastrointestinal tract. Dried barberry contains pectin, which speeds up metabolism. The use of fruits helps to digest food faster. Infusions from dried berries solve the problem of constipation and intestinal disorders.
- Diseases of the liver and gallbladder. Berries have a mild choleretic effect, improve the functioning of the gallbladder and liver. The systematic use of dried barberry helps to reduce the risk of stones, helps to avoid other liver diseases.
- Prevention of oncological diseases. Dried barberry is rich in antioxidants that prevent the formation of cancer cells.
- They have a rejuvenating effect.
- Helps in the treatment of colds and viral infections. Dried barberry contains not only useful barberine, but also a vitamin-mineral complex, which increases the body’s defenses and prevents the development of pathogenic microflora. During the period of colds, dried barberry fruits eliminate symptoms.
- The fruits of the shrub have an antipyretic effect, strengthen the cardiovascular system.
- Has a calming effect. Dried barberry has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, improves mood. It has a tonic effect on the entire body. On the basis of dried barberry, drugs for mental disorders are produced.
- Has a diuretic effect. Regular use helps to remove swelling, remove excess fluid from the body. It is an excellent prevention in the treatment of cystitis, urethritis and other genitourinary diseases.
- Removes toxins from the body. Pectin helps not only to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, but also to remove toxins and harmful compounds from the body. Scientists noted that dried berries are able to remove heavy metals, salt and other elements harmful to the body.
Dried barberry has enough useful properties that have a beneficial effect on the entire body.
Recently, another effectiveness of dried barberry has been proven – weight loss. Due to the cleansing properties of toxins and toxins, taking berries helps to remove a few extra pounds. But the effectiveness of taking dried barberry will be much higher if you use it in combination with proper nutrition and regular physical activity.
To achieve the desired result in losing weight, it is necessary to take the fruits correctly. If you use fresh – they will stimulate the appetite. But if you prepare tea or infusion based on dried barberry, you can significantly reduce the desire to have something to eat.
How to dry barberry at home
Properly dried fruits are able to retain the maximum amount of useful properties. But before proceeding with the process, you should familiarize yourself with some of the nuances:
- Harvest only ripe fruits. Unripe berries contain a lot of barberine. Before harvesting, the time of full ripening should be determined. In each region, this period may be different. Of course, there will be less barberine in dried berries, but it is still better to choose ripened fruits for drying.
- It is important to sort the harvested crop from the bushes, throw away rotten and spoiled berries.
- After careful selection, the fruits are soaked for 2 hours in clean water, washed well.
- Spread the clean berries on a paper towel to absorb the remaining moisture.
After completing all the manipulations, you can begin the drying process.
Properly dried barberry should look like in the photo.
How to dry barberry with the air method
Air drying barberry means drying the fruit of the bush in a natural way. It takes several steps to complete the process correctly.
- Collect ripe fruits, rinse well.
- Drain the berries on a paper towel.
- Arrange the fruits in 1 layer on a clean cloth, cover with gauze.
It is better to dry the berries in the fresh air and make sure that they are not exposed to the sun’s rays. Do not forget about regular turning over so that the drying is uniform.
How to dry barberry in the oven
This process will take much less time to complete. The main thing is to maintain the correct temperature. The process includes several steps.
- Preheat the oven to 50 degrees.
- Put a tray with fruits.
- After extracting the juice from the fruit, increase the temperature to 60 degrees.
- In the process, mix the berries.
After 2,5 hours, the berries will be completely ready. Sometimes it takes longer to dry. In most cases, the duration of the process depends on the oven.
How to dry barberry in a dryer
This drying method is very similar to the previous one. Before starting the process, it is also important to select good berries, rinse under running water.
At the beginning of drying, the temperature should be set to no higher than 50 degrees, after 3 hours the heating can be increased to 60 degrees. The process ends only when the berries have a glossy finish, when squeezed, the juice will no longer stand out.
Where is dried barberry added
Dried barberry is widely used for making infusions, tea, and is regularly used as a spice in cooking.
One of the most common dishes is Uzbek pilaf. It is thanks to dried barberry that rice turns out to be spicy and tasty, for which it is highly popular not only in Uzbekistan. Many housewives try to cook such pilaf. Also, delicious compotes are prepared from dried barberry. As a dessert, chocolate based on dried barberry and nuts is used.
Calorie content of dried barberry berries
Dried barberry is a low-calorie product. There is no fat, no protein, there is a small amount of carbohydrates. For 100 g of dried product, only 152 kcal.
It is worth noting that the berry is very rich in the following components:
- vitamins A, B, C;
- beta-carotene;
- magnesium;
- zinc;
- copper;
- calcium;
- potassium;
- iron.
The composition contains fructose, columbamine, pectin, palmitin, jatrorricin, berberine. It is worth noting the content of natural acids: citric, tartaric and malic.
Противопоказания
Despite the fact that barberry has enough useful properties, such berries are not useful for everyone. Dried barberry contains many biologically active elements that benefit the body only in the right dosage.
If a person has no health problems, the fruits can be consumed. And if there are problems in the body, you need to consult a qualified specialist.
With extreme caution should be eaten by people who suffer from intestinal disorders. As mentioned, dried barberry has a laxative effect, so people who have serious diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract should postpone the use of berries. With the fruits of dried barberry, pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 12 years of age should be more careful.
Terms and conditions of storage
Dried fruits can be stored for quite a long time. But only properly dried berries are subject to long-term storage.
Particular attention should be paid to the container in which the fruits will be stored. It must be completely dry. Otherwise, the workpiece may become moldy. Do not forget about the hermetically sealed lid – the safety of the aroma depends on this.
Conclusion
Dried barberry is an excellent choice for those who wish to improve their health. But before you start using, you should familiarize yourself with the contraindications. Drying berries at home is very easy. The main rule is to follow the technology of the process. Pay special attention to preparation and collection. Properly cooked fruits will retain all the beneficial properties and wonderful aroma.
