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Culinary and agricultural selection go hand in hand. Sunberry jam is becoming more and more popular among housewives every year. A berry similar in structure to a tomato has won the hearts of many gardeners, and, as a result, the issue of preserving it for future use is very important for some.
Useful properties of sunberry jam and contraindications
The composition of sunberry jam contains berries, which are also called Canadian blueberries. They include a large number of vitamins and trace elements useful for the body. The jam from the berries of this nightshade contains vitamin C, which is responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system. In addition, sunberry is rich in vitamin A, which is the most beneficial for the body, which helps to improve vision, and is also responsible for removing harmful toxins from tissues. Among the chemical elements, calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium are distinguished. There are also rarer trace elements:
- zinc;
- manganese;
- copper;
- silver;
- selenium;
- chromium.
Among the biologically active elements, it is customary to distinguish bioflavonoids and a whole complex of tannins. That is why jam from this berry is actively used to treat colds, and also helps with disorders of the digestive system, acting as a natural absorbent. Many doctors recommend sunberry-based products for eye and circulatory problems.
Among the most common contraindications are an allergic reaction to the components of the plant and the possibility of indigestion with excessive use. With extreme caution, jam should be consumed by drivers. The substances contained in this berry can cause slight drowsiness.
How to make sunberry jam
The taste of the fruits of this nightshade is not too bright and to some extent insipid. Therefore, most often it is processed together with other ingredients, such as sugar. To compensate for the lack of sweetness in the finished dish, most often when making jam, sunberries are mixed with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio.
To get a high-quality finished product, it is necessary to carefully approach the choice of the main ingredient. Before starting cooking, the berries are manually sorted out, getting rid of spoiled and insufficiently ripe fruits. It is important to wash the berries well under running water to remove dirt and possible parasites. The rest of the cooking process is similar to cooking almost any jam.
Sunberry Jam Recipes
Despite the relatively recent appearance in cooking, housewives already have a huge number of recipes for jam from sunberry berries. Dessert made from them has a refined taste and is appreciated by consumers. If desired, the finished dish can be rubbed through a sieve to get jam, or whole berries can be left. There are also recipes for cooking when the berries are pre-twisted in a meat grinder.
Since the taste of sunberry is not strong enough for some, there are a lot of ingredients that are added to the dessert. Traditionally added fruits include apples, oranges and quince. There are also recipes with the addition of various spices and herbs – mint, cardamom and vanilla.
Simple Sunberry Jam
The easiest solution for making sunberry or black nightshade jam is the classic boil with added sugar. The dessert turns out to be very tasty and is best suited for those who are not yet familiar with this marvelous plant. For cooking you will need:
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 3 mint leaves.
The nightshade is mixed with sugar and laid out in an enamel pan. The mixture is brought to a boil and boiled for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. After that, you must wait 2-3 hours and return the pan to the stove again and add mint to it. This operation is repeated 3 times. The finished jam is laid out in small jars, rolled up and sent for storage.
Sunberry jam through a meat grinder
Using a meat grinder allows you to shorten the long cooking process. The ground fruits will give all their taste much faster, so the whole cooking will not take more than 30 minutes. For cooking, you need to take 1 kg of berries and 1 kg of sugar. You can add the aroma of the finished product by grinding a few mint leaves in a meat grinder.
Sugar is added to the ground berry gruel, mixed and put on the stove. Cooking is done over low heat for half an hour with constant stirring. Jam spread in sterilized jars and tightly rolled up.
Sunberry jam with apples
This recipe occupies the most important place among the options for making sunberry jam. Apples add an extra tart flavor to the dessert. That is why it is better to give preference to sweet and sour fruits. Antonovka and Simirenko varieties are best suited for the recipe. For cooking you will need:
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 1,5 kg of sugar;
- 5 medium sized apples;
- 300 ml water.
Apples are peeled and pitted and, together with the berries, are passed through a meat grinder. Sugar and water are added to them. Bring the mixture to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring constantly to avoid burning. For complete readiness, the jam is cooked for about 40-45 minutes. After that, it is cooled and poured into jars for further storage.
Raw sunberry jam
Raw jam is considered to be crushed and mixed with sugar fruits. Among the most popular arguments in favor of this method of preparation is that fruits and berries retain their beneficial properties as much as possible, since they have not been subjected to heat treatment. For this sunberry jam recipe you will need:
- 1 kg of berries;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- Xnumx apples.
Dessert is prepared as quickly as possible. Apples are peeled and twisted in a meat grinder. Sunberries are also ground in a meat grinder and mixed with applesauce. Add sugar to the mixture and mix thoroughly. The finished raw jam is laid out in jars and tightly covered with a lid to avoid possible ingress of air and harmful microorganisms.
Sunberry jam with orange
Orange adds an unsurpassed citrus aroma and bright sourness to the dessert. Paired with a sunny sunberry, this is one of the more classic jam recipes. For cooking you need:
- 2 large oranges;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 1 a glass of boiled water;
- 3 mint leaves.
The zest is removed from the oranges with a special knife, then the maximum amount of juice is squeezed out. The berries are ground in a blender or meat grinder, sugar, zest, water and orange juice are added to them. The mixture is put on a slow fire, brought to a boil and boiled for 40-45 minutes until fully cooked. The cooking process is longer, as it is necessary that excess moisture be removed from the jam. The finished dish is cooled and laid out in pre-sterilized jars.
Delicious sunberry jam with quince
Housewives recommend adding quince to jam for its incredible aroma and unusual bright taste. The finished dish combines the benefits of two sources of vitamins at once, which is why it is extremely popular among lovers of healthy food. To prepare it, you need:
- 6 quince fruits;
- 1,5 kg of sugar;
- 1 kg sunberry;
- 300 ml of water;
- a bunch of mint or lemon balm;
- a few barberries.
Sunberries are twisted in a meat grinder along with peeled and pitted quince fruits. Barberry is added to the fruit. After that, the mixture should be infused for 4-5 hours. Then it is transferred to a saucepan, sugar, water and herbs are added. The mixture is boiled for about half an hour, then removed from heat and left to rest for 12 hours. After that, it is brought to a boil again, and then poured into jars prepared in advance.
Using Sunberry Jam
Like any other jam, the dish is traditionally consumed as an accompaniment to toast or cookies during tea drinking. Sunberry jam is an excellent filling in all kinds of pies and cakes. In addition, it is ideal as an accompaniment to other desserts, such as ice cream. The unusual taste of the finished product allows it to be successfully used in the manufacture of hot punch – in combination with other ingredients, you can get a real culinary masterpiece.
Ready dessert can be used not only as a separate dish, but as a medicine. Regular consumption of a few teaspoons of sunberry jam a day brings great benefits to the cardiovascular system, normalizing blood pressure. It increases the elasticity of blood vessels, reducing their fragility.
Eating 100-150 g of dessert per day helps to get rid of constipation and indigestion in the stomach. This is achieved due to the high content of pectin, which is a strong sorbent. Also, its use relieves intestinal spasms and colic.
Terms and conditions of storage
Like any jam, sunberry dessert can be stored for quite a long time. Sugar is the strongest preservative that prevents the development of harmful microorganisms. Under proper storage conditions, the benefits and taste of jam can last for 2-3 years.
A dark, cold room, such as a basement or cellar, is best suited for storage. In the absence of the above, you can use the refrigerator, but it is very rarely possible to allocate enough space in it for home preservation.
Conclusion
Sunberry jam is a new trend in the culinary community. It is valued not so much for its taste as for its incredible medicinal properties that can help in the fight against serious ailments. If you add additional ingredients to it, you can get a very tasty dessert that even picky gourmets will appreciate.