Blackberries are a tasty and healthy berry, from which various winter preparations are prepared in the form of preserves and jams. It is added to compotes and marmalade is made. Its unusual properties and rich aroma make it possible to use it in combination with other wild berries and popular fruits - lemon, apples, pears, cherries, etc. It harmoniously complements their taste and increases the number of important elements in the finished product.
Jam according to “grandmother’s recipe” - a tasty and juicy jam for the winter
The classic recipe for harvesting wild berries is known to many who like to stock up for the winter. Processed blackberries have a delicate, sweet taste, perfect as a filling in various pies, cakes and pastries, or as an addition to pancakes and bread in combination with aromatic tea.
To prepare such jam you will need a minimum of ingredients, namely:
- fresh blackberries - 2-3 cups;
- granulated sugar - 200-300 grams;
- lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l.
The blackberries are poured into a colander or onto a table sieve and washed thoroughly under running water, and then left to dry for several hours. Then the berries are transferred to a clean, deep container and crushed with a spoon or a special crush so that they release the juice.
Sprinkle the resulting mass with sugar on top and pour over lemon juice, leaving to infuse for 2-3 hours. Pour some water (100-150 ml) into the pan and place it on the stove. Lightly sugared, crushed berries are poured in there and brought to a boil, stirring thoroughly, then simmered over low heat for another 10-15 minutes.
The foam that forms during the cooking process must be removed with a wooden spoon so that it does not affect the taste of the final product. As soon as the composition becomes homogeneous and thick enough, the hot jam is poured into sterile and washed glass jars, the lids are rolled up and they are allowed to cool.
After this, they are sent to be stored in a cool cellar or on a shelf in the refrigerator. If you add a little pectin or gelatin, this jam will be stored for a long time at room temperature.
Homemade marmalade - a delicious and natural dessert
The technology for preparing blackberry marmalade is no different from that used for preparing other wild berries, such as raspberries, wild strawberries or strawberries. However, with the right recipe, blackberries can be used to make a richer, firmer dessert with a harmonious taste and a large number of beneficial properties.
To make marmalade at home, take the following ingredients:
- forest or garden blackberries - 1 kg;
- granulated sugar - 1 kg;
- food gelatin - 60-80 g;
- molds for hardening marmalade slices.
Both fresh, whole blackberries and slightly spoiled or overripe fruits that remain after making jam or compote are suitable for making marmalade. First of all, the berries are sorted, cleaned in a colander under running water to remove pollen, remaining leaves and other contaminants and allow the water to drain.
Pure berries are poured into an enamel pan and filled with a glass of water. Sprinkle two cups of sugar on top and allow the blackberries to lightly sugar for 2-3 hours.
Now place the container on low heat and bring to a boil, stirring the ingredients with a wooden spoon to form a thick syrup. Once the desired consistency is achieved, remove the pan from the heat and strain its contents through a fine sieve to filter out all the seeds.
Upon completion of the process, place the container with the syrup on the stove again and simmer it for 10-15 minutes over very low heat, adding the remaining amount of sugar with a tablespoon.
In 10 minutes. after cooking, add 1-2 tablespoons of edible gelatin, stir it thoroughly and after 1-2 minutes turn off the heat and allow the syrup to cool slightly. Now pour everything carefully into molds prepared in advance and put it in the refrigerator until completely hardened. The remaining amount of blackberry syrup can be rolled into glass jars and left until winter.
Harvesting blackberries for the winter - how to freeze berries correctly
If there is a good harvest of blackberries, then some of it can be prepared frozen in order to prepare some tasty delicacy from fresh fruits in winter. Proper freezing allows you to completely preserve all the taste and beneficial components of this beautiful and aromatic berry.
The first step is to thoroughly and carefully wash the berries with clean water. To do this, place them in a colander or on a sieve and hold them under the tap for several minutes, shaking the dishes a little, or wash them carefully with your hands.
Then the blackberries must be dried at room temperature. Place the berries on a paper towel or a wooden surface, such as a cutting board, and let them dry for 1-2 hours.
It is necessary to lay out so that the fruits do not touch each other.
Towels, tablecloths and other cotton fabrics are usually not used, since blackberry juice is very “corrosive” and washing it without special products is quite problematic, unlike raspberries or strawberries.
As soon as the berries are washed and dried, they proceed directly to freezing. It can be sent to the appropriate chamber either whole or combined with sugar.
In the first case, the fruits laid out on a board or tray are sent for preliminary freezing and left for 2-3 hours at the lowest temperature set in the freezer.
Then the frozen berries are taken out and moved into plastic bags or containers in layers 8-10 centimeters high and sent for long-term storage at the optimal temperature.
At this stage, you can add a little sugar to the berries. It is believed that this way it will be stored even better. To do this, when placing blackberries in plastic containers, sprinkle each layer with it, then close the lids, shake the container slightly and put it in the freezer.
To obtain the finished puree before freezing, you can crush the blackberries or pass them through a blender, mix well with sugar, add a little gelatin and then put them in the freezer according to the technology.
Assorted berry jam with lemon
Adding lemon to juicy and ripe wild berries allows you to get a thicker and richer consistency. In addition, lemon promotes better preservation and makes the jam taste refreshing.
For preparation, various combinations are used in the form of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and blueberries. Selected berries are washed with water in one container or separately, removing all contaminants.
Lemons are rubbed on a coarse or medium grater to obtain the zest, and the juice is squeezed out in a juicer or by hand into a separate glass or bowl.
Pour 50-100 ml of water into a clean pan, then pour some of the berries, sugar on top, again berries and granulated sugar again to make 2-3 layers. And they leave everything to “sugarify” for several hours. When the fruits release their juice, sprinkle them with fresh lemon zest and some citrus juice.
Now mix all the ingredients thoroughly, turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Then cook over low heat for another 30-40 minutes, stirring continuously and skimming off the top foam with a wooden spoon.
When hot, the syrup is poured into sterilized, clean jars, covered with lids, turned over, allowed to cool and sent to dark shelves in the cellar until winter.
Blackberry wine - a simple recipe for a refreshing drink
Homemade wine is made from various fruits, such as apples or plums. But a properly prepared berry drink has a special aroma and taste. Blackberries, like no other berry, are suitable for making homemade mash due to their unusual structure and very aromatic juice.
To prepare one 5-liter bottle according to the old Russian recipe you need:
- ripe blackberries - 2-3 kg;
- granulated sugar - 1.5-2 kg;
- natural flower or bee honey - 300-400 gr.
Fresh berries are carefully sorted, if necessary, additionally washed and sorted in a stainless container. As soon as they dry, they need to be crushed in a blender or potato masher so that they release as much juice as possible.
Then they are filled with water (1-1.5 liters for the entire volume), covered with clean gauze and left at room temperature on a windowsill or outside for 2-3 days. During this time, natural fermentation of the juice will begin. Meanwhile, water is mixed in a saucepan with sugar and honey, brought to a boil and the syrup is cooked for 15-20 minutes over low heat.
Now the liquid from the berries is carefully drained, the wort is filled with chilled syrup and everything is poured into glass bottles, closing them with special lids through which they can “breathe.”
The containers are left in this form for 1-1.5 months, while the condition of the drink is constantly monitored. After this period, when the liquid in the bottles becomes a little clearer, it must be strained through cheesecloth, poured into new, more compact containers, tightly closed with lids and put in a dark cellar or basement for 2-3 weeks so that the wine can infuse properly.
The taste of this drink is sweet, very refreshing, and it is not as intoxicating as, for example, wine made from apples, plums or plum juice.
How to prepare blackberries for the winter? I offer several options, including frozen, which is loved by many. You can also use blackberries to make a delicious berry puree with a limited shelf life.
Jam with blackberry leaves
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of fresh ripe blackberries;
- 1 kg sugar;
- 120 grams of blackberry leaves;
- 5 grams of citric acid;
- 2 glasses of water.
Preparation:
The jam is prepared in 2 steps. First, make a decoction of blackberry leaves - wash them, pour two glasses of water, cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes. Then take 1 glass of the broth, pour it into a container for making jam, add sugar, gradually heating the broth and stirring to form a syrup. Add prepared blackberries to the boiling broth (sort, rinse, place in a sieve), leave for 2 hours without cooking. Then add citric acid, simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, pour into sterilized jars and seal.
Blackberry jam with raspberries
Ingredients:
- 1 kg blackberries;
- 1 kg raspberries;
- 1.8 kg sugar.
For this preparation of blackberries for the winter, choose only the ripest berries. Before cooking, they need to be sorted, but it is not necessary to wash them.
Preparation:
Place the berries in a cooking container and sprinkle with sugar. Leave for an hour at room temperature to release the juices. Then stir with a wooden spatula, set to simmer, and after boiling, turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring, for 20-25 minutes, then pour into sterile jars and seal.
Blackberries for the winter without cooking
Ingredients:
- 1 liter jar of berries, about a third full;
- 1 cup of sugar.
Preparation:
Sterilize the jars in advance and scald the lids with boiling water. Prepare a pan to sterilize the workpiece itself: pour water into it so that the water level in the jar reaches the “hangers”. Wash the berries, place on a sieve, then put in a jar and sprinkle with sugar, shaking gently so that the sugar is evenly distributed. Set the jar to sterilize, covering it with a lid (do not roll it up yet). Once the sugar has melted and enough juice has been released so that the berries are covered with it, the jar can be hermetically sealed. This usually takes 15-20 minutes. When sterilizing, avoid boiling water.
Blackberries with sugar
The preparation differs from the recipe for blackberries without cooking in that there is also no sterilization.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg blackberries;
- 1 kg sugar.
Sort the berries, rinse, and place in a sieve. Using a meat grinder, turn into puree, add the specified amount of sugar and mix. Pour into sterilized jars, close with nylon lids, and place in the refrigerator. A small amount of berry puree with sugar can be frozen.
The technology for harvesting blackberries for the winter is not very different from the technology for harvesting other berries. There are no fundamental differences. There are some nuances, nothing more. But even the slightest subtlety can lead to the product being spoiled. To ensure that time, effort and money are not wasted, it is necessary to understand these subtleties.
Blackberry preparations for the winter with sugar
What you will need:
- blackberries - 1 kg;
- blackberry leaves - 0.1 kg;
- granulated sugar - 1 kg;
- citric or ascorbic acid - 5 g;
- mineral water without gas - 0.5 l.
What to do:
- The berry should be ripe, dense, not wrinkled, not broken, that is, a good blackberry suitable for harvesting is all the same size. Each berry is one to one. The first thing you need to do is sort out the blackberries. Remove the tails.
- Rinse the berries under running cold water. Wait until the water has drained completely and pour the berries onto a paper or cloth kitchen towel to dry completely.
- Wash blackberry leaves and boil in water for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the syrup: pour a glass of decoction of blackberry leaves into a saucepan, add the amount of sugar indicated in the recipe. Set aside - the sugar should dissolve to the maximum. After this, move the saucepan to the stove. Boil the syrup over high heat. Reduce heat to moderate.
- Then immerse the processed, prepared berries in the prepared syrup. Set aside for 2 hours until juice appears.
- When the berries give juice, add citric or ascorbic acid to them. Boil over moderate heat for 10 minutes.
- Place the blackberry preparation into prepared, thoroughly washed, sterilized glass containers. Roll up.
Preparing blackberries without sugar “five minutes”
The technology for preparing this blackberry preparation is as simple as possible. The recipe is five minutes. No complications, no extra costs, but guaranteed results. An excellent option for those for whom sugar is contraindicated.
What you will need:
- blackberries - 0.2 kg;
- honey - 0.2 kg.
What to do:
- Rinse the blackberries under running water, drain through a colander, and dry on a towel.
- Boil honey in a saucepan. Stir it constantly.
- Throw blackberries into boiling honey. Boil again. Boil for a few minutes.
- Remove from heat, cool.
- Package in pre-prepared, washed and sterilized glass containers. Seal with lids.
Preparation without cooking: “live” blackberry jam with lemon
When you want to save time, you should use recipes that eliminate cooking. Such recipes are not always easy to find, but they exist. Below is one of them.
What you will need:
- ripe blackberries, not crushed - 0.5 kg;
- lemon - 2 pcs.;
- granulated sugar - 1 kg;
What to do:
- Rinse the berries thoroughly. Drain on a kitchen towel and leave to dry.
- Wash the lemon. Peel, cut the pulp into pieces, remove the seeds.
- Grind the blackberries and lemon through a meat grinder, add sugar, and stir until the sugar grains are completely dissolved.
- Prepare glass jars: clean, dry in the oven.
- Sprinkle blackberry-lemon jam into jars, leaving 4-5 cm to the top, then cover 1-2 cm with sugar, close with plastic lids (first pour boiling water over them and dry).
- Place the jars in the refrigerator.
Storage requirements: cold place (refrigerator, cellar, basement).
In order for blackberries to please you all year round, you need to make a supply for the winter. Simply put, freeze the required amount of product. This is a recipe for freezing blackberries without sugar.
What you will need:
- blackberry;
- bags for freezing food.
What to do:
- Remove all debris, leaves, and dirt from the berries. Remove crushed and spoiled berries too.
- Carefully wash the berries. Drain the water and dry the blackberries.
- Line a metal tray with parchment. Place all the berries on it in one layer. Be sure to line the tray with parchment. Otherwise, the berries will stick to it and will fall apart when you try to get them out.
- If there are more berries than can fit on the tray, you can cheat and, having frozen one layer, lay more parchment on top and place the berries on it in a second layer.
- Place the tray with berries in the freezer so that the berries do not roll down the tray and freeze them completely.
- After the berries freeze and become “glassy,” you need to transfer them to plastic bags for freezing food.
- Remove all air from the bags, seal them carefully and carefully place them in the freezer.
- If it is not important for you whether the berries freeze together or not, then the steps associated with the tray should be omitted. In this case, the berries can be placed in bags immediately after they are completely dry.
This freezing method guarantees that the product will be stored for at least six months.
The principle of operation is similar to that indicated in the recipe for freezing without sugar. The differences are as follows:
- Naturally - adding sugar. The proportion is always the same, 1 to 1;
- carefully mix the processed and dried berries in a large bowl with sugar, being careful not to damage the blackberries;
- let the sugar-berry mixture stand;
- package the resulting mixture in freezer bags or plastic containers;
- place the workpiece in the freezer.
It is very convenient to use containers for freezing ice with this method - pack blackberry puree with sugar into small cells, freeze, and then pour the resulting cubes into a plastic bag.
August and September are truly a generous season. After all, during these months the famous relative of the raspberry ripens, whose black and purple berries conceal a whole pharmacy. Surprisingly tasty blackberries are good not only for treatment, but also for culinary experiments. The berries are added to delicacies, sauces and meat dishes, baked and made into drinks. Housewives try to have time to stock up on blackberries for future use, making jams, compotes and preserves from them; Simply freeze or twist with sugar. Blackberry preparations made at home delight you with their ease of preparation and a storehouse of vitamins. Making preparations for the winter from blackberries is a great opportunity to diversify the menu and restore strength while enjoying tea with blackberry jam.
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The last notes
Blackberries contain a full range of nutrients and healing substances. Blackberry puree is very healthy. When consumed, sleep is normalized and excitability is reduced. It will be useful for high fever and dysentery. See below for how to make delicious blackberry puree.
Man has become accustomed to using almost all the fruits and berries known to him for winemaking. Grape, raspberry, apricot, plum, apple, strawberry wine - choose to suit your taste!
The best drink, of course, is made from those fruits that grow in the area where the winemaker lives. The forests of our central zone are rich in blackberries.
So why not try making wine from blackberries - a tasty and healthy berry?
This dark little berry contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the body. Blackberries will provide energy because they contain a lot of:
- glucose;
- fructose;
- sucrose.
It will help cope with inflammatory diseases, as contains a lot of tannins. These same tannins will relieve intestinal disorders and soften the manifestations of gastritis and other gastrointestinal ailments.
Blackberries also contain trace elements, without which the proper functioning of internal organs and systems is impossible. These are potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium.
An infusion of blackberry bush leaves is used to heal wounds, to gargle for pharyngitis and tonsillitis, and to rinse the mouth for gingivitis.
Many people brew blackberry leaves as tea and drink them on cool autumn evenings. The product perfectly prevents colds.
Rules for preparing raw materials at home
If you went out to pick berries and brought a basket full of fragrant blackberries, you can try making them. It is important to comply with the following conditions:
- We collect berries in dry weather.
- Having brought the harvest home, do not wash the berries, but only sort them and dry them if necessary.
- We do not use yeast (however, there are exceptions - some recipes suggest adding a little yeast to speed up cooking).
There are enough bacteria on the surface of the berries to ensure the fermentation process.
When you fill the bottle with wort, leave two thirds free. This is necessary so that air bubbles released during fermentation are released.
Recipes at home
You can make wine at home using blackberries as the main component of the drink. Let's start with the simplest.
Classics of the genre
The classic recipe does not involve the use of yeast. You will need:
- sugar (kilogram);
- blackberries (1.5 kg);
- water (1.5 liters).
Mix everything, put it in a dark place and cover with gauze. When fermentation is activated, pour the wort into a fermentation container. We install a water seal. Fermentation should take place for 6 weeks, after which the drink should be carefully drained from the sediment and bottled. It is advisable to filter it.
The strength of the alcohol obtained in this way is about 16 0.
How to make it with yeast?
This wine requires a lot of blackberries - you need to gain 4 kilograms. Mash the berries to release the juice. Next, dissolve 4 kg of granulated sugar in water (in 10 liters). Pour the syrup into the future wine. Add a little yeast, diluting it according to the instructions on the package.
We put on a glove with a hole, or install a water seal. Fermentation will begin and will continue for 6 weeks. After this time has elapsed, strain the wine, bottle it, and put it in the refrigerator.
"Drunk blackberry" in Serbian
If you combine blackberries and raisins, you can create a drink that is very popular in Serbia. Gather ingredients:
- blackberries (2 kg);
- sugar (kilogram);
- raisins (50 g);
- liter of water.
The first thing to do is crush the berries and mix them with the raisins. Next, add 400 g of sugar to the mixture. Cover the resulting mass with gauze and place it in a dry and warm place. You need to wait 3 days. During this time, the fermentation that has begun will enter the active stage.
We pour everything into a large container, add water, and install a water seal. When the drink has fermented, remove the cake and add 300 g of sugar. After another 2 days, add all the remaining sugar.
You need to leave the drink for 5-8 weeks. About 2 months will pass when you find that fermentation has stopped and sediment has formed at the bottom. The drink became transparent.
Carefully drain the wine from the sediment, filter it and place it in beautiful bottles. For storage, put the drink in the refrigerator.
Blackberries combined with cognac
If you use cognac or store-bought wine as additional ingredients, you can get a sweet nectar that is perfect for treating beautiful ladies.
For one kilogram of blackberries you need to take:
- red wine – 0.5 l;
- – 0.5 l;
- sugar – 0.5 kg;
- water – 0.5 l.
In this recipe, it is necessary to wash the berries, and not take them in the form in which they were brought home from the forest. Wash and dry the berries. Now mash them until the juice appears. Pour wine and cognac over the berry mass and put it in a dark cabinet. Remember to close the container, but not tightly.
The waiting time is a month. After 4 weeks, open the jar and drain the infusion. Filtering.
Combine water with sugar and cook syrup. Then it needs to be cooled. After it reaches room temperature, all that remains is to combine the syrup with the infusion. We filter, bottle, and store.
Men may not like the drink, as it is quite sweet. But women will be happy to drink a glass.
Blackberries are not so often used for home winemaking, but meanwhile they are great for those who love tasty and healthy homemade liqueurs and infusions. It contains a large amount of sugars, so during fermentation it is often not necessary to even add yeast. Try any of the suggested recipes.
If you get a good wine, experiment with other preparation options. Maybe blackberries go well with other berries - raspberries, currants?
Perhaps, in addition to raisins, dried apricots would be suitable for blackberry wine? Please tell us about your experiences - both positive and negative. This will help you perfect your recipes and make delicious drinks at home.
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