Cornel - trees (up to 8 meters), more often shrubs with red fruits. The name comes from the Turkic language, kyzyl (kizil) - red. In Russia, the scientific name is Doren. It is customary to call the fruits - cornel berries. In Russia, it mainly grows in the Caucasus and Crimea.
The berries ripen at the end of August, throughout September. The berries are stored in a dried, dried form. They make tinctures, jam. For several years, the berry has received attention as a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients.
The wave of demand was followed by not honest sellers and lovers of easy money. The markets are full of dried fake dogwood.
Why is dried dogwood useful?
The rich and varied nutrient composition of dried berries makes them almost indispensable in the diet.... The high content of vitamin C (more than lemon) in the autumn-winter period helps to strengthen the immune system, relieve symptoms and speed up the healing process in case of acute respiratory infections.
Did you know? If the crushed dry dogwood is kept in 40 ° alcohol, and then honey is added, then you can get an analgesic ointment.
With systematic use, dogwood is able to strengthen the walls of blood vessels, thereby eliminating the appearance of athero- and cardiosclerosis. It binds and removes most of the toxins in the human body in case of poisoning. Dried fruits help to digest "heavy" food and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The use of such a product improves overall well-being in diabetes mellitus.
- Dried berries also have the following beneficial properties:
- eliminate heartburn;
- improve the metabolic processes of the body;
- are a natural diuretic;
- enhance the function of sweating;
- reduce dizziness and tinnitus;
- reduce pain in the joints and lower back.
Pregnant women and children
Dogwood is useful during pregnancy due to its high potassium content, which helps to remove excess fluid from the body and normalizes the function of the cardiovascular system. The presence of iron improves metabolism, reduces the likelihood of gaining excess weight. Even cornel fruits strengthen the walls of blood vessels, increase hemoglobin, and reduce the risk of premature birth.
For a child, it is a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, carotene and pectins. Cornel in baby food will help to avoid oncological and cardiovascular diseases, relieve constipation, strengthen the immune system and intestinal microflora, and enhance the secretion of gastric juice.
Benefits for women
Cornel is an antispasmodic agent and is good for women with pain during menstruation. In addition, it helps to reduce specific secretions in the luteal phase of the cycle. This must be done carefully, having consulted with a gynecologist in advance.
Also find out if plums can be breastfed.
Also, dried fruits of the plant will greatly benefit the fair sex in solving problems with sexual attraction to men, since they are a good aphrodisiac and significantly increase libido.
During pregnancy, berries not only provide the body with the necessary amount of biologically significant elements, but also minimize the manifestations of toxicosis.
How to freeze boneless
You can freeze and seedless, then it is better to immediately fold the berry in small containers and sprinkle with sugar.It is not so difficult to separate the stone from ripe fruits. The easiest way is to use a glass or jar: press the bottom of the glass on the berry, and then remove the bone. It is more convenient to do this with thin rubber gloves.
If you make a blank without sugar, then you can lay it out in bags without preliminary freezing, but there is one little trick: we immediately form the bag so that the berry lies there layer no more than 2 cm... If necessary, we simply break off the required amount and defrost only this part, and put the excess immediately back.
How to freeze mashed potatoes
You can make berry puree from dogwood and freeze it in small containers and bags, or pour it into molds, cool until hard, remove, fold the cubes formed in this way into a container and place in the freezer.
How to dry dogwood
Slightly unripe berries are best suited for drying (achieving the characteristic weight and color of the fruit, but without losing firmness). It is better to collect it not in sunny or humid weather, in order to exclude a large loss of essential oils. It is better to pick berries with a stalk, while preserving valuable juices. It is necessary to select undamaged fruits, but do not wash them.
For the natural drying process, only a dry, shaded place with open air access is suitable.
It is strictly forbidden to use printed products in the process - the dogwood is able to absorb the toxins released by it. Blank paper or a baking sheet works best. The crop should be laid out in one layer and turned over as the fruit dries. The drying time is 3–7 days, depending on the level of humidity in the air.
In the absence of time, you can use the oven.
The fruits are laid out on a baking sheet and placed in an oven preheated to + 65 ° C for 30 minutes. After the temperature is raised to + 75 ° C, the fruits are mixed and, evenly distributed around the perimeter, the berries are dried until the skin darkens and wrinkles. Such a product can be stored for 3-5 years in a naturally ventilated cool place with a humidity of less than 50% and without access to direct sunlight.
Collection and procurement of raw materials
In order to prepare a rich, healthy and healing broth from dogwood, you need to know the rules for collecting and harvesting this medicinal plant - when to pick and dry the leaves, when the berries ripen and how to preserve the maximum of vitamins and nutrients in the plant.
Collection
It is necessary to start harvesting dogwood fruits no earlier than the end of August and the beginning of September: it is by this time that the berries ripen and accumulate vitamins. Berries are harvested only in dry weather - wet fruits will begin to rot very quickly.
You can also collect fallen berries, having previously shaken them off from adhering dust or dirt. It is advisable to collect all the dogwood before the beginning of October: if you overexpose the crop on the bush, the fruits will rot and the birds will begin to peck and eat insects.
Overripe fruits are very juicy and have a thin skin, therefore they are difficult to transport and do not lend themselves well to drying and heat treatment.
Ripe dogwood has a dark red color
Leaves are harvested and dried before the onset of yellowing: they are usually plucked during berry picking, but you can prepare the leaves earlier. If you pick the leaves before picking the berries, then the bush will get rid of additional consumers of moisture, and the berries will begin to receive a maximum of nutrients.
In autumn, dogwood leaves acquire a burgundy hue, it is important to collect them still green
Flowers are collected during the flowering of the shrub (early March – April) - it is important to leave enough flowers for pollination and further fruiting of the dogwood.
Flowers should be harvested prior to ovary formation.
The roots are dug up and dried after harvest, before the onset of frost.
The roots should be washed and chopped immediately.
The twigs are best harvested in the spring season: during this time they are the most elastic and are most suitable for use on the farm (for example, for weaving baskets, etc.)
Cornel has an excellent antiscorbutic effect, therefore, since the 19th century, it has been added to the daily menu of long-distance sailors, and today it is also included in the diet of astronauts.
.
Drying
Drying dogwood is the most optimal way to preserve the vitamins and nutrients of this plant in a concentrated form.
Harvesting berries for the winter does not require much effort or financial costs: the fruits are washed with water, they are sorted out and decayed, then laid out on a clean dry surface (tablecloth, sheet, etc.) and dried in the shade.
It is important not to allow direct sunlight to hit the berries - they wrinkle quickly and become very hard in structure.
When storing dried dogwood, moisture and ventilation are important points.
Leaves, roots and branches are dried in the same way (flowers do not need to be washed beforehand). Dried dogwood is poured into a linen bag and stored in a cool dry place.
Storage
Fresh berries are stored only in a dark, cool room - best of all, dogwood is stored at a temperature of + 1-3 ° C. Plucked fruits ripen quickly, so if you keep them warm, then after 5-7 days the fruits will overripe and begin to rot. Berries plucked with stalks are best stored - so they remain strong and firm for up to 8 weeks.
The dried leaves, roots, flowers and fruits of the turf can also be stored at room temperature - the main thing is to protect the drying from moisture. Periodically, you need to pour the dried plant into another bag or glass container - this will saturate the drying with air and prevent the workpiece from becoming damp or damp.
You can make jams, dogwood jams and save it that way
Dried dogwood, under the right conditions, lasts up to 3 years.
Calorie content and vitamin composition
The usefulness of the product can be primarily determined by the nutritional value, the content of vitamins, micro- and macroelements in it. With a caloric content of 209 kcal (per 100 g), dried dogwood contains 4.6 g of proteins, 46.3 g of carbohydrates and 0 g of fat. This is very important when dieting. It is dominated by substances such as fiber, glucose, organic acids, ash and tannins.
Also 100 g of the product contains:
- beta-carotene - 0.002 mg;
- vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.047 mg;
- vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.024 mg;
- vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.21 mg;
- vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.036 mg;
- vitamin B9, folate - 50 mcg;
- vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 25 mg;
- vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, TE - 0.15 mg;
- vitamin K, phylloquinone - 7.9 mcg;
- vitamin PP, NE - 0.166 mg;
- potassium, K - 363 mg;
- calcium, Ca - 58 mg;
- silicon, Si - 4 mg;
- magnesium, Mg - 26 mg;
- sodium, Na - 32 mg;
- phosphorus, Ph - 34 mg;
- aluminum, Al - 221 μg;
- boron, B - 59.6 μg;
- iron, Fe - 4.1 mg;
- iodine, I - 1.2 μg;
- molybdenum, Mo - 15 μg;
- nickel, Ni - 7.6 μg;
- rubidium, Rb - 82 mcg.
Important! Trace elements in the composition of berries have a positive effect on the human body, affected by the common cold. They have a bactericidal effect, relieve nasal congestion.
How to distinguish from a fake
To distinguish berries from cherry tomatoes of the Kizil variety, you need to know how they should look and how they differ in dried or dried form. Indeed, it is in this version of the procurement that unscrupulous sellers often replace the original product with a Chinese counterfeit. Of course, there is nothing dangerous in this, except for the high sugar content in such tomatoes and the lack of an abundance of active substances.
Dogwood is elongated, pear-shaped and dark red in color. The taste is sweet, astringent, with a slight sourness. Tomatoes have an oblong oval shape and a brighter color.Their taste is sugary-sweet, with a slight aftertaste of tomatoes. The main distinguishing feature of real berries from counterfeiting is the seed. The dogwood has one large oval bone, the tomato has many small ones.
Description of dried dogwood with photo
Dogwood berries have an oblong shape and a bright, intense red color. The fruits are harvested at the end of summer, after drying, they do not change their color, liquid leaves them, and the berry shrivels, decreasing by about a third.
Dried dogwood berry has a sweetish taste without the characteristic sourness. It is used for making jams, compotes, sauces, as well as for fresh consumption.
Dried dogwood in the photo looks quite appetizing, but it has even more benefits than taste.
What does dried dogwood look like?
Dried dogwood is a small oblong red berry. A proper dried or cured specimen should not have dark blotches, mold stains and unpleasant odors. The berry has a long shelf life if it lies in an airtight container without moisture. It is important to understand that dried and dried products retain not only all the beneficial properties of fresh berries, but also contraindications for this type.
Caloric content of dried dogwood
The calorie content of the dried product is estimated by nutritionists to be 44 calories. At the same time, the dried product has 1 gram of protein and 12 grams of carbohydrates. Compared to fresh berries per 100 grams, all indicators increase several times.
Caloric content of dried dogwood
Dried dogwood is a candied fruit. Its nutritional parameters are as follows:
- calorie content - 40 calories;
- proteins - 1 g;
- carbohydrates - 11 g.
Fats are absent in both dried and dried products. Due to its low calorie content and lack of fat, dogwood is good for health and will not spoil the figure. The calorie content of dried dogwood is 100 grams in any case higher than that of fresh specimens.
How to dry dogwood
Dried dogwood is not only a healthy product, but also a sweet treat. Before drying the dogwood, you need to wash a kilogram of fresh berries, remove the seeds. Pour 100 g of sugar into the fruit and leave it alone for a day. After the time elapses, the extracted juice is drained. The pulp is poured for 5 minutes with hot sweet syrup, which is made from water and sugar. After that, the liquid should be drained, and the fruits dried in the oven at a temperature of 65 ° C, twice for 20 minutes with a break until they cool completely.
Such a preparation retains the taste and aroma of fresh berries, and is softer in comparison with dried ones.
100 g of this product contains:
- calories - 216 kcal;
- proteins - 3 g;
- fats - 0 g;
- carbohydrates - 54.4 g.
The chemical composition of dried dogwood practically does not differ from dried dogwood. It also includes a number of acids, metals, vitamins B, C, E and K, but in smaller quantities.
- The use of berries in this form:
- normalizes the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood and normalizes blood pressure;
- improves appetite;
- accelerates fat metabolism and promotes weight loss;
- has an antibacterial effect.
Product selection and preparation
Freezing requires only ripe berries - they turn bright red, taste sweet and sour, slightly tart and astringent. The collection is carried out in the fall, a film is spread under the bush and it is easily shaken - the ripe dogwood falls freely. If unripe berries were purchased, spread them out in a thin layer and wait a few days. Then you need to immediately start preparing for freezing:
- Go through the berries, remove the crumpled and wormy ones, as well as sticks, leaves and other debris.
- Place in a colander and rinse thoroughly with running water.
- Spread out on a paper towel and let dry for 15 minutes.
Contraindications
In addition to medicinal properties, dogwood also has a number of contraindications. Before taking berries, you must consult a doctor. Indeed, with the latent course of one of the above diseases, you can get more harm than good from the use.
- It is not recommended for people with the following health problems:
- gastritis, ulcer, acidity;
- disruption of the nervous system;
- systematic constipation;
- chronic kidney disease.
How to dry and dry dogwood and why they are not the same
What is the difference between dried and dried dogwood?
Dried can be with or without pits, boiled in sugar syrup or completely natural.
Cornel is usually dried with seeds and without the use of sugar. Dried dogwood is best made from ripe berries, and dried from greenish ones. As a result, dried dogwood looks like a very large raisin or a small date of burgundy color, it is quite soft, it can be eaten just like candied fruits, and dried dogwood is more like dried rose hips.
Dried it gets soaked in just a couple of hours, while dried it is better to leave it soaked overnight. Dried is tastier, but dried is healthier, since it retains a bone, which is also very useful and doctors highly recommend using it along with pulp. Therefore, dried is used more often as a useful delicacy, and dried mainly for medicinal purposes.
Dried and dried dogwood recipes
Recipes using dogwood berries are relevant all year round. Due to their unique properties, berries are used not only for making preserves, jams and jellies, but also serve as a component for compotes, liqueurs and alcoholic beverages.
Important! Children under the age of 1 year are not recommended to eat more than 2 dogwood berries, and schoolchildren in the absence of a negative reaction
—
more than 200 g.
Dogwood is often used as a seasoning or just a delicacy with a pleasant sourness. Dishes with such a component are able not only to strengthen the overall health of the body, but also to make up for the lack of vitamins.
Decoction
A decoction of berries is used mainly to strengthen the immune system during seasonal respiratory diseases. To prepare it you will need:
- dried dogwood: 4 tbsp l .;
- water: 0.5 l.
Did you know? Dogwood seeds are also very beneficial. The powder from them easily replaces morning coffee and will help get rid of intestinal upset.
Step-by-step cooking instructions:
- Dry berries are thoroughly washed with water.
- Water is put on fire and brought to a boil.
- After adding the berries, you need to cook them for 30 minutes.
- The drink is removed from the heat, insisted for 2 hours and then filtered.
Infusion
Alcoholic cornelian tincture will help remove heavy metals, salts from the body and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. It includes:
- dried dogwood: 0.5 kg;
- vodka: 1 l;
- sugar: 150 g
Check out also the pear-shaped dogwood.
Step-by-step cooking instructions:
- The berries are washed under running water and placed on the bottom of a glass or enamel container.
- The fruits are poured with alcohol and insisted for a month in a dark place.
- After the time has elapsed, the drink is filtered and sugar is added to it and stirred until dissolved.
- The liquid is poured into a bottle and insisted for another week.
Video: dogwood tincture
Candied dogwood
Candied berries are sweeter and more palatable. They can easily replace any factory delicacy and will undoubtedly appeal not only to adults, but also to children.
To prepare candied fruits you will need:
- dogwood: 1 kg;
- sugar: 1 kg;
- water: 0.5 l.
You may be interested in learning about dogwood breeding methods.
Step-by-step cooking instructions:
- The berries are freed from seeds and covered with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio. Insist within 24 hours.
- At the end of the day, the released juice must be drained. It can be consumed as a drink.
- The berries are poured with syrup (prepared at the rate of 500 g of sugar and 0.5 l of water per 1 kg of dogwood) and infused for 10 minutes. After that, they must be separated from the liquid and put on a baking sheet to dry.
Dried dogwood will serve as a wonderful treat, because these berries not only look appetizing, but also taste good. When buying them, it is important not to confuse the original and the fake. Real dogwood carries a lot of substances useful for the human body and is able to restore the natural balance of vitamins.
Cornel in folk medicine
Traditional medicine is rich in recipes that use dogwood fruit as an ingredient.
It is used for high blood pressure, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, strengthens the immune system, has a choleretic effect, and also helps to improve digestion. In folk medicine, it is used in the form of tinctures and decoctions:
- Broth. You need to take dry berries. The broth is made at the rate of 1 spoonful of berries in 1 glass of water. The broth should be boiled for a minute. Then insist for two hours. Take half a glass three times a day.
- Alcohol tincture. A kilogram of dry berries per 1 liter of alcohol and 150 grams of sugar. The berries must be washed and placed on the bottom of the container. Pour in alcohol and leave to infuse for a month. Then strain the mixture and add the required amount of sugar. Then leave the tincture in a dark place for another week. The use of such a tincture in small quantities helps with back pain, gout, and also helps to remove salts from the body. Take 1 tablespoon three times a day after meals. The duration of treatment is a month.
- Infusion for hemorrhoids. It is necessary to chop the seeds of dried or fresh fruits. Pour boiling water over the crushed bones. After 12 hours, you can use the product. To do this, take a tampon with infusion and insert it into the anus at night.
These are just a few recipes that will help a person with various diseases. But consuming dried dogwood in your daily diet will also help with many health problems.
What is this plant
Dogwood belongs to the family of the same name, which has about 50 species. In nature, it occurs as a shrub with several trunks. It grows wild mainly in the Crimea, Transcarpathia, the Caucasus and Moldova. Cultivated plants, which are grown in personal plots, are formed at their discretion in the form of a bush or tree.
Dogwood bloom begins in late March - early April. This happens during the period when the air temperature warms up to 5-11 degrees. Dogwood has small yellow flowers that are collected in an inflorescence. Then, fruits of an oblong shape and small size are formed on the bushes. They range in shades from light red to almost black. Juicy sweet and sour pulp covers the elongated inedible bone. The fruits are used for making jams, preserves, compotes, jellies, fruit drinks, syrups. They are consumed raw, processed and dried.
Potential harm to berries
The plant may not be suitable for people with individual intolerance, as well as for people who have allergic reactions to certain substances of the fetus. Exceeding the daily dose also threatens with serious consequences.
Cornel has a diuretic and fixing effect, in this regard, the berries can pose a threat to people suffering from diseases of the genitourinary system, in addition, due to the increased acidity of the stomach, the product is poorly digested and can cause abdominal pain, loosening of the stool.
For persons with a pathology of the nervous system, it is recommended to limit the use of dogwood or completely stop it due to the fact that berries can have a stimulating effect and negatively affect existing problems.
Other ways to store dogwood
Winter preparations from dogwood are very tasty: jam, jam, jams or dogwood marshmallows. To do this, the berries are boiled with sugar syrup in their own juice, according to the recipe.
They are also added to compotes, the cornelian-apple drink turns out to be especially tasty, it has a bright color and a sweetish-tart taste.
The use of dogwood in the manufacture of various alcoholic beverages is widely known. Liqueurs and wine, liqueurs and liqueurs made from tart aromatic berries are very common in the Caucasus.
See also:
Other site materials
How to store viburnum You can make many healthy drinks and desserts from viburnum all year round. Our article will help you always have these berries at hand.
How to save blackberries Very tasty berries that easily grow both in the forest and in the garden. It's pretty easy to preserve their taste and benefits for the winter!
How to keep gooseberries fresh Do you like gooseberries? Then you will definitely not be superfluous to find out how to keep it fresh longer!
Passion fruit shelf life The shelf life of this fruit is highly dependent on its degree of ripeness. Read more in the article!
Comments:
Dogwood dosage forms
The fruits, leaves, bark and roots of the plant are used as raw materials for the preparation of the medicine. Raw materials are harvested from spring to autumn. The roots are best harvested in the spring or fall, the bark in the spring, and the leaves in the summer months. The berries are picked as they ripen. This is August or September. It is better if the fruits fully ripen on the branches, then they will accumulate a maximum of useful substances.
A special dryer is required for harvesting berries. The raw materials must be thoroughly dried. You can store dried dogwood, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which must be carefully studied before use, for three years. But given the properties of this product, it will not lie for a long time. These delicious berries are very popular with children and adults.
