How to cook cherry plums?

Cherry plum is a very tasty and healthy fruit from which you can make compote.To properly make this drink and learn about the various recipes for its preparation, check out the materials of this article.

The name of the plum comes from the Azerbaijani word "aluca", which means "small plum". Fruits are juicy and round, with pronounced sourness. Depending on the variety, the color of the fruit may be yellow, pink, red or even purple. The bones are poorly separated from the tender and fragrant pulp. Fruits reach 2-3 centimeters in diameter and weight - from 20 to 60 grams.

Cherry plum grows on trees from 2 to 10 meters high, has a high degree of resistance to frost and drought. One tree can produce up to 50 kilograms of cherry plum. The harvest of this fruit is impressive, they reach several hundred tons per year.

They make various preservation from cherry plum: jams, compotes, syrups, jelly. Marmalade and wine are made from this fruit. The popular Oriental delicacy - the marshmallow is a dried cherry plum puree. Unripe fruits are widely used in Caucasian cuisine for preparing seasonings and sauces that give the dish acidity, including the famous tkemali sauce.

Cherry plum grows in Central and Asia Minor, Tien Shan, the Balkans, the North Caucasus, the Caucasus, Iran, Moldova and Ukraine. In most cases, these trees are wild. This fruit is also grown in Russia, Asian countries and in Western Europe. Thanks to early and wild flowering and high fruitfulness cherry plum were increasingly used in the design of parks and gardens.

Cherry plum is rich in trace elements, minerals, antioxidants, organic acids, fiber. This fruit contains a large amount of vitamins: B1, B2, B6, C, A, E. Due to its low sugar content, this relative of the plum is excellent for dietary nutrition. Caloric plum - only 34 Kcal per 100 grams. In addition, plum has many useful properties:

• Due to the abundance of vitamin C fruit perfectly strengthens the immune system. It is recommended to eat regularly with a tendency to frequent colds, weakening of the protective functions of the body.
• The fruit has a positive effect on the work of the digestive tract.
• Cherry plum has a mild laxative effect, increases intestinal motility.
• Due to the high level of fiber content, the product removes toxic substances from the body, contributes to the normalization of metabolism.
• Fruit increases hemoglobin levels, it is recommended for people suffering from anemia.

• Alycha has properties aimed at preventing stroke, heart attack, arrhythmias, and atherosclerosis. It clears blood vessels from cholesterol, helps protect against heart disease, lowers blood pressure.
• Regular consumption of several cherry plum fruits can improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails.
• The high content of B vitamins supports the nervous system, helps to cope with insomnia, nervousness, increased excitability.
• The fruit promotes weight loss, speeding up the metabolism.
• It also helps the absorption of "heavy" food. Not for nothing from cherry plum prepare a variety of sauces for meat.
• Fruit removes excess fluid from the body, helping to eliminate edema.
• Given the low sugar content, plum is perfect for diabetics to be included in the diet.
• This fruit is attributed to the ability to relieve the elderly from dementia.

Eat only ripe fruit. Be sure to thoroughly wash the fruit before you eat them or use them to prepare meals and drinks.Do not eat cherry plums in any case: they contain hydrocyanic acid that is dangerous for the body. It is worth remembering the possible negative consequences of the consumption of this fruit:

• Excessive use of cherry plum is fraught with poisoning, and, as a result, heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting.
• In large quantities, this fruit is able to provoke dehydration.

• It is also contraindicated for people suffering from increased acidity of the stomach.
• A gastric and duodenal ulcer is a direct contraindication to fetal consumption.
• Constantly exceeding the daily intake of this product can lead to an increase in blood glucose levels. This can be dangerous for people with diabetes.
• Do not abuse the cherry plum hypotensive, it can significantly lower blood pressure.
• It is also contraindicated for people with accelerated metabolism. With hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, in particular with thyrotoxicosis, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of plum to the minimum.

Each compote recipe is good in its own way. But there are some tricks that are relevant for making any cherry plums compote. Following these simple tips, you will be able to achieve perfect taste, rich aroma and maximum benefit from this wonderful drink:

• Use only high-quality, ripe fruit with no signs of spoilage.
• Cherry plum very quickly deteriorates. Recycle the fruits on the day they are picked. Excess plum can be frozen. Frozen fruits are stored in the freezer for up to six months.
• Choose hard fruits for compotes, otherwise they will quickly become limp during cooking and fill the drink with a cloudy sediment.
• Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the type of fruit and your own taste. Do not rely entirely on the recipe.
• The fruits of this relative plum retain most of the vitamins after freezing. In winter, they will be an excellent ingredient for healthy compote.

• When canning compote is used, the fruits are both whole and peeled.
• The main condition for the preparation of conservation - sterility of the container, the purity of the fruit, tightness.
• Cherry plum compote will favorably complement raspberry, pear, peach, apple.
• To obtain a sterile container for canned compote, the sterilization process must last at least 10 minutes.
• To the shell cherry plum does not burst during cooking, you can puncture the fruit with a toothpick.
• After seaming the compote, turn the jars over and place them on the lid, warm it and leave it for 4-6 hours.
• There is a method of seaming, which allows not to sterilize the container. Put carefully washed fruit on the bottom of the clean jar. Then fill the container to the top with boiling water, cover with a lid. After 10-15 minutes, drain the water, repeat the procedure twice. Now you can pour cherry plum boiled syrup.

Compote of plum, apricot and green basil. The following ingredients are needed for 3 liters of finished drink:

• cherry plum - 600 grams;
• apricots - 500 grams;
• granulated sugar - 200 grams;
• green basil - 1 branch;
• water - 2 liters.

Cooking:

• Wash the fruit thoroughly, make a pair of punctures with a toothpick in each. Bones should not be removed.
• Place fruit, water, and chopped basil leaves in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add sugar and cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring.
• Pour into a jar and cork.
• Turn over the jar, warm and leave it to cool in this position.

Having tried this drink, it is almost impossible to guess that zucchini is present in it. The unexpected combination of ingredients and the unusual taste of this drink will not leave anyone indifferent.

Ingredients for 3 liters of finished drink:

• cherry plum - 600 grams;
• zucchini (peeled) - 500 grams;
• granulated sugar - 150 grams;
• water - 2 liters.

Cooking:

• Pre-sterilize the container and cap.
• Wash peeled and peeled zucchini and cut it into cubes of about 1 to 1 cm.
• In the jar, put the washed cherry plum, without separating the flesh from the stone.
• Add zucchini there too.
• Fill the contents of the jar with boiling water and leave for 10 minutes.
• Drain back into the pot, add sugar.
• Boil the syrup for 3-5 minutes.
• Pour hot syrup into a jar of cherry plums and zucchini.
• Roll the jar lid, turn it over and warm. After 6 hours, the container can be turned over and removed for long-term storage.

Cherry and cherry plum are perfectly combined in compotes. The drink has a bright ruby ​​color and rich aroma.

Ingredients for the preparation of 3 liters of drink:

• cherry plum - 500 grams;
• cherry - 400 grams;
• sugar - 300 grams;
• water - 2 liters.

Cooking:

• Fruits sort and wash. On the cherry plum make punctures with a toothpick.
• Check the prepared container for chips. Banks sterilize for 10 minutes.
• Cook the sugar syrup. To do this, add sugar in boiling water and cook over low heat, stirring for a couple of minutes.
• Place the cherry and cherry plum in the prepared jars.
• Fill the contents of the container with boiling sugar syrup, cover with a lid and let stand for 15-20 minutes.
• Then pour the syrup back into the pan and boil again.
• Pour the hot syrup into the container, you need to cork it right there.

The drink prepared according to this recipe has a wonderful aroma and a fresh, tonic taste. The combination of raspberry and mint perfectly complements the acidity characteristic of cherry plum.

Ingredients for 3 liters of finished drink:

• cherry plum - 300 grams;
• raspberries - 200 grams;
• granulated sugar - 150 grams;
• mint - 2 branches;
• water - 2.5 liters.

Cooking:

• First of all, sterilize the jar and lid.
• Carefully wash the cherry plum and raspberries, get rid of the tails.
• Lightly pierce each cherry plum with a toothpick.
• Put cherry plum on the bottom of the jar, then raspberry and pre-washed mint branches.
• Add sugar to the boiling pot and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fill the contents of the jar with boiling syrup and immediately clog it.
• Turn the jar over, wrap up with a towel and let it cool down.

Since cherry plum is beautifully stored frozen or dried, it is not necessary to preserve compotes with this wonderful fruit. You can enjoy this compote right in the winter or at any other time of the year. To do this, you need the following ingredients:

• cherry plum - 300 grams;
• dried dates - 300 grams;
• dried apples - 100 grams;
• sugar - 150-200 grams;
• water - 3 liters.

Cooking:

• Sort out dried fruit, soak for 5-10 minutes in cold water, rinse.
• Remove pits from dates.
• Wash the cherry plum, remove the tails.
• Bring water to a boil, add dried fruit and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Dip the cherry plum in the pan and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
• At the very end, add sugar and let the mixture boil for another couple of minutes.
• Ready compote must be insisted for 5-6 hours, after which it can be drunk.

To learn how to make a fragrant pear and cherry plum compote, see the video below.