Is it possible to freeze dogwood?

Cornel is a small tree, up to 7 meters in height, with oblong fruits, although pear-shaped berries can also be found, and in the shape of a ball. Their color ranges from light red to black.

The fruits have an original sweet-sour taste, advantageously complement many dishes. They are relevant throughout the year, because it is useful to freeze several containers of this wonderful berries.

Cornel contains several different necessary components, this helps to support many functions of the body.

1 cornel berry weighs from 2 to 6 g, the flesh in it takes 70%. Per 100 grams of the product accounts for only 40 kcal, and the decoction contains 2 times less.

At 100 grams of berries is 1.2 grams. squirrel, 9.8 grams. carbohydrates and 85 g of water. 15% is sugar.

Vitamin C is the most valuable component of cornel: In one hundred grams it is about 100 mg. This fruit can compete even with blackcurrant. Of the other components identified in it:

• malic and nicotinic organic acids;
• tannin;
• essential oil;
• phytoncides;
• pectin;
• minerals: potassium and calcium, magnesium.

Among the useful properties emit:

• choleretic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• diuretic;
• bactericidal;
• antipyretic

Cornel eliminates avitaminosis, regulates blood pressure and relieves the body of toxins. It is recommended to introduce it into the food system in the treatment of intestinal infections, joint and skin ailments.

It increases the tone of the vascular wall, relieves swelling. Especially the fruit is useful to enter the menu for diabetes. They do not cause an increase in the blood glucose index, but activate the enzymatic activity of the pancreas.

Cornel normalizes metabolic processes. It is successfully eaten with gout, anemia and skin diseases.

Dogwood drinks improve the performance of the gastrointestinal tract, remove diarrhea and cope with oral diseases. They remove intoxication, charge with energy and vigor.

Dogwood can be found in the composition of many dishes. It goes well in baking, it is used to prepare sauces and marinade for meat. It is included in a set of salads, soups, pilaf, and as a separate ingredient, it produces jam, marshmallow, compotes, marmalade, jelly and much more.

Freezing of dogwood for the winter is preceded by its assembly and preparation.

He has ripened in late August - early September. Of course, it can be purchased on the market or in a supermarket, but it is better to collect it yourself. Only ripe fruits are suitable for freezing. You can distinguish them by maroon color and a softer consistency.

Immature fruits with a pale red shade and dense to the touch. They need to expand on any surface and wait until they reach the desired condition.

The easiest way to harvest is to lay a piece of cloth under the tree and to chase the dogwood. It should be borne in mind that together with the ripened fruits rotten, wormy and diseased will fall to the ground. This is not standard. Therefore, after picking the berries, they are sorted out, leaving only suitable for freezing. Be sure to clean them from leaves, sticks and other debris.

The negative side of this method of picking berries is that many of them, ripe and soft, falling to the ground, crumple and deform.

When you bring them home, do not pull up for long. It is a perishable product, therefore not subject to long-term storage.

Dogwood is very easy to freeze at home. This is best done in the freezer, where the temperature reaches minus 18 degrees. It must be washed well before loading. Set the pre-freeze mode the day before. Then it is turned off and the storage mode is turned on.

The berries are laid out in a single layer on the board and immersed in the chamber.At this temperature, they freeze in 20 minutes.

If you want to save space, remove them and pack them in separate tanks. Expel air, close carefully. Do this quickly, because the berries can be frozen. If space allows, store them on a baking sheet. This method allows freezing of the dogwood along with the bone.

Too ripe and soft berries can not be frozen entirely, so the bone is extracted from them and ground into porridge. They make cakes out of the masses, wrap each one with food film and put it in the freezer.

The ground composition is mixed with sugar. Its quantity is determined by taste. Pour into a container and sent to the camera.

It is quite convenient to freeze such a mixture in ice forms. When it hardens, it is taken out of the cells and put in one container or bag. These portioned cubes are convenient to use for tea or cereal.

If the berries are in the freezer, then their shelf life is 1 year. When they are scattered on the surface, then they are considered suitable for only 4 months. The same shelf life and ground mass.

On the container with the fruit must write the date of placing the product in the freezer and the time of their implementation. Do not combine cornel with products that have a sharp specific flavor (meat, fish products). It absorbs odors well.

Thaw berries should be gradually thawed.

1. Put the required amount in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator compartment to ensure gradual thawing of the berries.
2. After some time, continue the process at room temperature.
3. If you pass the refrigerator stage or thaw the fruit in water, they lose their juice, vitamins and appearance.

After thawing, you will be able to use cornel for cooking compotes, jelly and other dishes. Frost retains all the beneficial elements of the fruit, their taste remains unchanged. This is the best storage option for dogwood, which allows you to enjoy the berry all year round.

You will learn more about how to freeze the dogwood correctly in the following video.