Sea buckthorn drinks: useful properties and methods of preparation

Numerous drinks from sea buckthorn help to strengthen the immune system.Pleasant, with a slight sourness - they perfectly quench your thirst, and when adding honey and alcohol, they provide a warming effect, save you from chills and hypothermia. How to properly prepare drinks from sea buckthorn, as well as the most popular recipes will be discussed in the article.

Drink from sea buckthorn has the ability to enhance the production of antibodies, which contributes to an increase in the body's defenses. Berries are rich in ascorbic acid (the content of vitamin C in them is 2 times higher than in citrus fruits), so their use becomes the prevention of colds and beriberi, as well as the first assistants in combating these troubles.

In addition, the composition contains vitamin E, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin (makes it supple, prevents the formation of wrinkles), and reproductive system.

Thanks to tannins, pectins and cellulose, sea buckthorn and drinks from it improve intestinal motility, remove toxins from it, reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol and restore the microflora. That is why drinks are useful for diseases of the digestive tract, as well as during recovery from diseases of the stomach, intestinal flu.

The effectiveness of taking sea buckthorn with cardiovascular ailments has been proven, since it contains polysaturated and unsaturated fats, which improve the elasticity of blood vessels, which, in turn, prevents the formation of blood clots. In addition, as already mentioned, cholesterol levels are reduced, so we can say that taking sea buckthorn berries is the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Like any product, sea buckthorn and drinks based on it may have contraindications. In the first place - it is individual intolerance. However, even if it is absent, with a weakened immunity, the use of sea buckthorn can provoke the development of an allergic reaction. This is due to the large number of biological components, for the assimilation of which the body is not ready.

To avoid the development of allergies allows a gradual "training" the body to sea buckthorn drinks. The first time you need to drink a small amount of weakly concentrated drinks. If after 48 hours no discomfort or negative manifestations are detected, the concentration and dosage can be gradually increased. A similar regimen of sea buckthorn is provided for children. Children under 3 years old are not recommended for giving sea buckthorn.

Despite the fact that sea buckthorn juice and other beverages based on it have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys, it is better to consult a doctor before using them. This is due to the fact that after taking sea buckthorn acidity of gastric juice increases, which is unacceptable in case of gastritis, pancreatitis, gastric ulcer, gallstone disease. Exclude drinks should be in the acute period of diseases of the digestive tract, kidneys, liver.

Fresh berries are harvested from mid-August to late October (depending on the variety and climatic conditions). You can pick berries after the first frost - the healing properties remain unchanged, and the process of withdrawal is noticeably simplified.

To save the berries at home, you can choose different ways of their preparation.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to store. You can freeze the berries with branches.By the way, it will be easier to remove the berries in this case, however, this method requires more space in the freezer.

The berries removed from the branches will be much more compact in storage. For freezing should use intact fruit. They are placed in plastic bags and tied or sealed, holding the package with a heated knife. Before the release of the package should release the air, gently pressing on them by hand.

When you re-freeze the berries lose their properties, for the worse their appearance changes, so you should not freeze a large amount. The best option is a few bags in which 100-500 g of fruits are laid. That is one package - at a time.

From frozen berries you can cook almost any drink.

Fruits can be dried both on branches, having collected the last in bunches and having tied up to a ceiling, and having scattered berries on an equal pure surface in one layer. The main thing is to choose a dry, cool place for drying, always protected from the sun's rays. Otherwise, carotene (vitamin A) is destroyed in the fruit. A few days later, the berries are placed on a baking sheet and dried in an oven at a temperature not exceeding 50 ° C.

Can be preserved as whole berries, and ground in a puree. To do this, the fruits are sorted and covered with sugar in a ratio of 1: 1. If whole berries are preserved, then it is necessary to ensure that they do not have any damage, and mashed fruits are suitable for mashed potatoes.

After that, the mixture is decomposed into sterilized jars, closed with lids and stored in a cool place (cellar, refrigerator). A similar composition can be added to tea, toppings for pies, to make jams, jams and compotes from them, as well as to insist on alcohol.

You can also conserve sea buckthorn juice. To do this, it is squeezed out of the berries, filtered and poured into sterilized jars, which are then rolled with lids. It is recommended to add sugar and dilute juice with water (it turns out otherwise too concentrated) immediately before use. This juice is suitable for cooking infusions, juices, fruit drinks, adding pastry to the dough or as an impregnation for cake layers.

Juice can be collected not only by grinding the berries and squeezing the juice, but also by squeezing the fruit directly on the branch. Naturally, the down need to substitute a container for collecting fluids. Further, it is also filtered and preserved.

Since ancient times, people have noted a positive effect on the body of drinks from honey and sea buckthorn. They will warm, chase away tiredness and an approaching cold, and when cooled, quench their thirst. In the manufacture of such beverages, remember that you can not pour honey with boiling water, because of this it loses its healing properties.

Consider the most well-known drinks from sea buckthorn and honey.

It is necessary to take a handful of berries (dried or frozen), mash them a little with tolkushkoy, add good black tea without additives and flavors, pour boiling water. The drink should stand for 10-15 minutes, after which honey is added to taste.

To prepare this drink, you should also take a handful of sea buckthorn, knead or rub them, pouring 500 ml of boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes, then add ½ teaspoon of lemon zest, 2-3 slices of lemon. If tea is used as a thirst quenching cocktail, then you can put a few mint leaves, and drink it, pre-cooled.

This drink is recommended for chronic fatigue, anxiety, beginning cold. For its preparation you need to crush the sea buckthorn and wild rose. The resulting raw materials are mixed in proportions of 2: 1 and pour boiling water. Let it brew, add honey and lemon to taste.

Tea with ginger and sea buckthorn has a powerful anti-cough effect.In addition, it burns cholesterol and reduces the rate of fat absorption, accelerates the metabolism - in a word, is a natural natural helper in the fight against excess weight. Such tea can taste bitter, so it is recommended to sweeten it, better with honey.

The simplest recipe for ginger-sea buckthorn drink looks like this: 50 g of ginger root (young, fresh) should be cut into small slices or grated on a coarse grater. Fresh or frozen sea buckthorn must be ground, you should get 1 cup of raw materials. Further, these components are mixed and poured boiling water. Insist drink should be at least 10-15 minutes.

Sea buckthorn can be cooked compote, mixing fruit with cherry. You can use fresh or frozen berries. For 1 kg of cherry required 200-250 g of sea buckthorn. First, the syrup is prepared - a liter of water should be brought to a boil, then add sugar, a couple of lemon slices, spices (cinnamon, anise, cloves). The resulting syrup should be allowed to simmer for 5 minutes, and then put the berries. Compote is again brought to a boil and boil no more than 5-7 minutes.

A simple but effective in the fight against the blues, fatigue and cold is sea buckthorn juice. For its preparation you will need 300 ml of sea buckthorn juice (canned or pressed from fresh or frozen berries), 1 l of water. Juice should be mixed with water, put on the fire, bring to a boil, then after 2-3 minutes remove from heat. Sugar or honey is added to taste.

If you add more sugar and juice of oranges, you get homemade lemonade - tasty and healthy.

Another popular option is to prepare sea buckthorn for the future - to make an infusion with an orange. To do this, take 2 tablespoons of blueberries, rosehip, sea buckthorn, cornel, and orange sliced ​​with peel. In 1 liter of cold water all the ingredients are lowered, the mixture is brought to a boil, after which you should reduce the heat and boil for 30–40 minutes. Then the drink should be removed from the heat and, wrapped in a warm one, leave for 2-3 hours. If conservation is foreseen, then immediately pour it into banks. Honey, molasses or sugar can be used as a sweetener.

Sea buckthorn vodka is very popular, as well as various infusions of fruit on alcohol. The easiest recipe involves the use of 400 g of sea buckthorn, 1.5 liters of vodka. 200 g of lemon or orange zest, in addition, you will need 5-7 g of cumin and dill seeds.

Sea buckthorn should be crushed with a wooden pestle until juice appears, mixed with zest, add seeds and pour over vodka. After that, the drink is infused in a dry dark place for 10-14 days, periodically shaken. After the specified time, the composition is filtered, bottled and corked.

Based on this recipe, you can make a liqueur or liqueur. To do this, puree 250 g of fruit is made puree, which is poured 0.5 liters of vodka. The mixture is infused for about 2 weeks, periodically shaken. Then filtered. The resulting cake is mixed with 200 ml of water, filtered again. Sea buckthorn water and 100 (150-200 g) sugar syrup is prepared. After cooling the latter, it is mixed with sea buckthorn vodka, mixed and infused for 20-30 days.

You can prepare other alcoholic beverages, such as wine from sea buckthorn jam. To do this, place 1.5 kg of jam in the bottle, adding to it 700 ml of pure water. Fermentation period is about a week. Usually on the neck of the bottle in which the wine is prepared, wear a rubber glove. It signals the end of the fermentation process: when the glove drops, it is considered complete.

After that, the wine must be filtered and brewed in the refrigerator for another week. The next stage is bottling it from opaque glass and clogging. In this form, the drink should be placed in the refrigerator, where it will mature for another 1.5 months.The finished wine is characterized by a mild taste, and in addition to pleasure with moderate consumption, it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, acts as prevention of atherosclerosis.

If you add hop cones or malts during fermentation, you get a beer. If you use a small amount of yeast and reduce the fermentation time to 6-8 hours, you get kvass.

In the next video, see the recipes for making delicious sea buckthorn drinks.