The midnight blue berries of this shrub from the Heather family are distinguished by equally high taste and nutritional qualities. They are consumed fresh and also processed in various ways, including storing blueberries and honey for the winter without cooking them. With all the variety of sweet preservation, this particular method seems to be the most correct from a scientific point of view.
What are the benefits of blueberries?
100 g of berries contain only 57 kcal, as well as tannins, vitamins C and PP, natural sugars, iron, and potassium. But the main thing is anthocyanins, coloring pigments with antioxidant properties. Regular consumption of blueberries helps strengthen the immune system, normalizes metabolism and protects vision.
Advantages of blueberry preparations without heat treatment
The absence of heat treatment preserves up to 80% of biologically active substances in wild berries, including ascorbic acid and retinol, saponins and a number of organic acids.
Prepare all the necessary ingredients
To process into jam, fresh berries need to be sorted out of debris and spoiled fruits removed. Then rinse immediately before cooking and dry, placing it on a tray or kitchen towel. This is an important stage - because water drops contain microflora that can cause fermentation of the product.
It is better to take honey from meadow, taiga, from forbs, liquid and not prone to sugaring.
Step-by-step process for making raw blueberry jam with honey
It will require berries and honey in 1:1 proportions - 1 kg of product each. Grind the berries by simply crushing them, releasing their juice, without mashing them into a puree. Add honey to them and blend the blueberries again.
Transfer the mixture into jars, close the lids and store the jam.
Recipe with honey and nuts
This recipe practically copies the previous one, but also requires adding 500 g of walnuts. Lightly fry their kernels in a dry frying pan and chop finely. Mix nuts with honey and combine with berry puree. Fill jars with it.
How to properly and for how long to store a natural product?
Although blueberries pureed with honey do not need to be cooked, they should be stored in a pre-sterilized glass container, sealed, away from direct sunlight. This is usually the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The average shelf life of the product is 6-8 months.
