During the canning season, housewives try to hide berries, fruits, and vegetables in jars for the winter, which will remind them of the warm summer on frosty days. Making bird cherry jam gained popularity hundreds of years ago, because the aromatic delicacy has a specific taste, a persistent aroma and has a lot of health benefits.
Features of making bird cherry jam
In addition to the refreshing tart taste, bird cherry fruits are distinguished by another feature - a large seed. It is quite difficult to separate it, so housewives often prefer to do it simpler - prepare preserves using the whole fruit or passing it through a meat grinder along with the stone.
The most useful fruits are those that have not undergone heat treatment. In terms of vitamin C content, only oranges and apples can compare with them. You can preserve useful substances in preservation without cooking or sterilization. Jam prepared in this way is perfectly stored - bird cherry contains tannins that will not allow the preparation to deteriorate.
Harvesting bird cherry and preparing it for making jam
It is recommended to use ripe fruits for making jam, and slightly unripe ones for compotes. It is better to go to the forest for berries in the morning, take a basket and scissors with you - some plant varieties produce fruits that are too soft and difficult to remove from the tree by hand.
Preparing bird cherry for making jam occurs in several stages:
- completely remove all twigs, spoiled or drying berries;
- rinse the raw materials under running water;
- spread in one layer on a towel or thick napkin, allowing the liquid to drain.
Depending on which recipe you choose, you will have to additionally blanch the berries in boiling water or pass them through a meat grinder.
Bird cherry jam, a simple recipe for the winter
The easiest way to preserve the beneficial properties of fruits for the winter is to make jam, which takes very little time. Preparation:
- After preparing the berries (1 kg), place them in a colander and place them in boiling water.
- Prepare the syrup in advance (boil 500 ml of water and 1100 g of sugar for half an hour).
- Dip the fruits, blanched for 2 minutes, into hot, but not boiling syrup.
- Boil for a quarter of an hour, avoiding boiling.
- Pour into sterilized containers and seal.
Important! You can store the workpiece even in an apartment - it does not deteriorate throughout the year. The main thing is that the room should be dark.
Pitted bird cherry jam
It’s not difficult to cook a delicious delicacy without bones; the main thing is that it is recommended to use large, fleshy berries. The shelf life of the jam is up to 3 years.
Preparation:
- Rub ripe fruits (2 kg) through a metal sieve or fine colander.
- Mix the resulting mass with sugar (800 g of sugar per 1 liter of bird cherry puree).
- Send over low heat, avoiding boiling, and boil for 15 minutes.
Place in prepared containers and seal (plastic lids can be used).
Bird cherry jam with seeds
Preservation with seeds is recommended for sweet sauces for pancakes and desserts. Adding lemon juice during cooking gives the delicacy a pleasant, refreshing sourness.
Preparation:
- Cover the prepared berries (1500 g) with sugar (2 kg).
- Leave the fruits until the sweet crystals are completely dissolved; you can speed up the process by stirring frequently.
- Place on the stove, cook for half an hour, 3-5 minutes before putting into jars, squeeze the juice from three lemon slices into the mixture.
Seal, it is better to cool it upside down.
Red cherry jam
Making jam from red fruits is quite simple. The main thing is to strictly maintain the proportions and follow the cooking recommendations:
- Blanch the fruits in boiling water for no more than 2 minutes.
- Prepare a syrup based on the liquid in which the berries were blanched (add 1 kg of sugar to 250 ml, bring to a boil, stirring).
- Combine berries and sweet viscous syrup.
- Boil for half an hour, do not forget to stir.
Important! During the cooking process, constantly remove the foam - it is much more difficult to do this in finished jam.
Twisted bird cherry jam
The preparation, which does not require culinary processing, is one of the most popular delicacies that can be made quickly and without hassle. The advantages of jam are that no cooking is required, the cooking time is reduced, and all the taste and beneficial properties are preserved.
Preparation:
- Pass the washed dry fruits (1 kg) through a meat grinder.
- Mix the mixture in equal proportions with sugar.
- Stir and leave for 3 hours until the crystals are completely dissolved.
- Send to banks.
Immediately after capping, refrigerate. Keeps for a long time.
Black cherry jam
The “five-minute” black fruit is held in special esteem by housewives. It is better to wash and sterilize the jars in advance - the finished preserves should be poured and sealed immediately.
Preparation:
- Prepare sweet syrup (boil 300 ml of water and 1300 g of sugar).
- Pour boiling liquid over the bird cherry (1 kg) and leave until it cools completely.
- Put on fire, bring to a boil, avoiding noisy bubbling, remove from heat after 5 minutes.
- Pour into containers and roll up.
It is recommended to cool it under a warm blanket, only then put it into storage.
Virginia cherry jam
To prepare Virginia bird cherry, you can use any recipes recommended for these berries. You can make jam according to a special recipe:
- Boil a mixture of 800 g of fruit and 800 g of sugar for 20 minutes.
- Wait until completely cooled and repeat the process.
- Cook 2-4 times for a quarter of an hour, each time completely cooling the composition.
After sending it into containers and sealing it tightly, send it to a cold place.
Bird cherry jam is a storehouse of useful substances that can improve health, increase resistance to diseases, and even cope with some diseases. Preparing the preparations will not take much time, and the shelves in the cellar will be filled with aromatic delicacies.