How and when to collect sea buckthorn, industrial and homemade devices

Sea buckthorn berries are widely used for preparing various dishes and preparations, as well as for medicinal purposes. Despite its great popularity, few gardeners know when and how to properly harvest sea buckthorn, which leads to a decrease in yield. Following useful recommendations and using different devices greatly simplifies the process of picking berries.

When to harvest sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn ripens over a long period - from mid-August until the onset of the first frost. The exact timing of ripening depends on the region of growth and the specific tree variety. In places with a fairly hot climate, the berries are ready for consumption at the end of summer, and in cooler regions it is better to harvest in September-October.

The timing of harvest is also influenced by further purposes of use. If you plan to make jam, jam and compote from berries, then you need dense berries that are harvested in early autumn. For juice and oil production, softened fruits are more suitable, which can be obtained at a later harvest.

The longer the berries hang on the trees, the softer their skin will become, and picking whole fruits becomes more problematic.

Is it possible to pick unripe berries?

Not fully ripe berries with elongated stalks are easier to pick, but they do not contain enough nutrients. Unripe sea buckthorn can be eaten without negative consequences, while its taste characteristics are less pronounced. It is recommended to use unripe fruits for processing or as a decorative element when decorating various dishes.

How to correctly determine the ripeness of fruits

Ripe fruits acquire a distinct golden yellow or deep orange hue.The berries are densely packed on the branches, making picking difficult. It is better to collect freshly ripened sea buckthorn, since it has the most useful characteristics and contains the maximum amount of ascorbic acid, carotene and other useful components.

As a rule, most of the berries ripen in August. By the beginning of the autumn season, it is possible to collect the bulk of the harvest in warm regions.

General rules for harvesting

Before you start harvesting, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the basic rules. To get a large harvest with high taste characteristics, it is recommended:

• pre-inspect the fruits to determine the degree of their ripening;
• start collecting only if there are no visible damage or signs of rot;
• If the berries are not fully ripe, it is better to wait until autumn.

Table of ripening and harvesting dates for berries in various regions of Russia

The ripening period of sea buckthorn directly depends on the growing region. This is explained by the fact that each region is characterized by a certain climate, humidity level and other conditions. In particular, there is the following relationship between regions and ripening periods:

1. Leningrad region and Siberia - end of September.
2. The middle zone of the country, Bashkiria, the Moscow region and the near Moscow region, as well as the Ukrainian village of Shulginka - late summer.
3. In the Urals - before the onset of the first frost.

Special collection devices

To make it easier to pick ripe berries, you should use special devices. Convenient equipment eliminates the need for manual collection and saves a lot of time.Which device to use should be decided depending on individual preferences, the amount of harvest, the size of the tree and financial capabilities.

Cobra

You can build a device called a cobra yourself using thin metal wire and a piece of wood. Simply bend the wire into a loop and secure it to a wooden handle using electrical tape. The top of the wire loop should be bent so that it looks like the end of a burning candle, and the side should be made oblong, like a snake.

The device is convenient for cutting off thin stalks and extracting sea buckthorn from the most inaccessible places. When using a cobra, you need to make sharp movements for greater effectiveness.

Glove

For collecting sea buckthorn, a specially sewn glove is suitable, in the lower part of which an open bag with wire is sewn. A rounded metal comb is fixed above the bag. When you bend your hand, the wire on top of the bag bends, and the branch with the berries ends up between the comb and your thumb. To collect the fruits, all you have to do is slide your finger down and straighten your palm to close the bag.

After this, you can start collecting on other branches without fear that the collected berries will scatter. The disadvantages of such a glove are problematic access to high branches and the possibility of leaves and crushed berries getting into the bag.

Using a loop

Collecting using a loop is in many ways similar to using a cobra. You can make a loop from wire or thin steel. The harvest is obtained by cutting off the stalks. The main advantages are the speed of collection and the ability to get berries from high and hard-to-reach branches.The loop can be made in different lengths depending on the height of the tree.

A quick method using tongs

The use of tongs with a built-in fruit compartment makes it possible to harvest the crop with maximum care in relation to the tree. The device picks each berry individually, and the branches remain unharmed. Manual work has a beneficial effect on further volumes of the harvest, which will ripen by the next season. Despite the speed of collection, it is recommended to use this method only if there are a small number of trees on the site.

Scraper for quick harvesting

You can make a scraper for collecting berries using a metal wire about 50 cm long, coated with an aluminum sheath. In the middle of a piece of wire, it is enough to make a curl like a spring, making a revolution around any rounded object. Externally, the device is similar to a fork. The end of the scraper must be leveled and bent at a right angle to one side. Harvesting is done by pressing down on a branch and scraping the crop from it in one downward motion. It is recommended to keep a bag under the device or spread a film on the ground around the tree.

Slingshot

A device in the form of a slingshot helps to collect berries by cutting them from branches. The tool is bent from a reliable wire or a vegetable peeler is used, removing the knife from it. By pulling a fishing line or string onto a slingshot, the berries are cut from the branches, placing a bag underneath. To prevent the string from damaging the integrity of the tree buds, it is not recommended to press the branches with great force.

Cone

You can make a cone-shaped device yourself from a tin can, a bag, an elastic band or thread. The manufacturing process consists of the following steps:

• cut a plate 10 cm wide and no more than 15 cm long from the can;
• by rolling, prepare a conical blank with a hole diameter of about 1 cm;
• tape the bag to the lower base of the cone.

During picking, it is enough to press the metal part on one side so that it cuts the berries from the branches. Despite the laboriousness of making the device, its use prevents the crop from being scattered on the ground.

Knapsack or harvester for harvesting sea buckthorn

In specialized stores for gardeners, you can purchase a combine harvester for convenient and efficient harvesting of sea buckthorn. The device is produced in various modifications, including metal, plastic and wooden variations. Despite the abundance of configurations, the devices operate on the same principle.

The collection method involves cutting with a working surface that looks like a comb. A harvester, also called a knapsack, is a hand-held attachment with a container into which the harvest falls.

Hook

You can make a spring hook for collecting sea buckthorn yourself or purchase it at a gardening store. The device is brought to the branch and clamped between the two ends. With a sliding movement along the branch, all the fruits are removed into the bag.

The main advantage of this device is the high harvesting speed.

The disadvantages of the tool are the inability to reach remote areas and the fact that the hook also cuts off foliage and disrupts the decorative appearance of the tree.

Tray

As an additional tool, you can use a tray made of wood with a plywood bottom. Using a tray in combination with a scoop makes harvesting easier.The tray is used as a container for berries, so it is recommended to choose a device with small dimensions so that you can hang it on your lower back or neck.

For this purpose, the removable ends of a wide and durable belt are fixed to the side walls in the central part. Suitable dimensions of the tray are 70 x 50 cm, the height of the walls is about 10 cm.

Comb

Using a comb is one of the fastest ways to obtain a harvest from trees. Using a comb, the berries are combed from the branches in large volumes. Despite the quick harvest, some of the thin-skinned berries may be damaged due to the impact of the hard comb. In addition, foliage and some branches are torn off from the tree along with the fruits.

Making a collection device with your own hands

You can simplify the manual method using a device that is made from a plastic bottle. You can make the device yourself at home using the following method: cut off the bottom of the bottle, cut out 4 petals and place the neck on a long stick. For greater reliability, you need to nail the neck of the bottle to the stick using a simple nail.

Collecting sea buckthorn by hand

The traditional method of harvesting sea buckthorn involves removing each berry from the trees individually without additional equipment. This technology is the most labor- and time-consuming, but allows you to get the maximum amount of harvest without damaging the shoots and branches of trees.

Cutting twigs with berries

To speed up the manual method and make it as convenient as possible, it is possible to trim branches with berries and subsequently separate the fruits in another place.This technology is simpler and more comfortable, but in case of incorrect or excessive pruning of branches, it can cause damage to the tree, which will affect the future harvest.

When further sorting the crop, it is not necessary to pick each berry from the cut branches. Simply put them in the freezer and take them out as needed. Picking frozen sea buckthorn from the branches is much easier and faster. It is important to take into account that after severe freezing, the berries should not be made into jam or processed to make juice. If you plan to process the crop, the juice can be squeezed directly onto the tree in the following way:

• wear special culinary gloves;
• place a clean container under the branches;
• run your hand along the entire branch from the bottom to the top, pressing the sea buckthorn with your fingers.

You can also harvest after the first cold snap. To do this, you need to lay a blanket under the trees and knock down the sea buckthorn with a stick wrapped in soft cloth so as not to damage the fragile skin. The frozen berries will fall onto the blanket, after which all that remains is to collect them in a storage container. This collection technology is most often used when growing on an industrial scale.

Trimming berries with small scissors

Manual harvesting of sea buckthorn using small scissors allows you to carefully collect all the berries without disturbing the integrity of the branches and shoots. In addition, unlike the use of various devices for collecting fruits, cutting with scissors ensures the largest harvest the following season. The disadvantage of using small scissors is that it is more time consuming compared to other methods.

In addition to standard small scissors, you can use a specialized fruit picker with pointed elements to collect sea buckthorn.

A device with a pruning shears fixed above the funnel allows you to remove fruits without damaging their skin or causing harm to the branches of the tree. To prepare such a device, it is necessary to fasten the handles together with metal strips. The metal elements themselves are fixed with a lever attached to an elongated pole. During the harvesting process, it is enough to place the funnel under the branches and press the lever so that the pruning shears cut off the stalk. The fruits will roll out of the funnel along the sleeve into the designated container without the risk of damage.

How to clear collected sea buckthorn leaves

If one of the specialized devices was used to harvest sea buckthorn in order to speed up the work, then in the future there will definitely be a need to clean the fruits from leaves and branches that have fallen into the container. Manually sorting the crop is quite difficult and time-consuming, so it is recommended to resort to easier options.

One method of sorting involves using an oblong vegetable board or other similar object. By placing the board at an angle of about 45 degrees, it is enough to pour the entire harvested crop on top in small portions, as a result of which the berries will roll down, and the foliage and branches will remain on the board.

Also suitable for sorting the harvested crop is the use of a shredder, which is used to cut cabbage. The shredder is installed at an angle with the blades facing up. Place dishes or a box under the base. The berries are poured in portions onto the upper edge, after which they are rolled due to their rounded shape, and the branches are held back with knives.

If the sea buckthorn was frozen along with branches and leaves, then sorting should be carried out at a low temperature. In warm weather, the crop begins to quickly thaw and wrinkle, which makes it difficult to remove branches and debris.

Rules and terms of storage of sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn does not contain molecules that destroy vitamin C, so it can be stored fresh for a month. The recommended ambient temperature is no more than 3 degrees. Freshly harvested sea buckthorn can be left on the branches, placing them in a box inside the refrigerator or placing the fruits in a separate container. To preserve the harvest, the container must be opaque and tightly covered. Dishes with fruits should also be stored at low temperatures. During the entire storage period, the berry will not lose its beneficial characteristics.

A common option for storing sea buckthorn is freezing. When exposed to cold, the crop retains its taste characteristics and pronounced aroma. Shelf life when frozen reaches one year.

Freezing should be performed in the following sequence:

1. Sort the berries to remove leaves, twigs and other debris. It is important to eliminate unripe, bruised and damaged fruits.
2. Place the selected crop in a large container and fill it with water for rinsing. To avoid leaving dents, do not place sea buckthorn under a stream of water.
3. Place the washed berries on parchment or cloth napkins and wait until they dry naturally. Raw berries cannot be frozen, as their shell will collapse and the juice, along with vitamins and other nutritional components, will leak out.
4. Wrap the cutting board in cling film and sprinkle sea buckthorn in one layer, then leave the harvest in the freezer for a day at a temperature of -12 to -17 degrees.
5. When the fruits are frozen sufficiently, all that remains is to pour them into a plastic container and return them back to the freezer for further storage.

Harvest canning

Sea buckthorn berries can be preserved to keep them fresh. To do this, you need to rinse the fruits well, mix with sugar and grind in a meat grinder. The proportion of sugar to harvest is 0.7:1 kg. Mixed products should be transferred to sterilized glass containers and left in a dark room with a temperature of about 0-5 degrees. Canning can also be done in the following ways:

1. Pour the washed fruits into containers and fill to the top with heated syrup. Close the containers with airtight lids and turn them upside down. After waiting for complete cooling, remove the glass container to the basement or refrigerator.
2. Pour sea buckthorn into jars and place in a bowl filled with hot water. The jars need to be covered with lids and kept in boiling water until the sea buckthorn begins to release juice and falls to the bottom. After 15 minutes, you will need to remove the jars from the water and close tightly.

Dried storage

If there is no possibility of storing it fresh or canned, then it is allowed to dry sea buckthorn. This way the crop will also not lose its taste characteristics. It is recommended to dry not only fruits, but also foliage with particles of tree bark. To store it in a dried state, it is necessary to spread the leaves and bark on a smooth surface and leave it in a thoroughly ventilated, dark place with low humidity.

After waiting a few days, the raw materials can be poured into a prepared bag. The shelf life of raw materials is about 5 years without loss of original characteristics.

To dry the sea buckthorn itself, you will need to perform more steps. First you need to sort through the harvested crop, remove damaged specimens, wash thoroughly and wait until dry. Then a solution is prepared from a teaspoon of soda and 1 liter of water, heated almost to boiling.

The berries are placed in the soda mixture for 5-10 seconds and immediately washed with warm water. When the harvest dries a little, it remains to be laid out on a baking sheet in the oven and covered with paper. In order for the sea buckthorn to dry quickly, the oven should be preheated to 35-40 degrees and wait 2-3 hours. It is recommended to store the dried crop at a temperature of 18 degrees.