Lingonberry juice - beneficial properties and instructions for use

Even our distant ancestors knew very well how great the benefits of lingonberry juice are - in fact, this is one of the very first medicines that began to be used in folk medicine. The availability of “raw materials” was of no small importance, because real lingonberry thickets could be found in almost the entire territory inhabited by the Slavs.

Housewives passed down recipes for lingonberry juice from generation to generation, using it to prepare a wide variety of dishes. The fact is that since ancient times people have valued not only the healing, but also the taste qualities of berries.

The benefits and harms of lingonberry juice

Lingonberry drink has several beneficial properties that make it indispensable for adults and children. Beneficial properties of lingonberry drinks:

• helps with aneuria, neurosis, as well as impaired vision;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• helps with disorders of the digestive tract;
• has an anti-inflammatory and disinfecting effect.

The benefits of lingonberry juice allow you to use this drink as a medicine.

But there is also harm that a drink from the northern berry can bring if you are in poor health:

• aggravates stomach ulcers;
• reduces blood pressure and is therefore not recommended for hypotensive patients;
• if the berry is collected in a bad place, it can accumulate radioactive substances.

But in any case, the benefits of drinking a refreshing drink are greater than the harm.

Benefits for the body

• Thanks to a large amount of vitamin C , lingonberries strengthen the immune system and contribute to the treatment and prevention of colds and viral diseases.
• It has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties and prevents the development of bacterial infections in the body. It also helps maintain oral health by killing bacteria.
• It has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effect and is used to treat inflammatory processes in the body.
• Lingonberry is very good for the kidneys ; it is used to treat pathologies such as pyelonephritis, bacteriuria, and urolithiasis. The berry has a mild diuretic effect, so it helps cleanse the body. Also prevents the development of gout.
• Due to the large amount of iron, potassium and magnesium, lingonberry fruits strengthen the cardiovascular system . They improve the condition of blood vessels, lower cholesterol, and treat anemia (anemia).
• Removes waste and toxins from the body, bile . It also promotes the natural removal of worms.
• Lingonberry is useful for those who suffer from high blood pressure - it lowers blood pressure and normalizes it.

Thanks to a large amount of antioxidants, lingonberries prevent the formation of free radicals, which cause the development of cancer, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, regular consumption of berries or berry juice can prevent many pathologies.

Rules for preparing lingonberry juice

To prepare a lingonberry drink, you need to choose the right ingredients. The berries must be strong and whole. It is important to assess the ripeness of the fruit. Too green a berry will give an unpleasant aftertaste. Lingonberry juice can be squeezed through a juicer, but a masher is also used, followed by squeezing through cheesecloth.

Be sure to sort the berries before cooking. Get rid of debris, twigs, as well as diseased and moldy berries. It is also undesirable to use crushed and overripe specimens. Juice can be made from either fresh or frozen berries. Both methods are fine.

For long-term storage, the drink must be subjected to heat treatment. You can also add additional ingredients for taste according to the desire and taste of the hostess.

Lingonberry juice for the winter

For a simple lingonberry drink for the winter, you need the following ingredients:

• berries;
• granulated sugar;
• water.

The cooking recipe is as follows:

1. Pour water over the berries in such an amount that the water covers the berries.
2. Put on fire and wait for it to boil.
3. Once the water boils, leave and let it brew for three hours.
4. Place the berries in a colander and let drain.
5. In the morning, weigh the juice and mix it with sugar: for 1200 g of juice you need to take 600 g of granulated sugar.
6. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
7. Put the juice back on the fire and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Then pour into hot jars and sterilize. The larger the volume, the more time must be devoted to sterilization.

Then the jars need to be rolled up and only then left to cool, perhaps wrapped in a blanket. Lingonberry juice can also be cooked in a juicer.

Lingonberry juice for the winter without cooking

The ingredients you will need are:

• lingonberries - 200 g;
• water - 400 ml;
• 4 tablespoons of sugar.

This recipe does not require long-term heat treatment. Step-by-step cooking algorithm:

1. Grind the berries until liquid forms.
2. Grind the lingonberries using a sieve to separate the juice from the cake.
3. Place the puree in the refrigerator.
4. Pour water into the cake and put on fire.
5. As soon as it boils, add sugar and cool.
6. Add the puree that was in the refrigerator.
7. Strain into jars and roll up for storage.

This recipe does not involve cooking, but must be stored in a cool place. The beneficial substances in lingonberry juice are preserved as much as possible during this preparation.

Description of the berry

Lingonberries grow in deciduous and coniferous forests. It is most widespread in Siberia and in the northern regions: Vologda, Karelia, Arkhangelsk. The fruits are collected for a short period of time from August to September.

It is difficult to obtain berries for those who live in regions where berries do not grow. You can plant garden lingonberry bushes, but the chemical properties of the berries will be very different from those that grow in the wild. If it is not possible to obtain high-quality raw materials, then it is better to order them from reliable suppliers.

The benefits of fruits for the human body are due to their unique chemical composition. List of useful substances in lingonberries:

• vitamins of group A, B, C, PP;
• microelements - iron, manganese,
• flavonoids;
• tanning compounds;
• sucrose and fructose – at least 15%;
• dietary fiber and starch.

The calorie content of lingonberry fruit is only 46 Kcal per 100g. But they cover a person’s daily need for vitamins and microelements.

Concentrated lingonberry juice for the winter with honey

For this recipe you need to take 2 kg of lingonberries and 200 g of honey. It’s easy to prepare a concentrated drink with honey:

1. Wash the berries and leave in a colander to drain.
2. Squeeze out the liquid and pour into a saucepan.
3. Add all the honey and put the pan on the fire.
4. Heat the liquid to 80 °C, but do not bring to a boil.
5. Pour into hot jars that have been previously sterilized.

The drink is ready and can be stored in the basement throughout the winter. It will help against colds and serve as an excellent antipyretic. The benefits and harms of lingonberry juice do not depend on the method of preparation and additional ingredients. If you make it concentrated, you can simply dilute it with water.

Apple-lingonberry juice

You can make a refreshing drink not only from lingonberries, but also add apples to it. Ingredients for homemade lingonberry juice recipe:

• 2 kg of berries;
• kilogram of apples;
• granulated sugar - 600 g;
• liter of water.

You can prepare it according to this principle:

1. Place the berries in a saucepan and add water.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Drain the water from the pan and set aside the berries.
4. Peel the berries and divide into quarters.
5. Put the lingonberry water back on the fire.
6. As soon as it boils, throw in the apples and granulated sugar.
7. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat to medium.
8. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring.
9. Add berries and boil for another 5 minutes.
10. Pour into jars and roll up.

Once cooled, you can put it in a cool place for storage until winter.

Lingonberry and blueberry juice

The combination of two such healthy berries as lingonberries and blueberries will give a very beneficial effect that will maintain health throughout the winter for the whole family.

Ingredients:

• 350 g of both berries;
• 4 tablespoons sugar;
• 6 glasses of water;
• a tablespoon of lemon zest and lemon juice.

Recipe:

1. Grind the berries with a masher.
2. Let stand for a couple of hours.
3. Strain the fruit drink and save the cake for other recipes.
4. Pour water into a saucepan and put on fire.
5. Pour in sand, and when the drink warms up, pour berry and lemon juice into it.
6. Add the zest.
7. Mix everything and leave to cook for 5 minutes.
8. Pour into hot containers and roll up. After this, wrap it in a blanket and wait until it cools down.

This fruit drink will perfectly strengthen the body and help improve body tone in the winter. Lingonberry juice through a juicer with the addition of blueberries can also be rolled up according to this recipe.

What are the benefits of lingonberry leaves?

The benefits of lingonberry leaves are explained by their biochemical composition. They contain:

• Glycosides: arbutin and hyperoside.
• Free hydroquinone.
• Organic acids: ursulic, quinic, gallic and ellagic.
• Tannins (tannins), flavonoids and phytoncides.
• Antioxidant lycopene and vitamins.

Due to the large amount of tannins and organic acids, lingonberry leaves have anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and antiseptic effects. Preparations from the green part of the plant are recommended to be taken to increase the effectiveness of antibiotics. In addition, consuming leaves helps remove excess fluid from the body (reduces swelling).

Official medicine uses lingonberry leaves to produce diuretics, choleretic and disinfectants. And phytoncides suppress the activity of such dangerous bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus. The plant increases the body's defenses and stimulates phagocytosis. The vascular strengthening properties of lingonberry leaves are also known, due to which they are used to reduce the fragility of small blood vessels.

How to make lingonberry juice with mint and lemon for the winter

You can make your usual fruit drink with additional ingredients. The taste will be pleasant and quite original. The ingredients for this drink will be simple:

• 1.5 kg lingonberries;
• granulated sugar - 1.2 kg;
• 2 liters of drinking water;
• a bunch of mint;
• 1 lemon.

Recipe:

1. Beat the berries in a blender.
2. Separate the pulp from the liquid using a strainer.
3. Pour into a glass container and cover with a lid.
4. Transfer the pulp to a saucepan and add mint.
5. Put the mixture on the fire and wait until it boils.
6. After this, cook for 5 minutes.
7. Strain and return to the fire.
8. Squeeze the lemon and add sugar to the pan with the main drink.
9. After the sugar has dissolved, you need to add the berry juice and mix.
10. As soon as the drink boils, pour it into hot jars and immediately roll up.

The taste will be unusual, but everyone is guaranteed to like it. You can perfectly prepare lingonberry juice in a juice cooker with the addition of the same ingredients.

How to store berries in an apartment?

To preserve the beneficial properties of berries, they must be stored properly. There are several ways to do this, and each method will be discussed in detail.

Fresh storage

Fresh produce contains the maximum amount of nutrients. It is necessary to keep lingonberries fresh for as long as possible. Methodology for processing fruits for long-term storage in an apartment:

1. The lingonberries are thoroughly washed with cold water and placed in a glass container.
2. The product is poured with chilled boiled water.
3. The water in the jars is changed after 3 days and stored in a cool, dark place.

Fresh lingonberries can be stored for up to 3 months. After this period, it is advisable to consume the fruits or subject them to heat treatment.

Drying

Dried fruits are not much inferior to fresh ones in terms of the content of nutrients, but they are stored much longer. Algorithm for storing lingonberries in an apartment:

1. Rinse the fruits with water and dry naturally.
2. Spread the berries in a thin layer and place in an electric dryer or oven at 60 degrees.

Drying time depends on where the raw materials are prepared. The fruits are kept in an electric dryer for up to 5 hours, and in the oven for up to 3 hours. The drying process must be constantly monitored so that the berries do not overheat and lose their beneficial properties.

After the raw materials are prepared, they are laid out on newspaper and put away in a dry, dark place. Dried lingonberries do not spoil and can therefore be stored for years.

Pickling

This method also manages to preserve most of the beneficial properties of lingonberries. It involves using sugar syrup and storing the product only in a cold place - a refrigerator or cellar. Algorithm for pickling berries:

1. The fruits are poured with pre-boiled and cooled water. For 1 liter of liquid add 200 g of sugar and spices to taste.
2. The jars are sealed with airtight lids and stored.

Ground berries with sugar

For those who live not in apartments, but in private houses, you can prepare raw materials in wooden barrels. You will get a tasty and healthy berry in its own juice.

The process of preparing sweet berries at home:

1. Remove all leaves from the berries. When harvested, they can become the reason why lingonberries taste bitter.
2. Place the harvest in an oak barrel 10 cm thick.
3. Tamp the berries a little and sprinkle generously with sugar.

The berries and sugar are laid out in layers. The last layer should be lingonberries.

After the workpiece is made, the barrel is sealed with a tight lid and sent for storage in a dark place. You can use the berry in its own juice until it runs out.

Rules for storing lingonberry juice

In order for lingonberry juice to be stored for a long time and not spoil, you don’t need much. First of all, the jars in which the fruit juice is stored must be sterilized and thoroughly steamed. The temperature in the storage room should not exceed 15 °C and the humidity should not exceed 85%. In addition, it is important that sunlight does not enter the room. The best option is a basement or cellar. A balcony with a dark cabinet or an unheated storage room would be perfect for an apartment. Regardless of the recipe for lingonberry juice for the winter, you can store the drink for a long time.

Beneficial features

Lingonberry is an evergreen shrub of the Ericaceae family.
The berries are widely used in cooking, and the leaves are used in medicine. Source Wikipedia

In Rus', since ancient times, it was called “the berry of immortality”, “the king’s berry”, “the miracle berry” for its beneficial properties and excellent taste.

It has a lot of useful properties:

• Tonic;
• Antibacterial;
• Antipyretic;
• Antiseptic;
• Wound healing;
• Laxatives;
• Choleretic.

Lingonberries are useful for rheumatism, diabetes, hypertension, neurasthenia, and vitamin deficiency. A squeeze of its leaves is useful for genitourinary tract infections, but the dosage should not be exceeded.

Lingonberry juice or fruit drink is recommended for patients with hypertension, anemia, neurosis and hangover. Decoction - for kidney disease, diabetes, rheumatism, gout, and high temperature.

Lingonberries contain many useful substances:

• Vitamin A, C, group B;
• Organic acids;
• Tannins;
• Cellulose;
• Minerals;
• Proteins;
• Carbohydrates;
• Fats.

And at the same time, its calorie content is small - 43 kcal per 100 g of product, which allows us to call lingonberries a dietary product. It is recommended to include it in your diet for both healthy and sick people, and those on a diet. Lingonberries help strengthen the immune system, help develop resistance to viruses, and improve vision. The body is saturated with vitamins and rejuvenates. Its regular use slows down cell aging.

Lingonberries contain benzoic acid, which prevents microbes from multiplying. Thanks to this acid, lingonberries can be stored frozen all winter, so there is no need to rush to make preserves, jams and compotes from them.

Mostly lingonberries grow in coniferous forests. The plant can live up to 300 years, not inferior to oak in terms of longevity.