In every house there is probably a couple of recipes for jam from roses, raspberries, sea buckthorn. Does anyone make jam from pine cones? Most likely, those who live in places where pine cones can be harvested are brewed. And if the usual jams that we procure in the winter can be found on the shelves of grocery stores without bothering with harvesting, then pine cone jam is real homemade jam. We will talk about the benefits and dangers of jam from pine cones in this article.
Cone picking
Many, having visited the climatic resorts of Pitsunda, learn about the healing properties of pine forests saturated with volatile. The healing properties of pine are in its needles, buds, young shoots and cones. The ripening time of pine cones depends on the places where the trees grow. If in the more southern latitudes pine cones can be harvested by the end of May, then in the middle lane the harvest time shifts by more than a month, that is, on the 20th of June. They collect those cones that have reached the length of four centimeters and are well cut with a knife, and not those that hang on the pine trees - solid and open. The bumps should be tar-sticky with convex flakes.
When collecting it is necessary to pay attention to the type of cones. It should be green, with even, clean sides and not affected by insects. Cones must be collected away from highways at least one kilometer. On the cones there is a resinous liquid - gum. And if the pine grows near the highway, dust and exhaust gases are deposited in this resinous liquid. What will be the use of jam from pine cones in this case? Harm naturally! And irreparable for internal organs and general health.
Preparing cones for recycling
The collected cones must be sorted out, checking for the integrity of the cover. Cones affected by pests must be discarded and discarded. The next stage is a thorough washing of the cones and removing sticky needles and dust from them. The process is troublesome, cones emit sticky resin during processing, which can not be washed by hand or dishes, in which jam will be cooked. Therefore, you need to work in rubber gloves so as not to harm your hands.
How to make jam from pine cones
A good jam is due to the tree, from the fruits of which it is boiled. All the solar energy that the tree draws with its crown, stretching out branches in the sky, will be collected in the jam. With the right collection and the right cooking technology, jam will certainly be useful in case of overwork and sleep disturbances. And this will work volatile.
Each housewife cooks jam according to his own recipe. Therefore, well-known recipes differ in cooking time, infusion and the amount of sugar and water. The pine cones remain the same ingredient. Consider one of the simple recipes.
- Pour the washed cones with clean water so that they are completely covered with liquid.
- Place the container with cones on the fire, boil for an hour and leave to insist for the night.
- The infused broth should be poured into another container and add the same amount of sugar by volume of liquid.
- Cook the resulting mixture over low heat for one and a half to two hours, until the syrup becomes dark in color.
- Next, put the pine cones in the syrup and cook for twenty minutes.
- Then put 8-10 pieces in half-liter jars, pour in syrup and cork.
A couple more useful recipes
Another recipe for pine cones. The benefits and dangers of using this delicacy will be discussed separately below. Some housewives in their recipes introduce additional ingredients, such as lemon juice or lemon zest. Naturally, the properties of the finished product will be different.
The recipe is as follows:
- Prepared cones cut into pieces and put in a separate container.
- Prepare syrup from 2 glasses of water and a half kilograms of sugar. Syrup simmer on fire until thickened.
- Pour chopped cones into syrup and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the fire, cover the pan with a lid, leaving the cones to infuse for four hours.
- Repeat the procedure for boiling and settling three times.
- In the third approach, let it boil with jam and continue to simmer for an hour.
- Pour jam into clean jars and tighten the lids.
Mixed jam
In the usual recipe for pine cone jam, lemon, cranberries and lingonberries are added at the beginning of cooking.
Healing jam
Jam from cones of various conifers, including from cones of Pitsunda pine, is boiled in the Caucasus. Vacationers in these parts always bring home a couple of jars of sweet medicine. Apply this tasty medicine for colds, tonsillitis, stomatitis, stomach and lung diseases. This kind of medicine is pleasant to use.
Even children love it with tea, and, like any jam, it does no harm. The benefit of jam from pine cones (the photo demonstrates its appetite, among other things) is in the healing properties based on the presence of volatile products contained in conifers. This jam has anti-inflammatory and disinfecting effects, and thereby contributes to the destruction of harmful bacteria and fungi in the human body.
Jam application
How to take jam from pine cones with benefit? There will be no harm if used when necessary. Jam is suitable both as a medicine and for prevention, to prevent colds in the winter. A cold person feels not only an expectorant effect after taking jam from pine cones, but also a diaphoretic effect.
Jam as a medicine is usually taken up to three times a day. In adults, the dose is 1 tablespoon, in children - 1 teaspoon. The taste of cones in jam is pleasant to children, they with pleasure eat this natural pine candy. But it is necessary to ensure that the child does not have an allergic reaction, so for the test you need to give him some syrup from jam. If there is no reaction to pine cones, you can gradually increase the dose, but remember that this is still a medicine, not candy.
If jam is taken as a prophylaxis, it will be sufficient to use an adult and a child, respectively, 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon per day.
About calorie jam
Some are interested in the calorie content of jam from pine cones. Benefit or harm to expect by eating jam? The calorie content of jam is 220 kcal per 100 grams of food eaten. There are no proteins and fats in the jam, but it is saturated with carbohydrates. In principle, for those who are prone to rapid weight gain, this sweet is not recommended.
The chemical composition of cones
Before you use anything from drugs or folk remedies that have a therapeutic effect, you need to ask a logical question, in this case: "And what does jam from pine cones help from? And what is the benefit or harm from it?" If you pay attention to what the bump consists of, that is, its chemical composition, you can find out that it contains vitamins and minerals necessary for a person.
Here are such vitamins in pine cones:
- B vitamins - play a large role in cellular metabolism, strengthen hair and nails.
- Vitamin E - has an angioprotective effect, affects vascular tone and permeability, stimulates the formation of new capillaries, and prevents skin aging.
- Vitamin K - helps to improve the activity of the digestive tract, accelerate wound healing.
- Vitamin P - flavonoids (rutin, hesperidin, quercetin) in combination with ascorbic acid, which is also present in pine cones, has the ability to reduce the fragility of capillary vessels, normalizes the rhythm of the heart muscle.
Essential oils are present in the cones that strengthen the immune system. And also such elements of the periodic table as chromium, salts of copper and iron. Pine cone jam contains a large amount of linoleic acid, lipids and bioflavonoids.
The benefits of jam
There is no panacea for all diseases in nature , but there is also no such medicine that would absolutely not harm the human body. Therefore, it is worthwhile to understand what contraindications jam has from pine cones, and the benefit or harm will be from its use. The value of jam is that it is an antiviral and in winter replenishes vitamin C in the body. Therefore, it is used for colds and flu, adding to tea. Young pine cones are a powerful antioxidant.
Pine treat has its magical effect in diseases of the stomach, enhancing its secretion, and also eliminates stagnation of bile. The use of jam relieves inflammation of the gums and gives the oral cavity a deodorizing effect. The breath has a pleasant aroma thanks to volatile, destroying harmful bacteria. In this case, there is a positive effect and the benefits of jam from pine cones.
What diseases are harmful from jam?
Pine cone jam is a good diuretic, but people with kidney problems should use this jam with caution. For any diseases associated with the biliary tract and liver, jam should not be used, as it can cause a choleretic effect and exacerbate the disease.
The glycemic index of this wonderful medicine is 65 units. The value is high, and this indicates that people with diabetes should not get involved in this jam. Elderly people, especially after 60 years of age, should also take this medicinal product with caution. Many people at this age have a bunch of diseases. Therefore, the principle of "do no harm" should be in the first place. In order not to harm the body, jam from pine cones will be useful in case of its correct, moderate use.
Children really like a sweet treat, but it can cause an allergic reaction in the body. It is necessary for the first time to give the child this sweet medicine in a very small dosage and observe the reaction of the body. If there is no reaction, you can increase the dose to two teaspoons per day with tea. It is because of an allergic reaction that it is not recommended to use jam for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Contraindications
Jam from pine cones is tasty and healthy, but you should not forget about contraindications to its use. You can not eat a lot of this jam, that is, to allow an overdose, which can cause stomach pain. If a person has gastritis and has an increased acidity, nausea may occur. That is, categorically it is impossible to use jam for people with peptic ulcers and erosive lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. Also should not eat jam hypotension due to the effect of reducing pressure. When consumed, weakness appears, poor health.
The purpose of using jam from pine cones (the harm and benefits of which are described in the article) is to use the maximum benefits of a healing product and not harm yourself.