Barberry is a shrub plant, a huge concentration of nutrients in which allows you to use it not only in cooking, but also in cosmetology and even medicine. The end of November is the best time to pick and dry healthy berries for the winter.
Harvest time
Barberry is a seemingly completely unremarkable bush on a garden plot. However, behind his plainness lies incredible wealth - this plant is just a storehouse of useful substances.
Everyone knows these oblong red berries used in tinctures, compotes, decoctions, sauces and seasonings, but few people realize that in addition to the fruits in the barberry bush, young leaves, roots and bark are incredibly useful - they are picked in early spring, when the plant is just starting turn green.
But the time of barberry berries is late autumn, they are usually harvested after the first frost, at the end of November, unripe fruits are poisonous and dangerous to health.
Winter blanks
From one adult bush you can collect 12-15 kilograms of berries. Since fresh this fruit is rarely consumed, all kinds of preparations are made from it, which diversify the menu and support immunity in the winter.
From fresh fruits, jellies, preserves and jams can be made and preserved. Berries of barberry can be candied in jars and stored in the refrigerator under a closed lid. From such preparations in the cold season it is easy to prepare fruit drinks and compotes.
Drying and storage
The easiest and most universal way to preserve the beneficial properties of these berries for the whole winter is to cook dried barberry. The collected berries are thoroughly washed and dried with paper towels. Since by the time the berries ripen, it is already cold outside, they are dried in an oven in two stages. By the way, dried barberry, the photo of which is presented above, has a beneficial effect on blood vessels and heart.
First, clean berries in one layer are laid out on a baking sheet and left in the oven at a temperature of 40-45 degrees for 6-7 hours. After that, the temperature is added to 60 and dried for about 5 hours until the state until the fruits stick together with each other when squeezed in the palm of your hand.
Modern dryers for fruits and vegetables allow you to cook dried berries of barberry in a much shorter time - 4-5 hours.
The blank should be stored in plastic bottles or linen bags in a dry, dark place. Berries retain their beneficial properties and taste for 2-3 years.
Health in a Bottle
What is the use of dried barberry? Since ancient times, he gained the fame of a “delicious medicine." Berries of barberry are extremely rich in organic acids - citric, malic, ascorbic and tartaric. They also contain beta-carotene, vitamins K, E, C, A, alkaloid berberine.
All this makes dried barberry an excellent anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and immunomodulating agent. In addition, the extract from its berries is used to normalize blood pressure in hypertensive patients and to treat diseases of the genital area in women, as a choleretic drug in people suffering from diseases of the liver and gall bladder.
The useful properties of dried barberry have been recognized not only by the aesculapius of antiquity, but also by modern physicians. In Germany, for example, tincture of barberry is recommended for patients with diabetes mellitus, in China, fruit extraction is used for inflammatory diseases of the eyes, and in the USA as an additional therapy for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Universal seasoning
The specific sweet and sour taste of the berries is quite difficult to confuse with something. Thanks to this unique combination, dried barberry is a universal seasoning. It is perfect for pickles, harmoniously complements the taste of rice, gives an incredible shish kebab flavor.
In what quantities and where do experienced housewives add dried barberry? Without it, a real Uzbek pilaf is unthinkable, one teaspoon of dried berries is enough to give it a spicy note. Berries should not be soaked in advance - they must be added immediately before frying the meat.
Dried berries can simply be pulverized and used in small quantities as needed.
Uzbek pilaf
The most common dish where dried barberry is added is, of course, pilaf. Sweet and sour berries give it a special aroma, piquancy and spice.
Ingredients:
- rice - 500 grams;
- lamb - 500 g;
- carrots - 500 g;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- onions - 2 heads;
- garlic - 1 clove;
- dried barberry - 1 tbsp. l .;
- Zira - 1 tbsp. l .;
- coriander seeds - 1 tsp;
- salt to taste.
Cooking:
- Rinse the rice until the water becomes clear.
- Cut the meat into cubes, carrot strips, 1 onion in half rings. Peel the garlic from the top husks, but do not separate them into cloves
- Calcinate the vegetable oil in a cauldron and fry the remaining whole onion in it. Pull her out.
- Put carrots, onions and meat in oil, add salt, cumin and coriander, fry until golden brown.
- Lay the washed rice on top and fill it with water so that it covers the groats to a height of 2 centimeters. Bring to a boil and reduce.
- After 15 minutes, stick the heads of garlic in the pilaf, add the barberry, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Grilled meat
The second most popular dish with dried barberry is marinade for barbecue and grill - it is quite versatile and suitable for chicken, lamb, and pork.
Ingredients:
- onion - 2 heads;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- tomato paste - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- tomato - 1 pc.;
- barberry - 1 tsp;
- ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp;
- salt to taste.
Pass the tomato and garlic through a press, chop the onion in half rings. Mix all the ingredients and add 1 kilogram of any meat. Marinate for 8-10 hours under pressure in a cool place.
Chicken with apples and barberry
This dish is suitable for both a festive table and as an everyday dish. Chicken with apples and dried barberry is cooked quickly, but it turns out delicious. It remains to add rice as a side dish - and a delicious lunch is ready.
Ingredients:
- chicken thighs - 1 kg;
- leek - 1 pc.;
- apples - 2 pcs.;
- barberry - 2 tsp;
- balsamic sauce - 1 tsp;
- honey – 1 tsp;
- water - 50 ml;
- salt to taste;
- sunflower oil for frying.
Fry the thighs in oil until golden brown over high heat. Cut leek into thin half rings. Add apples, barberry, honey, water, salt and onions to the pan and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat under a closed lid. After open the lid and let the moisture boil away. Add balsamic sauce and can be served.
Sauce for vegetables and meat
From barberry berries - dried or fresh - an excellent Abkhazian sauce is obtained for meat or vegetables. It resembles something tkemalevy, but more acute.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of fresh or 400 grams of dried berries of barberry;
- water - 2 glasses;
- adjika - 3 tbsp. l .;
- mint - 1 bunch.
Dried berries pour hot water for 1 hour, when they soften, it is necessary to drain the remaining water. Freshly rinse with running water. Fold the barberries in an enameled dish, add water and add finely chopped mint, boil for 15 minutes, puree, add adjika.
Vitamin sweets for colds
Who does not know the famous barbarisks? These red sweets won the hearts of many people. Only now there is practically nothing useful left in them - dyes and flavors. At home, you can make a wonderful analogue of these sweets, which will combine not only their recognizable taste, but also the benefits of dried barberry.
To make about 300 grams of sweets you will need:
- 1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried barberry;
- 2 cups sugar;
- 1 cup of water.
Rinse the berries thoroughly, add water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Strain the resulting broth through cheesecloth. Pour granulated sugar into the pan, pour barberry broth on it, put on medium heat. Wait for the sugar to dissolve completely, add heat and bring to a boil. Boil the resulting mass in half. Pour into molds and cool completely. Useful lollipops are ready!
Dried Barberry Buns
You can make incredibly tasty and healthy buns from dried berries.
For cooking you will need:
- dried barberry - 100 g;
- dry yeast - 15 g;
- sugar - 5 tbsp. spoons in the dough plus 200 grams for the filling;
- milk - 400 ml;
- flour - 700 g;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- sour cream - 200 g.
Cooking:
- Dried berries pour boiling water and leave for 20-30 minutes.
- Mix yeast, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar, 1 tbsp. spoon of flour, pour 100 ml of milk and put in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. This is our future couple. Milk should be used in a warm form.
- When the dough is suitable, mix it with the remaining milk, flour, butter and sour cream and knead the dough. At first it will stick strongly to your hands, but the batch should be continued until enough gluten is developed and the dough becomes pliable and elastic.
- Put the resulting dough into a saucepan, grease with vegetable oil on top, cover with a towel and put in a warm place for 40 minutes.
- When it comes up, you need to knead it and repeat the procedure.
- Roll out the finished dough into a thin layer, grease it with vegetable oil, pour out the berries of barberry, roll it in a roll and cut into snail buns.
- Allow the buns to stand in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 30–35 minutes.
- Finished products can be coated with confectionery glaze.
Barberry drink
To prepare a healthy choleretic and diuretic drink, you will need:
- 50 grams of dried barberry;
- 60 grams of sugar;
- a few drops of vanilla essence or vanillin;
- 1 liter of water.
Pour the berries with boiling water and let it brew for an hour. Add sugar and vanilla. Pour into a bottle with berries and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Take 100 ml daily.
Patients with cholelithiasis or kidney stones should be consulted with a doctor before taking.
Mixture for strengthening immunity
In the autumn-winter period, adults and children often suffer from flu and colds. To maintain immunity, you can prepare a vitamin mixture of dried fruits, nuts, honey, lemon and dried barberry (see photo in the article). Such a mixture may look unattractive, but contains a huge amount of vitamins, especially in it a lot of vitamin C, which helps to resist the disease in the cold season.
For 500 grams of a mixture of dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots, raisins, figs) you need to take 200 grams of nuts, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 lemon and half a glass of dried berries. Twist everything, including lemon and zest, through a meat grinder, add honey and mix thoroughly. Take 2 teaspoons daily - morning and evening.
Beauty at home
The use of dried barberry is possible not only in cooking. From ancient times, barberry berries were used to give freshness to the skin of the face, reduce wrinkles, moisturize and improve hair.
One glass of dried berries should be poured with 1 liter of water, bring to a boil and let it brew for 5-6 hours. The resulting broth is used to rinse the hair. It can also be frozen by spilling on ice tins. Every morning, wipe the face and neck with an ice cube. Such a tool perfectly moisturizes and tones, and with daily use it significantly increases skin elasticity and reduces the number of wrinkles.
Scrub mask
The extract and extract from berries and young leaves of barberry has long been used by cosmetologists and cosmetic companies around the world for the manufacture of masks, scrubs, soaps, creams, gels and lotions.
The properties of dried barberry make it possible to make a useful scrub mask from it, applying it 2 times a week, you can achieve a significant improvement in skin condition.
To prepare the mask, pour 1 cup of dried berries with boiling water and leave for 1 hour. Drain, puree the berries and mix with 1 tbsp. olive or baby oil. Apply in circular, massage movements to the skin of the face and neck. Leave on for 3-5 minutes. Rinse off.