Yellow cherries are a tasty and healthy product. From sweet berries you can make delicious jam, mouth-watering dessert or a pleasant soft drink. Today we want to consider in detail the beneficial properties of cherries, as well as share the secrets of its preparation at home.
Description and unique properties of the plant
Sweet cherry is a tree that is widely distributed in southern Europe, the North Caucasus and Central Asia. Some frost-resistant varieties also feel great in central Russia. The shape and color of the fruit depends on the type of plant. Among the main advantages of yellow cherries, high yield and excellent quality of fruits are distinguished.
Yellow cherries are widely used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. Vitamins and microelements contained in fruits increase immunity, strengthen blood vessels and help cope with colds. The leaves and bark of the plant are used to prepare decoctions that help people suffering from eczema, psoriasis and acne. Berries are successfully used in home cosmetology. Masks are made from them to eliminate dry face and hair.
Include cherries regularly in your menu. The berries contain vitamin C and carotene, which favorably affect the condition of the skin, protect the cardiovascular system and prevent diseases such as heart attack and stroke. A large amount of fiber contained in the fruits, allows you to establish the work of the gastrointestinal tract and forget about constipation.
Doctors recommend eating fresh cherries, as well as freezing fruits for the winter. When the time comes, you can prepare delicious dishes and sweet desserts from them. Next, we give examples of popular recipes and tell you what preparations can be made from juicy and mouth-watering berries.
Pitted yellow sweet cherry jam
In the ripening season of sweet cherries, when prices for it become more than reasonable, it is time to think about winter harvesting. Pitted yellow sweet cherry jam is a great option that is available to every housewife. The recipe for its preparation can be read below:
- Prepare one kilogram of sweet cherry for processing - thoroughly rinse the berries and remove the seeds.
- Dilute a kilogram of sugar with water and bring the syrup to a boil.
- Put the prepared fruits in a saucepan, cover with hot liquid and leave to cool completely.
- After that, put the dishes on the fire again and cook the berries for ten minutes.
- When the jam has cooled, add the zest of one lemon to it and repeat the procedure.
Determining readiness is easy - just put a spoonful of jam on a plate and make sure that it does not spread. Arrange the hot jam in jars and cover them with lids.
Jam for the winter
This recipe will be appreciated by lovers of sweet treats for tea. Yellow cherry and apricot jam preserves the aroma of juicy fresh fruits.
- Rinse under running water one kilogram of cherries and 300 grams of apricots.
- Remove the seeds and sprinkle the fruit with sugar (one kilogram is enough for a given amount).
- When the berries let the juice, put them on the fire, bring to a boil and cool. Repeat this sequence three times.
Sterilize the jars, fill them with hot jam and cover with clean lids.
Sugar free jam
If you follow your figure, then by all means appreciate this recipe. Yellow cherry jam, prepared in this way, turns out to be sweet and very tasty.
- Sort and wash 500 grams of berries. Do not forget to remove all the bones.
- Put the cherries in a water bath and keep on fire until enough juice stands out.
- Cover the dishes with berries with cling film and cool slightly.
The jam is completely ready - it can be laid out in clean jars and rolled up for the winter.
Dessert with nuts for the winter
This unusual treat has a sophisticated look and original taste. How to make pitted yellow sweet cherry jam? Read the recipe here:
- 500 grams of small hazelnuts, calcine in a dry pan, and then wipe between the palms to get rid of the husk.
- Prepare one kilogram of yellow cherries. Carefully remove the bones with a hairpin or a special machine, and then put nuts in the holes.
- Cook syrup from a kilogram of sugar and half a glass of water.
- When the liquid cools down a bit, add the berries to it and put the vanilla pod, previously divided into two parts.
- When the jam boils, it should be removed from the heat and cool for two hours.
- Repeat the cooking procedure three times, and at the very end add lemon sliced into thin slices.
Arrange the jam in prepared jars and store it in a dark, cool place.
Yellow sweet compote
Making a tasty drink for the winter is very simple. Do not forget that cherries are a sweet enough berry, which means you can do without excess sugar. The compote recipe is very simple:
- Go through the berries, and then rinse them well.
- Sterilize the jars.
- Fill the prepared dishes with cherries and shake them so that the fruits lie denser to each other.
- Pour boiling water over the berries and pour three teaspoons of citric acid into each jar (in this case a liter). For flavor, you can also add a leaf of fresh mint.
Roll up the lids, turn the dishes upside down and leave them in this position until they cool completely. The yellow cherry compote is ready, and now you can send it for storage.
Pickled berries
Yellow cherries for the winter, as you already understood, can be harvested in many ways. Therefore, we offer another interesting option, even an inexperienced culinary specialist can cope with. Recipe:
- Pour 0.6 liter of white wine vinegar into a saucepan, add a few peas of pepper, two clove buds and a bay leaf to it. Bring the liquid to a boil, put a pinch of salt and cook for another five minutes.
- Rinse one and a half kilograms of cherries with stalks and put them in clean jars. Pour a little sugar into each and pour the marinade.
- Cover the dishes with a towel and leave in this position for a day.
- Drain the marinade the next day, and transfer the berries to sterilized jars.
- Boil 0.4 liters of vinegar in a saucepan over a fire, and then fill them with sweet cherry.
When the berries have cooled, they can be closed with lids and rolled up. Pickled yellow cherries will be an excellent addition to smoked meat and boiled pork.
Confiture
Save some bright summer sun in the bank! The finished yellow cherries have an amber hue and incredible taste. To make jam from these berries, follow our instructions:
- Process a kilogram of sweet cherry and free it from the seeds.
- Fill the berries with sugar and add the juice of one lemon.
- Four hours later, when enough juice is released, put the dishes on the fire and bring its contents to a boil. Please note that you can’t allow burning, otherwise the appearance of your dessert will leave much to be desired.
- Cook the confiture on low heat for another ten minutes, and then let it cool. Repeat the procedure two more times.
When the process is complete, arm yourself with a hand blender and chop the berries with it. Put the confiture in jars, roll it up and put it in storage in a place convenient for you.
Useful Tips
So that your workpieces do not lose their attractiveness during storage and do not deteriorate, use our recommendations:
- Use only fresh food and make sure that there is no visible damage.
- Berries must be of the same size and degree of maturity - so they are cooked at the same time.
- The whole cherries need to be stacked tightly in jars, using a stainless steel spoon for this.
- If the jam does not thicken, then add applesauce or a little lemon juice to it.
- For stewed fruit, you can use unripe fruits.
- Jars of jam should not be stored in the refrigerator or cellar. Use a dark and cool place in your apartment or house for this.
We will be glad if the recipes and tips collected in our article come in handy.