Blueberries are sweet. Blueberry jam: benefits and possible harm

Blueberries are a delicious berry with blue-black skin and purple contents containing up to 40 small seeds. In nature, blueberry bushes usually grow in northern regions where there is a shortage of fruit. Therefore, back in the Middle Ages, peasants in the northern regions of Russia preserved its berries with honey. Later (at the end of the 18th century) a method of canning using sugar was discovered, and honey jam was replaced by “ordinary” jam, which many housewives still cook with pleasure today.

Traditional blueberry jam recipe

Before we talk about the benefits of this delicacy, you should find out how to prepare it correctly. So, in order to make blueberry jam, you will need 500 g of blueberries per 1 kg of berries. Then you need:

1. Pour cold water over the berries so that it covers them with a layer of 3-5 cm, as this causes debris and spoiled berries to float up and can be easily removed by carefully draining the water.
2. The blueberries are washed a couple more times and placed on a sieve.
3. The berries are poured into a bowl for making jam, covered with sugar and left for a couple of hours to release the juice (during this time they need to be stirred several times).
4. When the juice is released, place the basin on low heat and cook for about half an hour, constantly skimming off the foam.
5. Hot jam is poured into sterilized jars, covered with lids and placed in a container with boiling water.
6. After sterilizing for another 10 minutes, the jars are rolled up and left to cool at room temperature.

Are there any benefits to blueberry jam?

Fresh blueberries contain a small amount of fruit acids. But they contain a lot of vitamins A and B, flavonoids and manganese. In addition, they are a good source of magnesium, ascorbic acid, calcium and other beneficial substances.

Thanks to this composition, blueberries, including their leaves and shoots, have long been used in medicine. In particular, it is known that decoctions and infusions of fresh leaves and shoots are recommended for use in early forms of diabetes mellitus, since thanks to the substance they contain, neomirtilline, patients’ blood sugar levels significantly decrease.

In addition, decoction and jelly from dried blueberries is an excellent remedy for diarrhea, and the extract helps in the treatment of many eye diseases, including retinal detachment.

Many of the healing properties that fresh blueberries have are preserved in blueberry jam; in particular, it is considered a “champion” in terms of the content of carotene, vitamins C and PP, as well as B vitamins and tannins. Therefore, in folk medicine, blueberry jam is used as an immunoboosting agent, as well as to ease breathing and get rid of dry cough.

In addition, blueberry jam in small quantities is recommended for regular consumption by people who have had hepatitis, as well as for diarrhea and problems of the cardiovascular system.

At the same time, blueberry jam should not be abused by people with diseases of the biliary tract and pancreas.

They take every berry in their hands, but not every one is put in a box. Today the topic of our conversation will be blueberries. The beneficial properties of these unique fruits are known to many. Blueberries are called a real storehouse of vitamins. Let's talk more about the swamp beauty.

Let's go for the berries

Blueberry bushes mainly grow in swampy areas, as well as in coniferous and mixed forest belts. If you are unable to harvest your own crops, do not despair. You can find fresh and frozen blueberries on supermarket shelves. Natural jams are no less valuable.

Blueberries are recognized as not only healthy, but also a dietary berry. The calorie content of blueberry fruits is 44 kilocalories per 100 g of product.

Blueberries have an amazing composition. Almost 70% of these berries consist of healthy carbohydrates. The rest comes from proteins, ashes, ethereal extracts, and fats. Blueberry fruits are considered a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, micro- and macroelements.

The described berries are enriched with the following components:

• magnesium;
• organic acids;
• ascorbic, nicotinic and pantothenic acids;
• iron;
• sodium;
• copper;
• thiamine;
• pyridoxine;
• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• potassium

Legends can be made about the healing properties of blueberries. Most people know that eating this berry is very beneficial for vision. But this is far from an exhaustive list of its medicinal properties. The list is much wider.

So, blueberries bring exceptional benefits to our body, in particular:

• strengthening the retina of the eye;
• improvement of visual acuity;
• normalization of sugar levels;
• memory improvement;
• antiseptic effect;
• treatment of diarrhea symptoms;
• cleansing of liver cells;
• treatment of vitamin deficiency;
• relief of symptoms of gastritis;
• increase in hemoglobin level;
• rejuvenation of the body;
• strengthening the immune system;
• normalization of the heart muscle;
• strengthening vascular walls.

On a note! Blueberries are very useful during pregnancy. The body of the expectant mother and the baby will receive the necessary amount of nutrients, vitamins, micro- and macroelements.

Not only blueberry berries are valuable to the body, but also the leaves. Unfortunately, not everyone can collect them fresh. There is a solution - buy dried leaves at a pharmacy.

Blueberry leaves have the following properties:

• astringents;
• diuretics;
• hemostatic;
• anti-inflammatory;
• choleretic.

On a note! Blueberry berries in fresh, frozen and dried form, like leaves, have the same beneficial properties. When freezing, heat treating or drying the fruit, all properties are preserved.

People with diabetes know how difficult it is to normalize their blood sugar levels. Doctors say that blueberries are very useful for diabetes. You need to prepare a decoction based on blueberry leaves. If you use it systematically, you can avoid spikes in sugar levels.

Compound:

• 1 tbsp. l. dried blueberry leaves;
• 1 tbsp. filtered water.

Preparation and use:

1. Place the dried, crushed blueberry leaves in a thick-walled bowl.
2. Bring filtered water to a boil.
3. Pour boiling water over the leaves and stir.
4. Leave the drink for 20 minutes to infuse, then strain it through a sieve or piece of gauze.
5. It is recommended to drink blueberry broth every day, two hours after the main meal. The dosage is 50 ml.

Briefly about contraindications

Despite the enormous benefits of blueberries, it is better to consult a doctor before introducing them into your diet, especially if you have any chronic ailments. First of all, blueberries should be avoided by people suffering from urolithiasis. The concentration of acids, vitamins, nutrients, micro- and macroelements in it can cause the movement of stones through the ducts.

If berries are eaten in unlimited quantities, this can cause constipation. As mentioned, blueberries have astringent properties and are used to treat diarrhea.

Of course, people suffering from allergic reactions should eat blueberries with caution. Individual intolerance to individual components and hypersensitivity are considered contraindications to the introduction of this healthy delicacy into the diet.

Vitamins from the pantry

Blueberries retain their properties even under the influence of high and low temperatures. You can make delicious jam from it. This delicacy can be considered a panacea and an excellent preventive measure for various ailments. Eat it in its pure form, add it to desserts and baked goods.

Please note: blueberries can stain the tongue, lips, fingers and tissues. Often, the juice from them is used as natural food coloring.

Compound:

• 4 kg granulated sugar;
• 4 kg blueberries.

Preparation:

If you pick berries yourself, then it’s time to slowly prepare for this event. According to popular belief, the blueberry harvest is harvested on the day of Pankratius and Cyril, which falls on June 22. If there are no blueberry bushes nearby, we go to the supermarket, buy berries and stock up on vitamins for future use.

Blueberries grow mainly in the northern regions. This low shrub with blue-black berries can be found in spruce, pine and mixed forests. When blueberries ripen, people who know a lot about them try to collect as many of them as possible in order to eat them fresh and prepare them for future use.

The medicinal properties of blueberries have been known for a long time. It has anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effects. Due to the presence of tannins, blueberries are used as an astringent for diarrhea. It contains vitamins C, A, B, as well as magnesium, calcium and manganese.

Blueberries are used in the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, gastritis, skin diseases, and anemia. But most of all it is known as a berry that improves vision. It helps to quickly relieve eye fatigue, especially under artificial light.

Of course, it is best to eat blueberries fresh. But since summer ends very quickly in the northern regions, housewives try to prepare these berries in the form of compotes or jam.

Blueberry jam: subtleties of preparation

• Blueberries are very tender and juicy, so they need to be picked carefully. It is advisable to collect them in dry weather and process them on the same day. To speed up the further sorting process, there is no need to pick off green, wrinkled or bird-pecked berries.
• Only ripe berries are suitable for jam. Unripe fruits worsen the taste of jam, and overripe ones make it look like jam.
• Before cooking, the blueberries are sorted again, removing mashed berries and other debris. Blueberry juice gets your hands dirty, so it’s best to wear thin rubber gloves.
• Wash it in a large amount of water, putting it in a colander and immersing it several times in a bowl of cold water. You can also rinse the berries under low pressure from the shower.
• To ensure that the berries remain intact during heat treatment, they are poured into sugar syrup, kept for some time and only then boiled. To obtain jam with an almost uniform consistency, the berries are crushed with a pestle or in a blender before cooking.
• To preserve most of the vitamins, they try not to subject blueberries to prolonged heat treatment.
• Ripe blueberries are quite sweet berries, so the optimal amount of sugar is 500 g per 1 kg of berries. But lovers of sweet desserts can add sugar to their liking.

Blueberry jam: recipe one

Ingredients:

• blueberries – 1 kg;
• sugar – 800 g;
• water – 1.5 tbsp.

Cooking method

• Sort out the blueberries. Fill with cold water and rinse well. Drain the water and debris. Fill with water again. Place clean blueberries in a colander or sieve and rinse in the shower, being careful not to crush the berries with your hands.
• Leave on the sieve to drain the water, but no more than 10 minutes, otherwise the blueberry juice will begin to drain along with the water.
• Pour enough water into the pan and add sugar. Place on the stove and bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Boil the syrup for at least five minutes. After this, it is advisable to strain it to avoid the appearance of bag fibers and other debris in the syrup. If the syrup turns out transparent, then this step can be skipped.
• Pour the finished syrup into a cooking basin or enamel pan. Bring to a boil again.
• Dip blueberries into syrup. Stir gently with a wooden spatula. Wait for the jam to boil over low heat. Be sure to remove the foam with a slotted spoon. Let the jam simmer for 5-7 minutes, then increase the heat and, without allowing rapid boiling, cook for another 20-30 minutes.
• Drizzle some blueberry syrup onto a cold saucer. If, when cooled, it does not spread in different directions, then the jam is ready.
• Jam can be packaged in two ways - cold and hot. If you want to seal it hermetically, then prepare sterile jars in advance. To do this, first wash them with baking soda and rinse with water. Then sterilize in a way convenient for you: over steam, in the oven, in the microwave. Turn the heated jars over onto a towel and let dry. Pour hot jam into dry jars, wait 5-10 minutes and then seal tightly with sterile lids. Turn the jars upside down and let the jam cool in this position.
• If you intend to cover the jam with parchment, then leave it in the bowl until it cools completely. Place the cold jam in clean, dry jars and cover with paper.

Blueberry jam “Pyatiminutka”

Ingredients:

• blueberries – 1 kg;
• sugar – 600 g.

Cooking method

• For jam, select ripe blueberries. Remove twigs, debris, and unripe berries.
• Rinse thoroughly in several waters or in the shower. Let the water drain, placing the berries on a sieve.
• Place the blueberries in a cooking bowl or enamel pan. Add sugar. Leave for 3 hours. During this time, the blueberries will give juice and some of the sugar will dissolve.
• Place the bowl over low heat and bring the berries and sugar to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to remove any foam that appears. After boiling, cook the jam for 5 minutes.
• Place the bowl on the edge of the stove and let the jam cool.
• While it cools, sterilize the jars with lids. Dry them by turning them over on a towel.
• Place the bowl of berries on the fire again. Boil the jam for another 5 minutes.
• When hot, place into jars. Close the lids immediately. Cool.

Blueberry jam: recipe three

Ingredients:

• blueberries – 4 tbsp.;
• sugar – 1.5 tbsp.

Cooking method

• Sort the ripe blueberries, remove any debris and green berries.
• Rinse under running water or in a basin. Place on a sieve to dry the berries a little.
• Place the blueberries in a saucepan and heat over very low heat until they soften and release their juices.
• Add sugar and stir. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam.
• Continue cooking for a few more minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Cool the jam.
• Pack it in sterile jars, cover with parchment or nylon lids.

Blueberry jam without cooking

Ingredients:

• blueberries – 1 kg;
• sugar – 1.5 kg.

Cooking method

• For the jam prepared according to this recipe, take ripe or slightly overripe blueberries. Sort through them, removing debris, twigs and bad berries.
• Rinse thoroughly in cold water, changing it several times. Let the liquid drain, placing the berries on a sieve. Leave for literally 5 minutes so that the blueberries do not have time to bruise and release juice.
• Mix blueberries with sugar and place in a blender bowl. Grind until puree. You should not use a meat grinder for this case, as metal parts contribute to the destruction of vitamin C, which blueberries are so rich in. If you don’t have a blender, you can mash the berries the old fashioned way - in a mortar or bowl, armed with an ordinary wooden masher.
• Place the “raw” blueberry jam into sterile dry jars and cover with nylon lids.

Note to the hostess

Hermetically sealed blueberry jam is stored in a dark place at room temperature.

The jam, covered with nylon lids, is stored in a cool, dry place without access to light or in the refrigerator.

Jam without cooking is stored only in the refrigerator. Five-minute jam is best covered with airtight lids to prevent it from souring.

Blueberry jam is a canned product made from blueberries, boiled in a sugar solution. Blueberries are the leader in manganese content; they contain B vitamins, organic acids and are rich in atocyanins, which at the cellular level prevent the formation of unwanted tumors.

When adding sugar and boiling, most of the vitamins from blueberry jam, of course, disappear. However, in any form, blueberries are useful for those people who have to strain their eyesight.

During the Second World War, blueberries and blueberry jam were included in the diet of English pilots. A more popular way of preserving blueberries, preserving nutrients and vitamins, is blueberries pureed with sugar.

About the benefits of blueberries

Regular consumption of blueberries is a good preventive measure for preventing heart disease. Blueberries help maintain vision and improve the ability to see in the dark because they strengthen the blood vessels in the back of the eyes.

Blueberries act on blood vessels, strengthening them, which helps improve memory. Due to its effect on blood vessels, blueberries can also be used as a good anti-aging agent.

Blueberries help with genitourinary diseases: they prevent the appearance of prostate tumors at the cellular level. This is due to the fact that atocyanins in blueberries can delay the aging process in the human body.

Blueberries prevent infectious diseases and can even maintain normal weight.

Blueberry jam in cooking plays the role of filling for pies and decorating cakes. Its jam is also served with pancakes and pancakes.

Blueberry jam has strong coloring properties. In addition to temporarily turning the tongue blue-black, there is a danger of staining clear dental braces and bonding material.

The sorted, rinsed blueberries are lightly crushed, about two tablespoons of water are added and boiled with constant stirring until the blueberry peel softens. Then add sugar in parts so that the boil does not interrupt, and after the last portion, cook a little more. Remove the jam from the stove and add rum.

Jars wrapped in a damp towel are filled to the brim with boiling jam, the edges are quickly wiped, the lids are quickly secured, the jars are turned upside down, covered with a cloth and left to cool. Then the jars are wiped with a damp cloth.

For 1 kg of blueberries: 250 - 300 g sugar, 2 spoons of rum

Recipe "Blueberries in syrup"

You need: water - 3 cups, blueberries - 5 cups, sugar - 7 cups.
Sort the berries and rinse. Bring water to a boil and add blueberries. When it boils again, add sugar. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring gently. Pour hot into sterilized jars and let cool. The berries should not be boiled, but rather syrup like jelly.

Classic blueberry jam recipe

To prepare blueberry jam you will need the following ingredients: 1 kg of blueberries, 1.5 kg of sugar, 300 grams of water, 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid.

Before cooking blueberry jam, the berries should be washed, sorted and placed in boiling water for 3 minutes. Sugar and water should be mixed, boiled into syrup and strained through cheesecloth. Then, without allowing the syrup to cool, you need to pour the blueberries over them, put the syrup with blueberries on the fire and boil. Cook the jam for 30 minutes, constantly skimming off the foam. At the very end, add citric acid. Pour the hot jam into prepared glass jars and seal immediately. Turn the jam jars over until they cool completely, then place them in a cool place.

Recipe for blueberry jam “Five Minutes”

Blueberry jam “Pyatiminutka” is quick and easy to prepare. To make jam you will need: 1 kilogram of blueberries and 1.5 kilograms of sugar.

Cover the washed berries with half the sugar and leave for 4-5 hours so that the berries release their juice. The blueberry juice should be drained, the remaining sugar should be added to it and the syrup should be boiled. Pour blueberries into the boiling syrup and boil the entire mixture for 5 minutes. After this, the jam should be put into jars and rolled up.

Recipe for blueberry jam “Five Minute Sweet”

Five-minute blueberry jam for 1 kg of berries - 0.5 kg of sugar. Pour the berries with sugar into a saucepan and heat, stirring, over low heat until the juice releases. Then increase the heat, cook after boiling for 5 minutes, then turn off and pour into hot jars. Close tightly.

Blueberry jam "Simple"

To do this, just sort and wash one kilogram of blueberries, and then place the berries in a saucepan. Add a little water and let the berries simmer over low heat.

When the mixture boils, add 300 grams of sugar and cook for some more time without ceasing to stir. Then the blueberry jam is put into jars and closed with a lid.

Blueberry jelly

800 g sugar, 20 ml water, 1 kg berries

The berries are passed through a meat grinder, the crushed mass is placed in an enamel bowl with water, heated to 70 ° C and kept at this temperature for 20 minutes. After this, the blueberries are pressed. Add sugar to the resulting juice, heat the juice over low heat until the sugar dissolves and filter the mixture through four layers of gauze. After this, the jelly is boiled until the original volume is reduced by 1/4, packaged and hermetically sealed.

Blueberries mashed with sugar

For 1 kilogram of fresh blueberries, 600 grams of sugar are required.

Sort the berries, rinse thoroughly, place on a sieve to dry the berries a little. Grind the berries in a blender or through a meat grinder with half the sugar. Pour the resulting berry puree into a bowl or pan and place on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

When the berries have evaporated, add granulated sugar to them and mix everything thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved. As soon as the first bubbles appear in the mixture, remove the container from the heat. Carefully pour the pureed blueberries and sugar into clean, sterilized jars and close the lids tightly. Prepared blueberries should be stored in the refrigerator or other cool place.

Blueberries pureed with sugar for the winter

blueberries 1kg, sugar 1.5kg

Sort the berries, rinse and grind through a meat grinder or in a blender. Sprinkle with half the amount of sugar. Transfer to clean jars and top with sugar again.

When the berries have settled and the syrup has released, add more sugar on top. It should remain dry on the surface at all times. Cover the filled jars with parchment paper and tie tightly with twine. Store blueberries pureed with sugar for the winter in a cool place.

Bon appetit!!!