Viburnum berry – when to collect, how to store and what to cook? Viburnum berries are a valuable medicine given by nature.

Winter and frost are the best time to collect viburnum berries.

The days are short and cold - here it is, very close, harsh winter.

But as soon as the first rays of sun appear over the horizon, the amazing beauty of the winter day will take your breath away.

Every blade of grass, every leaf, everything around is ingeniously simply decorated with snow-white iridescent shades and fluffy frost.

And among all these nuances of white, viburnum berry beads burn brightly. It's time, gentlemen... to reap the harvest.

In the old days in Rus', a bush always grew near every peasant hut, master's estate or city house. red viburnum. Together with mountain ash, they protected the home from misfortunes, the evil eye and all sorts of other problems. But that is not all.

In late autumn, after the first frosts, juicy bright fruits were picked from the bushes. And they were in a hurry to collect the harvest quickly, otherwise the birds could clear the bushes to the last berry.

It is not for nothing that the intelligent bird kingdom waits for frost and only after freezing the viburnum fruits does it begin to eat a delicious meal. From exposure to negative temperatures, the berries say goodbye to their only, but so nasty, drawback.

The unwanted bitterness of the fruit disappears, and what remains are beautiful berries with a pleasant sweet-tart taste, a unique smell and all the useful microelements and vitamins.

In the old days, jams and preserves were made from viburnum. They ground the fruits in a sieve, removing the seeds, and preserved them with honey.

Marmalade, jelly and pastille were prepared from berries rich in pectin substances. The wine turned out to be very tasty and healthy (!).

Fresh berries were used to make pie filling. And they made sure to bake a wedding cake with viburnum - for health and well-being.

And weddings were often celebrated during the off-season. The bride always embroidered and gave her betrothed a towel, decorating it with viburnum berries and leaves.

The gift was placed in the most honorable place in the house, and then it was necessarily tied to the head of the newborn baby’s crib. And then prosperity and peace were sure to settle in the house.

Viburnum has spread widely throughout Russia.

She loves moist, fairly fertile soils and a sunny place. The plant is winter-hardy, unpretentious, and tolerates drought.

The bush is beautiful and very decorative at all times of the year. And in the spring during the flowering period, and in the fall, when the bright red fiery fruits ripen. Hence the name: the color of the berries resembles red-hot red metal.

In the sun, the berries burn with fire. And in winter, before the fruits are eaten by birds or summer residents, the berries burn like red lanterns, powdered with fluffy silvery frost.

Today, a sufficient number of garden varieties of viburnum have been bred.

Of course, the main breeding work is carried out in the direction of selecting sweet-fruited cultivars and reducing the natural bitterness of fruits.

Don’t be lazy in early spring to look for sweet-fruited varietal viburnums at garden fairs and decorate your garden with 2-3 plants. You will not regret.

A variety of red viburnum was bred in Altai - Ulgen. This is an intricate word that the aborigines used to call a good spirit - the guardian of the family hearth. A very appropriate name! And another main advantage of the variety is 13% sugars and 130 mg% vitamin C in the berry. And almost complete absence of bitterness.

Two more good old varieties - Taiga rubies (C – 133 mg%) and Garnet bracelet.

Very interesting variety Souzga (C – 138 mg%)! It is obtained from crossing the sweet-fruited varieties of Viburnum Viburnum with Viburnum Sargent. The fruits are beautifully marbled in color, large, up to 20 mm long. And completely devoid of bitterness.

There are many other worthy varieties adapted to your region. Decorate your garden and place a good spirit near your house.

Viburnum jelly

Boil frozen berries for a short time in a small amount of water. Then mash and rub through a sieve, separating the seeds. Squeeze out the remaining pulp through cheesecloth.

Add sugar at the rate of 1 kg per liter of viburnum mass. Heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved, bring to a boil and, when hot, pour into sterilized jars. Roll up.

Viburnum common grows in the forest and in plots. This beautiful shrub is incredibly healing. What kind of diseases can’t be cured by viburnum! The pulp and seeds of berries, flowers, bark and even twigs are used for medicinal purposes. Autumn is the time to collect ruby berries, of which there are especially many this year.

When to collect?

Viburnum berries are collected in the fall, in dry weather from mid-September to October, or later. Some people believe that it is better to stock up on them after freezing, when the viburnum becomes tastier. Indeed, frozen berries are less bitter. Unfortunately, in the pre-winter period the bunch is no longer so full; many of the berries in it have turned black, dried out and fallen off. This is why I never wait until late autumn and pick berries in Indian summer. I definitely leave some of the upper clusters for the winter as a delicacy and decoration for the bush.

Medicinal properties of viburnum fruits

Viburnum helps with many health problems, so this beautiful, fast-growing and unpretentious shrub is worth having in every garden. You can also use forest viburnum, which is abundant in the forest undergrowth. I moved a couple of small viburnum bushes from the forest to my plot. They soon grew and became a real decoration of the garden. Especially in autumn and early winter. Both bushes grew nearby in the forest, but their berries were completely different. Next year I want to root a cutting of a varietal garden viburnum that my friends grow. Its fruits are very large, they are almost without bitterness. Wild viburnum is also prolific. It is most likely more valuable for use as a natural medicine.

Viburnum berries. Viburnum berries are a well-known blood pressure lowering agent. They are widely used in traditional medicine. Even in ancient times, it was noticed that viburnum is good for the heart and heals wounds. Stops bleeding from nosebleeds.

I can’t help but quote R.B.’s advice. Akhmedov (book “Plants - your friends and foes”), helping to get rid of sand and stones: “There is an original method of treatment: if you swallow a viburnum berry seed and do it systematically, you will get rid of sand, stones in the gall and bladder, kidneys , bile ducts and liver. 10 - 15 seeds per day, one piece per appointment.”

Viburnum juice with honey. This mixture (fresh juice - 1 part, honey - 1 part) has long been considered incredibly medicinal. It was used for many diseases. Even with tumors. Some healers believe that it is better to take May honey. Take 2 tablespoons 4 times a day, one teaspoon at a time. The mixture is also used for ovarian cysts. To do this, viburnum juice with honey is taken on an empty stomach according to a certain scheme for four weeks: “in the 1st week in the morning on an empty stomach on the tip of a spoon. In the 2nd week - also 1/3 teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach. 3rd week - 1 teaspoon in the morning and evening. 4th week - morning and evening, 1 tablespoon. Take a break for 1 month. Then the second course - in descending order, that is, in the 1st week, a tablespoon in the morning and evening, in the 2nd week - a teaspoon in the morning and evening. 3rd week - 1/3 teaspoon once in the morning on an empty stomach. And lastly, in the morning on the tip of a teaspoon.” (R.B. Akhmedov. “Plants are your friends and foes”).

A mixture of viburnum juice and honey- An excellent medicine for hypertensive patients.

Saves asthmatics viburnum juice with warmed honey. It is infused for 1 - 2 hours and drunk 1 - 2 tablespoons after meals. This mixture, diluted in warm water, helps well with sore throat (you can even use it as a gargle) and bronchitis.

Viburnum berries with granulated sugar. This is a very simple and good way to prepare viburnum for future use. The berries can be pre-chopped. Soon syrup will appear at the bottom of the jar. You can drink it a teaspoon several times a day or dilute it with water. The drink is especially useful for heart patients. Try drinking a glass of syrup (1 tablespoon) diluted with water. You will not feel heaviness in your stomach after a heavy meal. Viburnum has traditionally been considered the most beneficial berry for people suffering from various heart diseases. The berries themselves (the bitterness disappears in them) are also medicinal. They are chewed with a bone. This is a good remedy that strengthens the heart and blood vessels.

Fresh crushed berries. This is a wonderful remedy for treating many skin diseases. For breast cancer R.B. Akhmedov recommends lotions made from fresh crushed berries.

Viburnum seeds (pits) dried and then brewed. Drink to improve tone, as a general tonic during flu epidemics and colds. The drink taken on an empty stomach becomes a mild laxative.
Along the way, I would like to note the popularity of viburnum among cosmetologists and dermatologists. Excellent masks are made with fruit juice (with sour cream or cream). Viburnum juice, added to the usual Children's cream from the Svoboda factory, miraculously heals rough areas of the skin, chapped skin and nettle burns.

Contraindications

Viburnum lowers blood pressure, so hypotensive patients can take its medications with caution. It is not always harmless even with increased acidity of gastric juice. With low acidity, this is the best treatment for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Pregnant women should be careful and should consult a doctor before using viburnum fruit regularly.

In late autumn, when all the harvest has been harvested and the empty beds are prepared for the new season, the long-awaited time of rest comes for summer residents.

However, not all gardeners remain in warm apartments; some of them are waiting for the last harvest of the year. The end of autumn is the best time to pick viburnum, the berries of which glow invitingly red against the backdrop of a withered garden. By the way, at this time picking lingonberries, which also has useful properties.

Viburnum is well known in Rus'. Since ancient times, it has been revered as a symbol of fidelity and eternal love. Girls of marriageable age wove viburnum flowers into their wreaths, and the towel that the bride gave to her betrothed always had embroidery depicting its carved leaves and berries. Modern gardeners have not ignored culture either.

If previously viburnum bloomed modestly “in the field, by the stream,” now it is grown as a valuable fruit and berry and ornamental crop. And, of course, recent shrub owners are especially interested in the question of when to collect viburnum. Indeed, harvesting is the main “highlight” of this cute and surprisingly unpretentious plant.

Timing and technology for harvesting viburnum berries

It is quite difficult to answer exactly in what month viburnum is harvested. The berries begin to ripen in early autumn, and at the end of September the first harvest can be harvested. The main condition is that you should start harvesting only after the first frost.

Berries caught by frost lose their inherent specific bitterness and become pleasantly tart-sweet in taste. If the autumn turns out to be warm, experienced summer residents collect viburnum berries without waiting for the onset of cold weather, and then place them in the freezer for several days. Subsequently, the berries are taken out and processed.

Having figured out when to pick viburnum berries, you should consider how to do it correctly. To preserve all the beneficial properties of the product, the berries are collected with brushes without being picked from the branches.

A sign of their ripeness is considered to be a thick, rich, bright red color, without green streaks (although there are varieties with pinkish-orange and even black fruits). If you plan to process the viburnum in the next few hours, then picking the berries in bulk is allowed. In addition to viburnum berries, its flowers, leaves and bark are used in folk medicine.

Berry storage conditions

Collecting viburnum is only half the battle. The main task is to preserve it correctly. You can harvest berries for the winter in several ways, described below.

So, the methods are quite simple:

The bunches of berries collected after frost are tied into bunches and hung in a cool, dry room. In this form, viburnum retains its quality for about 2 weeks, so it is undesirable to delay its processing.
A very convenient way is freezing. The berries must be picked from the branches, washed, dried well, spread in a thin layer on shallow trays and placed in the freezer. As the berries freeze, they are mixed, and after they harden, they are packaged in separate containers or bags. If the size of the chamber allows, then you can freeze viburnum in clusters. In winter, frozen berries are used to make jelly, desserts, and pie fillings. Viburnum, ground with sugar, is very tasty. In addition, fiery red berries will serve as an excellent decoration for any culinary masterpiece.
An excellent raw material for medicinal decoctions and vitamin compotes is dried viburnum. The washed berries are dried in the oven, in a special electric dryer or at room temperature in a dry place.

Regardless of the chosen processing method, a solid supply of viburnum in winter will help avoid the problem of seasonal vitamin deficiency.

Harm and benefits of viburnum

In terms of the content of valuable microelements and the range of healing properties, viburnum can successfully compete with such generally recognized leaders among berry crops as raspberries, blueberry, currant, blueberry.

Due to the high content of vitamins C and P, pectins, carotene and tannins in viburnum pulp, bittersweet berries are recommended for people suffering from tuberculosis, atherosclerosis, diathesis, liver, kidney and gastrointestinal diseases.

For severe coughs and during recovery from a cold, berries boiled with honey are used as an effective expectorant and tonic. In cosmetology, skin and hair care products are produced based on viburnum berries.

Viburnum also has contraindications. Eating the product is strictly prohibited for pregnant women, patients with diagnosed diseases of the kidneys and circulatory system, as well as for arthritis, gout and urolithiasis. In large quantities, viburnum is contraindicated for people suffering from low blood pressure.

The medicinal raw material of viburnum in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine is
bark and fruits of this plant. In many European countries, medicinal raw materials
from common viburnum is unofficial and is not used in scientific and practical
medicine, but the Slavic people happily use this berry and bark
(tested by more than one generation) for medicinal purposes. About everything benefit
and healing properties of viburnum and will be discussed in this article from .

Like
when to harvest viburnum bark

During sap flow, before buds open, you need to collect according to the rules.
viburnum bark. It should be removed from young shoots in April or May, when it
easily separates from wood. This is done this way: apply it with a sharp knife.
semicircular cuts at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, on the trunk and branches,
which are then connected by longitudinal cuts. Don't make rings
cuts, this can further lead to disease and death of the plant. Removed bark
dried in air, and then dried in a dryer or oven at
temperature 50-60 ºС or in attics, under awnings, spreading a thin layer
(so she doesn't rot). When drying, the bark must be turned over periodically and
make sure that parts of the bark are not nested into one another, otherwise the raw material will begin to
rot and mold. The raw materials are considered ready (thoroughly dried),
when, when the bark is bent, it breaks easily and with a crash.

When
collect viburnum fruits

The harvest time for viburnum fruits is September-October.
they are cut with pruning shears or knives, and then dried in ovens or
dryers at a temperature of 50-60 °C. After threshing, sorting, separating
twigs and stalks. Dried fruits are packed in bags weighing 20, 30, 40
kg and stored on racks in dry, well-ventilated areas.

In addition to fruits and bark, seeds are also used
viburnum. The seeds are located inside the viburnum fruit, so to obtain them you need
process the fruits. The seeds are separated from the pulp mainly by hand.
washing several times with water on a sieve, and then drying in the shade, but being careful
so that they are not exposed to direct rays, and the temperature does not rise above 40
degrees. By weight, the seeds make up 6-10% of the total weight of viburnum fruits.

The reserves of viburnum fruits in the forests are sufficient
small, therefore the harvesting of viburnum bark and fruits is carried out mainly from
cultivated forms of viburnum grown on plantations. Kalina mainly
propagated by seeds, from which seedlings subsequently grow. They are subsequently transplanted
on the prepared land plot. If you want to prepare
high-quality planting material, then it is necessary to sow
high-quality seeds from well-ripened viburnum fruits.

What biological active substances are contained
in Kalina

The first data on the study of the chemical composition of viburnum were published
in 1844, everyone became aware of the isolation of bitter viburnum from the bark of viburnum
viburnin substances. And in 1897, it was reported that it was isolated from the bark of viburnum
plum-like glycoside, which had at the same time antispastic
action and stopped uterine bleeding. A little later, a similar glycoside
was isolated in 1902 from leaves and bark.
And in 1976, it became known about the presence of viburnin in the viburnum fruits themselves.
This same glycoside viburnine was isolated as a yellow-orange
amorphous powder, which had a melting point from 65 to 72 °C. To taste given
the glycoside was bitter and had a specific odor reminiscent of
valeric acid.