Blackcurrant harvested for the winter, without cooking, is a tasty, bright and healthy source of vitamins and minerals that can strengthen the immune system.
Blackcurrant without cooking - general principles of preparation
To collect and then harvest berries for the winter is a common tradition in our country. And in order to preserve all the benefits of currants all year round, it is best not to add berries to the heat treatment.
From blackcurrant without cooking, you can make jam, jelly, jam. In addition, a healthy berry can be dried and frozen. All this is possible for any housewife who does not even have much culinary experience.
The main thing is to stock up on berries, sugar and the necessary utensils for the cooking process: a pan or a stainless steel basin, sterilized jars and lids, a large spoon for mixing. Dishes should be clean, dry and sterile.
Berries for drying and freezing, as well as for jam, use unripe, whole. Of course, many people are accustomed to putting crushed and beaten berries into use when preparing billets from various berries, but blackcurrant is not cooked without cooking, so it should be without any signs of rot and dirt, otherwise your billet will simply become sour.
Another important point is sugar. Since you do not have to boil blackcurrants, make sure that granulated sugar is clean, free of crumbs and impurities. It is best to use a product just removed from the store packaging.
1. What to make of black currant for the winter without cooking: drying and freezing
Who doesn’t want to enjoy delicious cold fresh jam from the garden on a cold winter evening, only cooked with compote, pies, pancakes with fragrant black currants. But here is where to find the product, except in expensive stores, where they are far from affordable for everyone. A great option would be drying or freezing berries. These procedures do not require cooking, a long preparation process and special effort.
Freezing The main thing that needs to be remembered and taken into account is that the berries do not need to be washed. The fact is that during washing, the water remains in the currant, which leads to deformation of the berries during freezing. Therefore, you should sort out the currants, remove the leaves, twigs and spoiled berries and lay the berries on a board or tray. Freeze the berries in the freezer during the day at a temperature of -18 ° C. Then put the berries in a bag or container, as you wish.
Drying. So that the dried berry does not deteriorate, it remains tasty, it is recommended to collect it in sunny, dry weather. Wet berries do not dry well. Currants can be dried with individual berries and brushes. Sort currants, lay them on a metal baking sheet so that they do not fit snugly against each other. Dry in the oven for an hour at a temperature of 60 degrees, without closing the oven door. Store dried currants in dry, tightly closed jars in a darkened place.
2. Blackcurrant without cooking for the winter
Ingredients:
• one and a half kilograms of black currant;
• one and a half kilograms of sugar.
Cooking method:
1. Carefully remove the berries from the twigs, remove any leaves and grass that have fallen during the collection, and discard the spoiled currants.
2. Rinse the selected berries in water and divide into approximately equal three parts.
3. Twist two thirds of the currant in a meat grinder.
4. Mix currant puree with whole berries and sugar in a suitable container.
5. Gently, so as not to crush whole berries, stirring the jam with a spoon, wait 30-45 minutes to completely dissolve the sugar.
6. Pour the prepared jam into sterile jars, close tightly with lids.
7. Store in a cool place.
3. Blackcurrant jam without boiling with orange
Ingredients:
• two kilograms of black currant;
• three kilograms of sugar;
• two large oranges.
Cooking method:
1. Sort black currants, separate the berries from the branches, remove the spoiled fruits and leaves. Put the berries in a colander, rinse thoroughly, let the excess liquid drain.
2. Transfer the currants into a pan, chop the submersible blender. You can also twist the berries in a meat grinder through a fine wire rack.
3. Rinse the orange thoroughly, rub it with a sponge if necessary. Cut, without peeling, into several parts and also chop.
4. Mix in one large container currant mass with orange mass, pour sugar.
5. Leave the jam for several hours until all sugar grains are completely dissolved. Stir occasionally.
6. Once the sugar has dissolved, transfer the jam into sterilized jars, tightly cover the container with lids.
7. Store the workpiece for no more than a year in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place.
4. Blackcurrant jelly without cooking for the winter
Ingredients:
• kilogram of black currant;
• kilogram of granulated sugar or icing sugar.
Cooking method:
1. To make the jelly a delicate texture, you need to use powdered sugar in its preparation. You can purchase a finished product or make powdered sugar yourself.
2. Pour sugar in small portions into a coffee grinder, grind to a powder state.
3. Thoroughly washed and sampled berries, grind in a blender, after which put the mass on a sieve with small holes. Grind the berries so that possibly a large peel, the seeds do not fall into the jelly.
4. Pour powdered sugar into currant jelly in small portions, constantly stirring the mass.
5. Transfer the most delicate jelly to clean pre-sterilized jars, roll up.
5. Blackcurrant without cooking for the winter with raspberries
Ingredients:
• a pound of raspberries;
• 1 kg of black currant;
• 1.8 kg of granulated sugar;
• glass of water.
Cooking method:
1. Peel the currant berries and rinse. Pour boiled water for 2 minutes. Fold the hot currants onto a sieve, pass the berries through it.
2. Sort raspberries and chop in any convenient way to a puree state.
3. Prepare sugar syrup: fill the sand with water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and mix thoroughly. Wait until the syrup is completely cooled, you can periodically stir the mass so that all the grains are exactly dissolved.
4. Pour jam into sterile hot glass containers, close the seals tightly.
5. Leave the black currant for a couple of days at room temperature, then transfer it to a cooler place for storage.
6. Jam Assorted. Strawberries, black and red currants without cooking
Ingredients:
• kilogram of strawberries;
• a pound of red currant;
• a pound of black currant;
• bag of citric acid (15 grams);
• one and a half kilograms of sugar.
Cooking method:
1. Thoroughly sort through all the berries, separate the currants from the branches, and pick the tails from the strawberries.
2. Transfer the strawberries into the blender bowl, chop in mashed potatoes.
3. Fold black and red currants in a large glass bowl and pour boiling water for 1 minute, then immediately drain the water and grind the berries through a sieve.
4. Mix currant mass with strawberry puree, pour sugar and citric acid.
5. Set the jam container aside for half a day. This time is enough for all the sugar to dissolve. Do not forget to approach and mix the berries once or twice an hour.
6. Pour the finished blackcurrant jam without cooking into a sterile container, sprinkle the top with a little sugar, roll up.
7. Store in any convenient cool place.
Blackcurrant without cooking for the winter - secrets and little tricks
• You can diversify the taste of your winter preparations and cook according to these recipes not just black currants, but various berry assortments. For example, currants with gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, as well as a mixture of black currants with red and white currant berries. The principle of preparation does not change, the main thing is to observe the proportions of berries and sugar: one to one. You should not put less sugar, since the berries cannot be heat-treated, because of insufficient sugar, jam, jelly or jam can go bad, and "do not live" until the winter. And an excess of sugar can lead to sugaring of the product.
• If you do not like jelly bones or jams, do not forget to rub the berries through a sieve. And so that this does not make any special difficulties, it is recommended to pre-chop or blanch the berries.
• Place ready-made blackcurrants in clean, dry, sterilized jars. Cans can be easily and quickly sterilized by placing them in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
