What is the bird cherry plant, how is it harvested, the calorie content and composition of the fruits. Useful properties of berries and contraindications for use. Dried bird cherry recipes and interesting facts about the fruit culture. The use of bird cherry is good for men. Due to the unique composition, peripheral blood supply is accelerated, which means that potency is enhanced. Also noted a positive effect on libido.
If a layer of soaked bird cherry is applied to open wounds, the development of a purulent-inflammatory process can be prevented. If lotions from soaked berries are regularly applied to the face, you can restore skin tone and stop the manifestation of age-related changes.
Harm and contraindications to the use of dried bird cherry
Not everyone can enter healthy berry dishes into the diet.
Contraindications to the use of dried bird cherry are as follows:
- Individual intolerance to the product;
- Chronic constipation caused by dysbiosis or diseases of the digestive tract, not associated with a change in the rate of peristalsis;
- Diabetes mellitus, since dried berries contain so many sugars that a white sweet bloom appears on the surface;
- Lactation, because the pulp contains alkaloids, which are excreted together with breast milk and can have a negative effect on the baby and provoke intoxication.
Bird cherry is also prohibited during pregnancy. Constipation is typical for pregnant women, and berries have a pronounced fixing effect. Dried bird cherry is dangerous for them, in which hydrocyanic acid remains, because the berries are pounded together with the seeds. The harm of bird cherry for pregnant women is so pronounced that in an "interesting" position it is undesirable to breathe the scent of a flowering plant - you can provoke intoxication of the body, which will lead to abortion.
It is undesirable to cook dishes with dried bird cherry for small children. The berries are first soaked, and the alkaloids and hydrocyanic acid are absorbed into the pulp. Even if children know how to spit out bones, the risk of intoxication remains.
Dried bird cherry recipes
At home, bird cherry can be dried in different ways. Preference should be given to the simplest. The berries are laid out on baking sheets lined with white paper or parchment and left in the sun. The twigs are removed during the drying process, all the same, the fruits must be periodically turned over and mixed. At night, the baking sheets are removed indoors so as not to absorb the falling dew. On average, the process takes 2-3 weeks. If the trays are replaced with frames with a stretched mesh, drying is accelerated.
When drying in the oven, maintain a temperature of 70 ° C and open the door to circulate air. In this case, the process takes 8-15 hours.
The readiness of the product is determined by "touch": under mechanical pressure, the berries should not release juice; when poured, they should emit a characteristic knock and rustle, like peas. Reddish skin discoloration is allowed. Dried bird cherry can be used to prepare many dishes.
Dried bird cherry recipes
- Cherry tincture … It is used to boost immunity and as table wine. Purchase a bottle of vodka with a screw cap. Pour half of the bottle, add 6 tablespoons of dried berries and 4 tablespoons of sugar, add vodka as much as possible so that the bottle closes, and put it in a dark place. After 10 days you can taste it. The astringent taste disappears, and the tincture turns out to be very soft, it can be characterized as "delicate".
- Cherry syrup … The berries are poured with boiling water and allowed to stand to soak. The water is changed periodically. Then the seeds are separated from the pulp by vigorous rubbing, covered with sugar and cooked until the contents of the pan thicken. Store like a regular jam. The recipe is time consuming but the taste is worth it. The syrup is added as a taste improver to baked goods, used as an astringent, and drinks are diluted on its basis. The proportions of ingredients: bird cherry, sugar, water - 1: 1: 1.
- Shangi with bird cherry … Shangi is a half-forgotten dish of Russian cuisine, it is open pies like cheesecakes, but with different fillings. Sift half a kilogram of flour, add 1 teaspoon of salt, dry yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar, 300 ml of warm milk and knead the dough. A teaspoon of butter is completely melted, poured into the palm of your hand and the dough is kneaded again for 5-7 minutes. Then it is rolled into a ball, put in a warm place under a towel to fit. In the process of lifting, they are pushed 2-3 times. The bird cherry is placed in a saucepan, pounded, poured with boiling water and boiled for about 5-10 minutes, adding to the sugar. The proportions of berries and sugar are 5: 1. Then the filling is cooled, the water is drained. The dough is rolled out in small circles, the filling is laid out, the edges are folded, as if on whitewash. Let the shangam stand for 5-7 minutes to come up. At this time, beat the egg and grease the products. Bake at 220 ° C until the dough is lightly browned. The finished shangs increase in size, so they are not placed close on the baking sheet, otherwise they will stick together. You can eat with sour cream. Delicious both warm and cold. Classic shangi are prepared with crushed bird cherry filling, but if grains of seeds are confused, you can skip the berries through a meat grinder.
- Siberian cake … This dish is a table decoration in traditional Siberian cuisine. In advance, you should prepare about 100 g of dry bird cherry, a little less than a glass of milk, 4 large or 5 small chicken eggs, a tablespoon of butter, a little flour - about 125 g, but more may be needed. Baking powder is added to the dough - about 2 teaspoons or less, fresh lemon juice from half a lemon. Products for the preparation of the cream: 400 g sour cream, 100 g sugar. For decoration - chocolate, preferably white, in drops. Siberians prefer the berries to lightly heat and steam well with boiling milk for 3 hours, periodically reheating them to a boil. It is convenient to insist the berries in a slow cooker, previously a Russian oven was used for this. Separate the yolks and whites, whipping the yolks with a third of the sugar. When the foam has already turned out, they are mixed with bird cherry, getting rid of excess milk using a sieve. It is not required to strain thoroughly. It is convenient to use a food processor or blender with a large bowl for making bird cherry dough. The bird cherry dough, butter, flour, lemon juice are mixed in a food processor. Separately, beat the proteins with the remaining sugar to the peaks, gradually add them to the dough, stirring at a low speed. Put it in a silicone mold or a frying pan greased with sunflower oil, bake for about 40 minutes in the oven at 180 ° C. If the top is heavily baked, cover with parchment. While the cake is baking, sour cream is kneaded. The sponge cake can be cut lengthwise and grease both parts with cream, or simply coat them on top. Chocolate chips are generously sprinkled on the cream. The minus of the dessert is that it crunches a little on the teeth.
Dried bird cherry is stored for no more than 3 years, the product does not lose its nutritional properties. However, useful substances are stored no longer than 1, 5 years. If you plan to prepare a drink for immunity, then the "old" bird cherry is not good.
You should not get rid of the workpiece if a white bloom appears on the dried fruits, but there is no change in smell. It's just crystallized sugar.
Interesting facts about dried bird cherry
Bird cherry among the ancient Slavs was associated with spiritual purity and innocence. According to legend, a young girl turned into a tree, who never received the attention of a guy whom she loved with all her heart. At first she silently suffered and cried so that no one could see, and then her heart turned to ice, and her tears turned black and became tart from hatred of her happy rival. The pagan Gods preferred to turn the maiden into a tree so that she would not harm the newlyweds. Since then, when bird cherry blossoms, cold weather sets in.
Bird cherry does not bear fruit every year. Even if in the spring you enjoyed the delicate aroma of flowering, you can not wait for the fruits. The plant reacts to adverse weather conditions and pest activity.
In gardens, bird cherry is not planted, a grown tree takes up a lot of space and darkens the useful area with its crown. But it is often planted as an ornamental plant in urban areas, and it takes root well.
When you sit in the park under bird cherry trees, you don't have to be afraid of being bitten by flies or mosquitoes. Dry pulp also retains phytoncides. If you put a saucer of dried bird cherry filled with water next to you at home, while the smell persists, the insects will not annoy.
In total, there are 20 species of bird cherry, and almost all of the fruits are edible. For consumers who have not come across botanical descriptions, plants differ in stem height, inflorescence shape and fruit color. They can be either black or reddish. Berries of all types can be harvested for the winter in dried form.
Only maaki bird cherry berries are inedible for humans, but this is "not scary." The tree grows in the subtropics of South America and reaches a height of 16 m. Collecting bitter fruits for humans would be problematic. But bears and birds adore them.
The bird cherry, traditional for the Central European area, is also not easy to collect. The trees grow up to 8 m in height. But since the trunk is dumpy, it is not difficult to climb a tree and get comfortable to pick berries. The harvest is then harvested for the winter and they enjoy fragrant pies with bird cherry.
Watch a video about dried bird cherry:
