Schisandra chinensis: recipes for winter, how to prepare, drying
If a summer resident managed to plant Chinese lemongrass on his property, it’s worth finding recipes for preparing it for the winter in advance. The wise people of China have long used all the components of the plant for medicinal purposes. People appreciate the fruits, leaves, and root system and actively use them to restore vital energy.
How to prepare Chinese lemongrass for the winter
They learned to grow Chinese lemongrass in our latitudes, since alternative medicine is relevant and in demand in the new century. People strive to eat and maintain the body's energy reserves with natural, natural remedies that have powerful properties to strengthen the body's barrier functions and cure many diseases.
There are different methods for preparing medicinal plants.
Drying Schisandra chinensis
The berries are harvested in August or early September. In order not to damage the integrity of the fruits and to prevent them from releasing juice, scissors are used for ease of harvesting.
To preserve the harvest, the collected berries are hung in clusters until the moisture has completely evaporated.
Dried Chinese lemongrass reaches the required state if you first spread it with its stalks on wooden boards or a special mesh.
Usually the entire drying period takes a week, after which the berries are brought to the desired stage in a dryer at 50 degrees - 6 hours.
Chinese lemongrass, ready to be stored for the winter in dried form, is a black, wrinkled berry. At this stage, all the stalks are picked. Only the fruits are valuable.
Leaves and branches, young shoots are cut off after harvesting the berries. It is important to have time to prepare raw materials before the leaves begin to fall. All plant fragments are cut with scissors and laid out on pallets in a dry, well-ventilated area.
With the addition of dry particles of the plant, a delicious tea with citrus notes is prepared, according to a home recipe. Housewives collect a wide variety of herbal mixes to brew healthy drinks in the winter to protect loved ones from colds.
Important! Herbs should be combined correctly, taking into account the compatibility of plants and the effect of medicinal herbs on the pathologies of the body. Some preparations are incompatible with medications and enhance or suppress their effect on the site of pathology.
Freezing
To preserve the appearance and structure of the crop as much as possible, it is recommended to freeze it in bulk on dishes. When the layer freezes, it is poured into a bag or special boxes. Thus, all vitamins and minerals are preserved in full. The collection can remain in the freezer until the next harvest.
Canning
Preparations from Schisandra chinensis for the winter, the recipes of which are surprising in their variety, are a convenient way to preserve the berries for a long time. There are many options for canning. Since the berries are not consumed in their raw state, medicinal fruits in the form of homemade twists taste more pleasant and are well preserved for a long time.
Recipes from Schisandra chinensis for the winter
Recipes are constantly being added, as the demand for the elixir of vigor grows every year. The hostess adds her own personal touch and makes the dish unique. Classic harvesting methods include different methods.
Recipe for Chinese lemongrass jam for the winter
To prepare a dessert with beneficial properties according to the recipe, you will need:
- berry picking - 0.5 kg;
- granulated sugar - 0.750 kg;
- water - 200 ml.
In order for the jam to be successful, the fruits must be ripe, but not overripe.
Algorithm of actions:
- Berries are selected of good quality, and all excess is eliminated.
- The product is rinsed twice in cool water.
- The workpiece is poured into a wide basin coated with enamel.
- Add sugar and set aside for a day.
- Add water to the lemongrass berries that have released their juice and place on moderate heat.
- Boil the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- After the jam has cooled, it should be boiled again.
- Place in sterile containers.
- The twists are stored without access to light in a cool place.
In this way, the finished jam can be stored for a year.
Useful qualities of jam:
- includes malic and citric acid;
- rich in vitamins B, C, E;
- rich in magnesium, calcium, phosphorus;
- is an antioxidant;
- has a tonic effect.
During the cooking process, a small amount of nutrients is lost. You should consume lemongrass products with caution, listening to your body’s reactions.
Schisandra chinensis with sugar for the winter
Everyone has tried cranberries in sugar at least once. Chinese lemongrass, prepared for the winter in sugar, differs only in its citrus flavor, easy to prepare at home.
To prepare the recipe you will need:
- fruit yield - 0.5 kg;
- granulated sugar - 1 kg.
Algorithm of actions:
- The berries are carefully prepared, sorted, stalks, leaves, and spoiled fruits are removed.
- Rinse several times in cool, running water.
- Dry by spreading loosely on a waffle towel.
- The prepared product is poured into dry, sterilized containers.
- If the preparation is made in a jar with a volume of 0.5 liters, then 180 g of berries are poured.
- The remaining space is filled with sugar.
- Cover hermetically with lids and leave for a couple of hours.
- Put away in the cold.
You can store such a preparation for up to a year, and if necessary, more.
Benefits of berries in sugar:
- Vitamin C provides antioxidant properties;
- vitamin E is a source of youth, beauty, has regenerating properties;
- B vitamins - valuable for various organs and systems;
- magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium - improve digestive function, tone, invigorate;
- contains folic, malic, citric acid.
The preparation is a ready-made dessert, an additive to tea, or a filling for baking. Delicious fruit drinks are prepared based on the berries.
Flavored jam
The technology for making jam requires that harvesting Schisandra chinensis for the winter be seedless. The seeds of the fruit add bitterness to desserts, which should be avoided.
To prepare the recipe you will need:
- harvest - 0.5 kg;
- granulated sugar - 0.750 kg.
Algorithm of actions:
- Berries are prepared for preservation in a standard manner.
- Place in a wide container and heat in boiling water for up to 5 minutes.
- Rub through a sieve.
- Add sugar.
- Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly.
When hot, the jam is poured into heated, sterilized jars and tightly closed with lids.
Important! Jam prepared according to the recipe turns out tasty and aromatic, but it should be consumed as a medicine or a vitamin supplement - in small portions. First, it is worth studying the contraindications to the use of Chinese lemongrass.
Berry juice can be easily stored. To prepare the drink according to the recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- fresh Chinese lemongrass berries - 0.5 kg;
- granulated sugar - 0.5 kg.
You can take any number of components, provided the proportion is 1:1.
Algorithm of actions:
- The berries are sorted, stalks, leaves and spoiled fruits are removed.
- The prepared product is rinsed twice in cool water.
- The workpiece is poured into an enamel bowl and combined with granulated sugar.
- After three days, all the released juice is drained and filtered.
- The concentrate is poured into a sterile container.
The finished product is stored in the refrigerator.
The juice of the Chinese fruit is sour. Its structure includes many acids, mineral salts and vitamins.
Properties of juice and its value for the body:
- a storehouse of vitamins;
- useful for hypotensive patients;
- normalizes blood sugar;
- restores visual function;
- tones, invigorates.
Compote
Compotes are not seasonal drinks. In summer they quench thirst, and from autumn to spring they are a source of vitamins and other useful substances.
To prepare the recipe you will need:
- ripe berries of Chinese lemongrass - 0.5 kg;
- granulated sugar - 0.650 kg;
- water - 0.6 l.
Algorithm of actions:
- The fruits are prepared in the standard way and washed.
- The clean product is placed in an enamel pan.
- Pour in hot sugar syrup.
- Leave for a couple of hours.
- Place the pan over moderate heat and bring to a boil.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- The compote is poured into sterile containers.
In order for the product to last longer, the jars with the contents are placed in the cold.
Compote is the most successful form of preserving Chinese lemongrass. It is tasty and healthy. Colds disappear faster, the body restores immunity after illness. The recipe should be in every housewife's notebook.
Terms and conditions of storage
Most often, Schisandra chinensis berries are stored in dried form. Properly dried fruits are poured into paper bags and placed in a dark, dry place. Store for no more than two years. Juice from the berries, mixed with granulated sugar, is stored in dark glass, in closed containers, in a cool place for up to three years. At the same time, observing the proportions of the recipe, mold does not form and the taste does not deteriorate.
By combining the fruits with granulated sugar, you can store them for a long time in a cold place, and in the freezer, provided that they are not thawed, storage is possible until the next fruit harvest.
Conclusion
You can profitably feast on it by picking Chinese lemongrass in the fall; a recipe for preparing delicious berries for the winter will help smooth out the sourness. The plant is a vine with clusters of sour berries with a sharp lemony taste and aroma.
It is impossible to consume the alluring, healthy fruits in the required quantities directly from the branch. Craftsmen prepare compotes, infusions, and wine from the fruits.
From the harvest of a useful plant, preparations are made for every taste, preserving the properties of the plant to return vitality to the body.
Source: https://fermilon.ru/sad-i-ogorod/kustarniki/zagotovka-na-zimu-limonnika-kitayskogo.html
Schisandra leaves: how to collect and dry, tea recipes
Schisandra leaves are valued no less than the berries among connoisseurs of this culture. They serve as a valuable raw material for tonic, refreshing tea, and an aromatic additive to traditional black and green varieties of the drink. Composed of herbal mixtures with rose hips, mate, hibiscus, jasmine, they invigorate, increase the body's resistance to stress and illness, and charge with energy for the whole day.
Pure young foliage is the raw material for preparing aromatic lemongrass tea
Composition, healing properties
More than 2 thousand years ago, lemongrass leaves were already used in Chinese tea culture. They were used to flavor Sencha green tea and prepare stimulating infusions.
The leaves of Schisandra are bright green, simple, obovate, wedge-shaped at the base, attached to a long crimson petiole. At the beginning of the growing season, the leaf blade is tender, as it grows it becomes dense, glossy, and specific mucus accumulates in the veins - a source of essential oils and an amazing lemon aroma.
In addition to essential oils, the leaves contain macro and microelements - potassium, magnesium, iron, iodine, manganese, zinc, etc.
But the main value of Schisandra chinensis is its biologically active substances - lignins (schisandrin, schisandrol). They are found in essential oils, so they are also present in the leaves, although less than in berries or seeds.
Tea made from Schisandra chinensis leaves has the same characteristics as preparations made from the fruit, but is less concentrated and therefore has a milder effect.
- It has a stimulating effect on a person, relieves fatigue, drowsiness, increases performance, and helps cope with increased stress.
- The drink improves liver function and normalizes metabolism.
- Strengthens the heart and blood vessels, prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques, and removes harmful cholesterol.
- It is a mild antidepressant and adaptogen, improves brain function and memory.
Advice! It is better to avoid tea made from lemongrass leaves if you have high blood pressure, arrhythmia, tachycardia, or insomnia. They drink it in the morning, instead of coffee, to recharge themselves at the beginning of the working day.
When and how to collect leaves for tea?
Tea is prepared from fresh and dried leaves. To obtain a more saturated color, pieces of young shoots are added to the tea leaves. The therapeutic effect is enhanced by crushed dry fruits or a concentrate of juice with sugar.
Let's consider when and how to properly collect and dry lemongrass leaves for tea.
Procurement of raw materials
It is recommended to collect the leaves when they acquire a glossy structure - this is after flowering and before the start of the autumn color change. The optimal period is the first half of August. The raw materials are harvested from unproductive vines that are prepared for pruning - so we don’t weaken the plant, and we get a valuable harvest for the winter. More juicy foliage is on the shaded part of the plant.
Fermentation
Before drying, it is recommended to ferment them - this way the lemongrass leaf will reveal the whole bouquet of aromas and give a richer taste and color.
Fermentation is a method of processing tea leaves, as a result of which tea enzymes are oxidized - starch breaks down, tannins are released, and the characteristic aroma is enhanced.
The collected leaves are washed from dust, dried, and even slightly withered. After this, each leaf is twisted into tubes with an energetic movement of the palms, so as to destroy the structure of the tissue and cause the release of juice and essential oils.
The tubes are placed in a clay or enamel bowl with a layer of 7–10 cm, kneaded until the juice is released, covered with a damp cloth and placed in a warm place for fermentation. The optimal temperature is 23–26⁰ C, time is 6–8 hours.
Drying
Once fermentation is complete, you can dry the lemongrass leaves for tea. Each tube is cut into pieces 0.3–0.5 cm thick, the resulting mass is laid out in a thin layer on a baking sheet, placed in the oven and dried according to this scheme:
- temperature 100⁰ C – 1–1.5 hours;
- temperature 50–60⁰ C – until the tea leaves become brittle;
- in air (in a fabric bag) - dry completely.
After preparation, the dry tea leaves are poured into an airtight container and allowed to “infuse” for a month.
Options for preparing a healing drink
As already mentioned, you can brew lemongrass from fresh leaves, dried in the usual way and with fermentation. Here are some available recipes.
- Pour 1–2 teaspoons of dry lemongrass tea into a glass of boiling water and leave for 4 minutes. The resulting drink is golden yellow in color. If you add a spoonful of berry juice, it will acquire a reddish tint and the stimulating effect will increase.
- To get a cup of aromatic drink from fresh lemongrass, just add 2-3 leaves to the tea, first lightly kneading them with your fingers.
- For colds, in addition to lemongrass, add a cinnamon stick and a teaspoon of turmeric to the tea, and leave the mixture for 10 minutes.
- If you add grated ginger, hibiscus flowers, and a cinnamon stick to lemongrass tea, you get a recipe for losing weight and cleansing the body.
- Mixed equally with black or green tea, lemongrass improves the taste and smell of the tonic drink.
- As an antidepressant, it can be used in combination with other beneficial herbs - jasmine, chamomile.
A decoction of lemongrass leaves is prepared as follows: 20 g of dry raw materials are poured into 200–250 g of boiling water and infused in a water bath. Use it warm, 1 tablespoon several times a day, recommended for high physical and mental stress.
If you have Schisandra chinensis growing in your garden, use the potential of this vitamin crop not only for decorative purposes, but, first of all, to improve your health.
Schisandra - how to prepare tea from leaves:
Source: https://MirOgorodov.ru/listya-limonnika.html
Dried and frozen fruits
Drying berries can be called the most useful storage method. This preparation of lemongrass practically does not cause changes in the substances that make up the sour fruit. The process takes place in 2 stages. In this case, drying in the fresh air and in the oven is combined.
The drying method looks like this:
- The berries removed from the vine are laid out on a baking sheet covered with a clean cloth or paper. At the same time, be sure to ensure that the bunches do not touch each other.
- Place the baking tray outside under a canopy or, even better, in a well-ventilated attic.
- After the lemongrass has dried a little, the berries can be separated from the stalks.
- Having spread the red fruits in a thin layer, the baking sheet is sent to the oven for 7 hours. The temperature during this time should be maintained within 45-55°C and no more.
This is done for several days. Schisandra, dried according to the rules, has a dark red color. In this case, the berries turn out to be evenly wrinkled and do not stick together. If you have the opportunity and desire to freeze the berries, then they should also be collected with brushes. The skin must be intact.
Flower bed design. TOP 10 simple and effective techniques
Advice. In order for the preparation of lemongrass using the freezing method to be successful, it must be kept in the refrigerator for several hours before immersing it in the freezer.
Prepared berries are laid out freely on plates, baking sheets and placed in the freezer. After a day, the lemongrass is removed, placed in special containers or bags and stored for long-term storage.
Chinese lemongrass recipes for winter how to prepare drying
If a summer resident managed to plant Chinese lemongrass on his property, it’s worth finding recipes for preparing it for the winter in advance. The wise people of China have long used all the components of the plant for medicinal purposes. People appreciate the fruits, leaves, and root system and actively use them to restore vital energy.
Lemongrass juice
Berry juice can be easily stored. To prepare the drink according to the recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- fresh Chinese lemongrass berries - 0.5 kg;
- granulated sugar - 0.5 kg.
You can take any number of components, provided the proportion is 1:1.
- The berries are sorted, stalks, leaves and spoiled fruits are removed.
- The prepared product is rinsed twice in cool water.
- The workpiece is poured into an enamel bowl and combined with granulated sugar.
- After three days, all the released juice is drained and filtered.
- The concentrate is poured into a sterile container.
The finished product is stored in the refrigerator.
The juice of the Chinese fruit is sour. Its structure includes many acids, mineral salts and vitamins.
Properties of juice and its value for the body:
- a storehouse of vitamins;
- useful for hypotensive patients;
- normalizes blood sugar;
- restores visual function;
- tones, invigorates.
What is a plant and what are the benefits of its fruits?
Chinese lemongrass is a perennial woody vine that can reach a height of 15 m. In nature, the plant can be found in China, Japan, and Sakhalin.
In autumn, fruits, collected in small clusters, begin to ripen along the entire length of the vine. These are round red berries with a sour taste and a strong lemon smell. In the photo of vines in autumn, the fruits always stand out as bright spots against the background of green foliage. It is thanks to their beneficial properties that the plant has become widespread in amateur gardens.
The fruits contain approximately 20% organic acids, many mineral salts, trace elements and vitamins. The use of such a set has a positive effect on a person’s nervous activity, thereby toning the entire body.
16 excellent varieties of plums for the Moscow region
Due to their very sour taste, the berries are rarely consumed fresh. More often they are dried, or a brew is prepared from them. Various types of lemongrass preparations retain most of the beneficial properties of the berries and can be used as a preventative and medicinal product. The berries are harvested after they are completely ripe. In terms of timing, this falls in September-October. Remove the brushes very carefully, using a sharp knife. If the vine is severely damaged, it will not bear fruit next season.
Attention! Under no circumstances should you collect crops in galvanized buckets. When interacting with lemongrass juice, the metal begins to oxidize.