A real storehouse of vitamins - this is what they say about the ancient cranberry. Due to its healing properties, it is widely used in folk medicine... And for its aroma and tart taste, the berry is used in a wide variety culinary dishes, from cranberry compotes before the sauce for meat.

Northern lemon

Cranberries originally grew only in northern latitudes, although long time Europeans considered Russia to be its homeland. However, back in the XII century, the Vikings imported the berry into Europe, who appreciated it for healing properties and good taste. Cranberry is a red spherical or ellipsoidal berry. Grows on evergreen shrubs.

In fact, cranberries can be found in any country where swampy forest soil prevails, moss and tundra swamps are common. In Russia, it is found almost everywhere, only in the Republic of Karelia about 22 species of this berry grow. Until about the 19th century, the berry was harvested by hand. And so painstaking work was complicated by the fact that I had to wander through the swamps. But breeders solved this problem by developing cranberry varieties that can be grown on plantations in Belarus, Canada, the USA and collected in an automated way.

For the high percentage of vitamin C and quinic acid, which gives bitterness, cranberries were named the northern lemon. In Russia, exclusively wild berries are harvested, in which there are an order of magnitude more vitamins than in the selection.

Useful properties of berries

Cranberry has antipyretic, analgesic and bactericidal and healing properties. The berry is used to treat coughs, juice helps with gastritis, is used to prevent diseases genitourinary system, lowers cholesterol levels. The proanthocyanidins in cranberries prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Regular intake of berries in any form, for example, according to your favorite recipe for frozen cranberry compote, stimulates the brain, prevents the appearance cancer cells, improves blood circulation.

The effect of antibiotics is enhanced by chemical composition cranberries. Listing all the substances and microelements of cranberries, one may wonder how one small berry can accommodate all this. Lemon, cinchona, benzoic, oleander, succinic acids, vitamins of group B, PP, K1, C, zinc, tin, potassium, phosphorus, iodine, silver - and this is far from complete list of all the components of the miracle berry.

Contraindications

Unfortunately, along with the benefits of cranberries, there are health risks. Berries should be avoided by people with diseases of the duodenum. Also, due to the high degree of acidity, cranberries can exacerbate complex gastritis. Elementary intolerance to the components can harm. Although the berry prevents tooth decay and bleeding of the gums, but the increased content citric acid can damage tooth enamel and lead to tooth sensitivity.

Procurement methods. Freezing cranberries

Enjoy healthy and delicious berry all year round? It couldn't be easier. Housewives and industries on a large scale actively use the freezing method, which retains all properties in their original form, thanks to benzoic acid... Exists different ways how to freeze cranberries. The most common of them is packing in pancake-shaped bags. To begin with, choose a berry, rinse it thoroughly with warm running water and dry it to get rid of excess water when frozen. Then the berry is poured in 100-200 grams in separate packages and rolled out in an even layer, trying to blow the air out of the package as much as possible. Then the bags are placed in the freezer on top of each other. Some housewives pre-sprinkle the berries with sugar. When defrosting again, the berry should be cooked or eaten within a few hours, avoiding long-term storage.

In addition to freezing, cranberries are also dried, rubbed with sugar and canned for the winter.

Frozen cranberry compote

If in the summer people are available fresh fruits and berries to maintain vitamin balance, then in the cold season it is much more difficult to do this.

But the problem can be solved by taking note of the recipe for frozen cranberry compote.

Ingredients:

• Berries - 300 grams.
• Water - 1.5 liters.
• Sugar - 150 grams.

Pour berries into a saucepan, pour water and add sugar, and cook frozen cranberries. Once the var has boiled, reduce the gas and leave for another 3 minutes. After that, remove from heat and let it brew. Strain if desired.

Spicy frozen cranberry and apple compote

The fruit and berry tandem is perfect in any dish, especially in popular recipe frozen cranberry compote with apple.

For cooking you will need:

• Apples - 200 grams.
• Frozen cranberries - 150 grams.
• Water - 1.5 liters.
• Sugar - 4 tablespoons.

First you need to pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and put on fire. While the water comes to a boil, peel and core the apples and chop finely. Add apples and cranberries to boiling water, then reduce the heat and cook with closed lid about 20 minutes. You can drink the drink hot, or you can cool it beforehand.

Cranberry compote with cherries and zest

Another recipe for frozen cranberry compote that will appeal to any gourmet. For a drink you will need:

• cranberries - 200 grams;
• cherry - 200 grams;
• half a lemon;
• tangerine zest;
• water - 3 liters;
• vanillin;
• sugar to taste.

The first step is to pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and put on the fire to boil. While the water is preparing, you need to peel the cherries. If the berry is frozen and seedless, then just mix immediately with the cranberries. Then very finely dice the lemon with the peel. Once the water has boiled, put the berries and lemon in a saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat. Add the tangerine zest and vanillin a few minutes until ready.

What will make the compote even tastier and healthier

When preparing compote, housewives pound cranberries, thinking that this way she will give more vitamins, and they are mistaken. Boiling in water, the berry gives away everything anyway useful elements, and pounded berries will only spoil the consistency, and the compote will have to be filtered. Unfortunately, all good things end quickly, like beneficial features in compote, so it is worth abandoning the long-term storage of the drink, reducing it to two days in the refrigerator.

Pamper taste buds adding berries, fruits and spices will help. Apples, raisins, dried apricots, rose hips, sea buckthorn, cloves and mint go well with cranberries. When experimenting in the kitchen, do not forget that cranberries are capable of both good and bad health.

Step 1: prepare the ingredients.

To begin with, pour the cranberries into a colander and rinse them well under a thin stream of cold running water, while simultaneously cleaning them of twigs, leaves, and any other debris.

Then we transfer the berries to a small bowl and, using a potato pusher or a regular rolling pin, knead the cranberries almost to the state of puree. Then we lay out the rest of the products that will be needed to prepare the drink on the kitchen table, and proceed to the next step.

Step 2: cook the cranberry compote.

Pour into a deep saucepan the right amount purified water and put it on high heat. After boiling, add there granulated sugar... Mix it with liquid with a wooden kitchen spoon or spatula and cook light sweet syrup for 2-3 minutes... Then we reduce the heat to a moderate level and put the cranberries, which have let the juice out, into a saucepan. Mix everything thoroughly again, bring to a boil, cook for a minute and remove from the stove. It is better not to overexpose the compote on the fire in order to preserve the precious vitamins!

We cover it with a lid so that a small gap remains, and cool until room temperature... Then we filter aromatic drink into a clean deep dish through a fine mesh sieve or a piece of gauze folded in 2-3 layers... After that, we act as desired, either serve it immediately, or cool and serve.

Step 3: serve the cranberry compote.

Cranberry compote is served warm or chilled or at room temperature. After insisting, it is filtered and served in a decanter, glasses or bowls as vitamin drink.

It is pleasant to savor this miracle just like that or in combination with any dishes. Useful things can be tasty! Enjoy!
Bon Appetit!

During cooking, you can add finely chopped apples, lemon zest, lime, orange to the cranberry compote, vanilla sugar or cinnamon;

A good substitute for sugar is honey, but so that it does not lose its healing power, put it in cranberry broth only after you have removed the saucepan from the stove;

Sometimes the cranberry compote is cooked in a different way, the sorted berries are poured with purified water, sugar is added there and put on the stove turned on at the middle level. After boiling, prepare the drink for 30 minutes over moderate heat, then cool, filter and serve. In this case, approximately 60–70% of vitamins and other nutrients are lost.

The beneficial properties of cranberries are difficult to even count. That is why many hostesses strive to prepare as many of these berries as possible for the winter. The easiest way to prepare is the cranberry compote. The drink is aromatic, rich in color and taste. And he will give the body a lot of benefits.

The beneficial properties of cranberries are difficult to even count.

Properly frozen cranberries can be kept in the freezer until winter. In the cold season, you can easily cook from them delicious compote, which will enrich the body with all the necessary vitamins and give strength.

Required products:

• 0.4 kg frozen cranberries;
• 180 g sugar;
• 1.8 liters of water.

Cooking progress:

1. Pour water into a saucepan and add sugar, boil.
2. Then already from freezer take out the cranberries and pour into the pan.
3. The berries are boiled for exactly 10 minutes.
4. The pan is removed from the heat and cooled.

Important! Before freezing, all the berries are sorted out, washed and dried. Thanks to this, they do not need to be washed or even defrosted before being added to drinks.

Cranberry and dried apricot compote (video)

How to cook compote with apples for the winter

Despite the fact that the benefits of cranberries are incredibly great, many refuse such preparations only for the reason that they have a tart taste. But a solution can always be found. If in cranberry drink add apples, then the unpleasant astringency will disappear in an instant, the compote will acquire a sweet and sour, even honey flavor.

Cranberries are excellent natural antioxidants. If you consume at least 100 grams fresh berries a week, then not only will you raise the level of your immunity protection, but you will also be much more resistant to stress and depression. You do not need pharmacy vitamins and cold pills if you "make friends" with these berries.

Cranberries are round, sour red berries with a pronounced aroma and characteristic sour taste... However, not everyone loves cranberries, precisely because of this acidity. Of course, you can sprinkle the berries with sugar, or you can cook cranberry compote, which will be even healthier.

In our region, you will find this useful gift of nature only on store shelves, and it is not cheap. For compote, you can also use candied cranberries, they are available at any time of the year, and are cheaper than fresh ones. whole berries.

Cranberry compote - preparing food and dishes

Buying cranberries in fresh, pay attention to the fact that the berries are whole and not wrinkled, but their size does not matter. Before you start cooking the compote, rinse the cranberries well. Leave it for five minutes at first. warm water and then rinse cold.

In addition to cranberries for compote, you will need pure water, sugar and other fruits. Boil the compote in a 4 liter saucepan.

Cranberry compote recipes:

Recipe 1: Cranberry Compote

To cook a regular cranberry compote, you need fresh berries. Should you add sugar to your drink? Decide for yourself, but know that even without this, the cranberry compote will be tasty and invigorating.

Required Ingredients:

• Cranberries 400 grams
• Sugar to taste
• Water for compote 2.5 liters

Cooking method:

1. Put some water into the container where you will cook the cranberries, put sugar there, stir well with a spoon. Put the pot on fire.
2. As soon as the water boils, dip the cranberries into it. Boil the compote for 10 minutes, after which you can remove the pan from the stove. Cranberry compote is ready.

Recipe 2: Cranberry Apple Compote

Cranberries go well with apples. If you make from such a combination, then the drink will turn out with a very pleasant taste.

Required Ingredients:

• Cranberries 300 grams
• Fresh apples 2 pieces
• Sugar to taste
• Water 3 liters
• Orange peel

Cooking method:

1. Pour purified water into a saucepan where you will cook compote and add sugar.
2. Wash the washed apples and cut them as small as possible. As soon as the water in the pan boils, dip the cranberries, chopped apples and orange peel.
3. Cook the compote for about 10-15 minutes. Apples will be a guideline for compote readiness, as soon as they become soft, you can remove the pan from the stove.

Recipe 3: Cranberry compote with currants and raspberries

Berry compote with cranberries has a pleasant sweet and sour taste, and cooking it is as easy as shelling pears. Of course, such a compote is primarily associated with summer, but you can also purchase frozen berries at any time of the year and get the necessary dose of vitamins.

Required Ingredients:

• Cranberries 300 grams
• Currant (any) 200 grams
• Raspberry 100 grams
• Purified water 3 liters
• Sugar to taste

Cooking method:

1. Put a pot of water on fire, add sugar to it.
2. Put washed cranberries, raspberries and currants in boiling water. Mash the raspberries with a spoon in mashed potatoes.
3. Cook the compote for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Recipe 4: Cranberry compote (grated with sugar) with gooseberries and cloves

If you do not have the opportunity to purchase fresh cranberries, then you may well boil delicious drink from cranberries with sugar. Such a product is much cheaper than fresh berries, but contains all the same useful vitamins and macronutrients as regular cranberries.

Required Ingredients:

• Cranberries, grated with sugar 300 grams
• Gooseberry 200 grams
• Water 3 liters
• Carnation
• Sugar to taste

Cooking method:

1. Put the water to heat.
2. Pass the washed gooseberries through a meat grinder or chop with a blender.
3. Once the water has boiled, add cranberries, mashed gooseberries and sugar to the pan, mix well and close the container with a lid. In fifteen minutes, the cranberry compote will be ready.
4. Add the cloves to the pot three minutes until tender. After the compote is ready, do not immediately remove the lid from the pan, as it will infuse and be more aromatic.

Recipe 5: Cranberry and Cherry Compote with Citrus Zest

Highly spicy drink with the aroma of citrus and vanilla, because in addition to cherries, you add tangerine zest, lemon and vanillin to the compote with cranberries.

Required Ingredients:

• Cranberries 200 grams
• Cherry 200 grams
• 1/2 fruit lemon
• Mandarin zest
• Purified water 3 liters
• Sugar to taste
• Vanillin

Cooking method:

1. Wash the cherries and peel them.
2. Cut the lemon into squares with the peel.
3. Pour water into a saucepan, put on fire. Pour sugar into it.
4. Once the water has boiled, dip the cherries, cranberries and lemon into the container. Let the drink simmer for about fifteen minutes.
5. 5 minutes before cooking, dip the tangerine zest and vanilla into a saucepan, stir.

1. Cranberry compote, cooked by following recipes, is not stored for a long time. Drink it during the day after boiling, store it in a sealed container for a maximum of two days in the refrigerator.
2. Should you knead the berries with a "crush"? If you think that this will make the drink healthier, then you are wrong. In addition, you will have to filter the drink after cooking through cheesecloth to get rid of the thick pulp, while whole berries are pleasant to eat for adults and children.
3. What fruits and berries can you add to cranberry compote? Add to the pot to the drink, as soon as the water boils, rose hips, elderberries, rowan berries, sea buckthorn, dry apples, raisins, and chopped dried apricots.
4. To make the cranberry compote more spicy, two minutes before the compote is ready, you can add vanilla, cinnamon and cloves to the drink.

How to cook from a photo step by step

First, let's prepare sweet water syrup: boil water, add granulated sugar and wait until boiling. If you like juices and compotes that are too sweet, then add more sugar. Conversely, if you prefer stewed fruit and fruit drinks sour, then reduce a little sugar.




V sweet syrup put frozen cranberries, and you do not need to defrost them. You just have to wait a bit until the syrup boils again, because cold, frozen berries have been added to it. We bring the compote to a boiling-boiling temperature, then we reduce the power of the fire. Cook the compote for 35 minutes with a slow boil.




Cool the compote, put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. The drink will become slightly cool and it will be pleasant to drink. Pour into cups and serve delicious, very useful compote to the table. If you have brought your family together for a dinner, be sure to treat them to a wonderful drink made from frozen cranberries. In the compote, few people will tell that the cranberries were frozen, the compote actually comes out like real cranberry juice... I do not filter the compote, but immediately pour it into glasses along with the berries, it will be much tastier and more beautiful this way. Bon Appetite!
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