The blueberry is distributed throughout central and Northern Europe, towards the south and in the mountainous areas of the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Alps, the Balkan Mountains, Caucasus, Asia Minor, Armenia, Mongolia, Northern Asia, North America. It is widely distributed on the Balkan Peninsula, except in Greece. It is popularly known as blueberry or black blueberry. It is an excellent honey plant, in some years it can be a strong bee pasture when a highly valued honey with medicinal properties is obtained. It grows in coniferous and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. Extends above 2,000 m above sea level. There is a popular belief that blueberry juice invigorates, improves the blood count, strengthens immunity and accelerates the recovery of the sick.
People use it to make sweets, marmalade, juices, syrups, wine, brandy, liqueurs in all these forms, this fruit is extremely medicinal! The fruits have a pleasant taste and their acids have a favorable effect on the work of the digestive organs. One of the most favorite juices of all generations is made from it, which is obtained by pressing fresh. The taste, smell, color, nutritional composition and healing properties of blueberries have been recognized and used in folk medicine since ancient times. Poultices were used in the treatment of hemorrhoids, gout, and burns. Today, it is widely used in cooking, fresh fruits are used to make very tasty cakes, ice creams, creams, drinks and so on. Blueberry tea has exceptional healing properties and can be prepared from leaves, fruits, and roots. The fruit is a spherical berry, the size of a pea, blue-black covered with a bluish-gray coating, many seeds, juicy, edible and sour. Blooms from May to June, bears fruit from July to October.
For medicinal purposes, the leaves and ripe fruits are used, which are collected from July to September in good and dry weather after the dew. The berries are placed by hand in baskets woven from wicker, taking care not to injure them, and on the same day they are spread out in a thin layer and dried in the sun or in a dryer. Dry berries are shriveled 3 to 5 mm in diameter with a short stalk, odorless, sour sweet and slightly astringent taste. The leaves are harvested from May to July, they are taken only fully developed. The branches are cut off, dried in the shade in a draft, and then the leaves are crushed. The dried plant material is packed in jute bags and stored away from light and moisture.
Blueberry fruit contains about 7 percent of catechin tannins - phlobatanin, anthocyanin heterosides, organic acids citric, apple and amber sugar and pectins. It is a real mine of vitamins and minerals. It contains vitamin A, C, E, K, B, B1, B2, B3 B6, pantothenic acid, iron, potassium, copper, manganese, folic acid, zinc, selenium, sodium. Thanks to this pump, the chemical composition of blueberries is one of the largest natural antioxidants that slows down the aging of the entire organism. It is used against diarrhea, intestinal catarrh and various inflammatory mucous membranes. Today, there are ready-made preparations for diabetics that contain an extract of this plant. The leaf has a diuretic effect, but is also used against diabetes. The tea obtained from the leaf cures cough and facilitates the expulsion of mucus from the respiratory system.
An extract is obtained from the ripe fruits, which is used to make eye drops. In all its forms, whether pressed, dried or fresh, tea or poultice, blueberry has exceptional medicinal properties, thanks to which today blueberries are grown in gardens and orchards, and blueberry wine and brandy are made as an elixir of health.
Blueberry Juice
Ingredients:
3 kg of ripe and fresh blueberries
2 kg of sugar
3 liters of water
3–4 lemons
2. Recipe Blueberry Juice
Ingredients:
3 kg of blueberries
1.5 kg of sugar
1.5 liter of water
Preparation:
Wash good the blueberries, put them in a pot and mash them well with a pestle and mortar to get as much juice as possible and add water. Put the pot on the stove, when the water boils, cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and let the mixture cool overnight. The next day, strain the resulting liquid, pass it through cheesecloth, drain gently and add sugar. Put the pot on the stove and when the liquid boils, cook for another 20–25 minutes.
Cook on slightly moderate heat. Remove the pot from the stove, add lemon juice while it is still hot, pour the juice into groups of sterile glass bottles. Close the bottles tightly and wrap the bottles in a blanket, so they should stand for a day until the juice cools down well.
Nutritional composition of blueberry
Blueberry is one of the largest natural antioxidants and contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. As a fruit rich in antioxidants, blueberry slows down the aging of the whole body. Various medical studies have shown that blueberry is an exceptional fighter against free radicals in the body, so it is also prescribed for antitumor effects. It is certain that the amount and number of different vitamins and minerals in which it abounds have classified the blueberry as one of the most medicinal fruit species.
When it comes to vitamins and minerals in blueberries, we can find the following per 100 grams of fresh fruit:
Vitamin C: 9.7 mg
Vitamin A: 54 IU
Vitamin E: 0.6 mg
Vitamin K: 19.3mcg
Vitamin B6: 0.1 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 0.42 mg;
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 0.4 mg;
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.4 mg;
Panthenic acid: 0.12 mg
Iron: 0.3 mg
Potassium: 77.0 mg
Copper: 0.1 mg
Manganese: 0.3 mg
Folic acid: 14 µg
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Fibers: 1 g
Zinc: 0.16 mg
Selenium: 0.1 mcg;
Sodium: 0.1 mg
When it comes to nutritional properties and calories, blueberry has a very low caloric value and is therefore recommended for people who are on a diet. Especially people with diabetes, because it has been scientifically proven that blueberry lowers elevated blood sugar. On 100 grams of fresh blueberries, we can find:
Fats: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 g
Salt: 1 mg
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 10 g
Proteins: 1 g
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