Strawberries, red and black currants, gooseberries, sweet cherries, cherries, raspberries, actinidia, blueberries... Berries ripen one after another in the garden. Here it is - a natural pharmacy of good health!

Summer is truly rich in gifts. In addition, most fruits and berries are excellent both fresh and processed. And our task is to process and prepare the entire crop for the winter by all known methods and means. No wonder they say that a summer day feeds a year. Home preparations for the winter or for the future have always been made. Even archaeological excavations confirm this: people in different parts of the world at all times have tried to prepare food for the future. If in ancient White Russia mushrooms, cucumbers and tomatoes were salted in every yard, then only wealthy families could afford jam: sugar was very expensive.

Today, any salad, compote or jam can be bought at the store at any time of the year. But, despite this, there is practically no family where home-made preparations are not traditionally made.

Canning was invented by the Frenchman Nicolas François Apperoux. He accidentally discovered that the juice, boiled in a closed jar, does not deteriorate longer.

Homework is a very serious matter, and you need to approach it with all responsibility. And also with soul. In addition, this activity is very exciting and extremely useful! And in order for everything to be done correctly, let's heed the recommendations of Maria Maksimenko, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Head of the Storage and Processing Department of the RUE "Institute of Fruit Growing".

Natalia TYSHKEVICH, presenter of the "Garden and Garden" issue.

Summer in a jar

Maria Grigorievna, the most favorite winter delicacy is jam. How to cook it correctly?

- Jam is a product made from whole or evenly cut fruits boiled in a clear, non-melting sugar syrup. Success largely depends on the right dishes. The best is a brass (commonly called copper) basin. It is impossible to cook in an enameled container. The slightest crack - and the iron will get into the jam, which is why both the coloring and appearance it will deteriorate drastically. There are two ways to make jam: in one step (immediately until cooked) and multiple (boil and cool). In any case, cook the jam for no longer than 40 minutes. Vitamins are better preserved with one- and two-fold cooking, and the shape of the fruit - with multiple. As for berries, dark-colored ones with dense pulp are best suited for cooking.

How to determine readiness?

If the syrup flows from the spoon not in a liquid, but in a thick thin thread, and the cooled sample does not spread on a plate, but is held by a “button”, then the jam is ready.

Why does jam sometimes turn sour or moldy during storage?

There may be several reasons: less than necessary, sugar is given; not completely removed the foam during cooking; undercooked or put into wet jars.

Can it be saved?

It can be boiled for 7 - 8 minutes with sugar (100 - 150 g per 1 kg of jam) over low heat, removing the foam.

Why is jam candied?

- When it is digested or brewed with large quantity Sahara. But it can also be rehabilitated. Transfer the candied jam to a basin, add 4-5 tablespoons of water per 1 kg of jam and put on low heat. Heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved, bring to a boil and immediately place in dry hot jars.

Are five-minute jams good?

Of course. In them, firstly, more useful substances and vitamins are stored. Secondly, sugar consumption is less: 500 - 700 g per 1 kg of berries. Black and red currants, cherries, and other thin-skinned berries are excellent for this jam.

Why is acid added to jam?

Before the last cooking of non-acidic or slightly acidic fruits, dissolved water is added to the syrup. citric acid or lemon juice. Acid not only improves the taste of some fruits, but also protects the jam from sugaring and souring.

Is it possible to cook jam without sugar at all?

It is possible, this is exactly what our ancestors did, cooking it in the oven in the heat. Our services include an oven. Wash the fruits, clean and put on the stove on a small light on the divider, so that the mass is boiled down 2-3 times. After that, put it in the oven and cook further. Puree should decrease in volume by another 6 to 10 times. It all depends on the sugar content of the fruit. So, raspberries "shrink" 8 times, gooseberries - 9, and currants - 7. Pour the jam into dry sterile jars and store in a cold place.

Jam, jam, marmalade ... What are the features of these blanks?

Jam differs from jam in that the berries are boiled soft and cannot be separated from the syrup. Jam we cook in one step. For its preparation, berries and fruits are best suited, in which there are gelling agents. Apples, apricots, red and black currants, cranberries, plums, quince, cherry plums, gooseberries are especially rich in pectin. There are few gelling substances in raspberries, strawberries, cherries, pears. But from them, mixed with other fruits, you can make jam.

Ripe and even overripe fruits are suitable for jam. As a rule, jam from some berries turns out to be watery, so it is better to add apples or other fruits to them, which give canned food a jelly-like consistency.

Jam is denser in composition than jam, and it takes longer to cook. First, the fruits and berries are blanched for 3-5 minutes at a temperature of plus 100 degrees. Then the hot mass is ground through a sieve and boiled over low heat with constant stirring. The advantage of jam is that it can be stored without canning even for several years (of course, if it is well cooked).

From ripe or overripe fruits and berries, marmalade can also be prepared. It is best obtained from apples and Hungarian plums. They are first boiled until soft, rubbed through a sieve and, after waiting for the puree to thicken a little, sugar is added to it (in a ratio of 1: 1). Then boil again over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon (so as not to burn), until thickened, but no more than 15 - 20 minutes. Then spread on a baking sheet on parchment paper, level and dry in the oven. After that, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into diamonds.

The second place in popularity among summer preparations is compote.

Experts consider compotes one of the most the best views fruit and berry preserves. They retain a high percentage of valuable substances: sugars, vitamins, acids, mineral salts, etc. As well as the taste, aroma and natural color of fruits and berries. It is best to prepare compotes from freshly picked berries on a sunny morning. Stale fruits lose not only their appearance, but also their taste. And those collected in the rain or in prolonged wet weather noticeably sour.

Compotes can be prepared not only with sugar, but also with juice, honey, saccharin, sorbitol, vanilla and other spices and herbs.

Natural compotes are very useful and popular. This is when berries or fruits are poured with mashed puree or juice from the same fruits. Currants, gooseberries, blackberries, mountain ash, plums or other berries put in a saucepan and heat over low heat to 85 - 90 degrees. When the fruits are covered with juice, transfer everything to sterile jars and pasteurize for 15-20 minutes.

How does science relate to freezing?

With great approval. Freezing fruits is not only convenient, but also useful: all vitamins are stored in them. In principle, you can freeze any whole berries: both separately, by varieties and types, and assorted; with bones or halves and even on twigs; with and without sugar. Dark-colored fruits are ideal for freezing. Light (apricots, plums) turn black when defrosted. You can also freeze mashed berry or fruit puree, as well as fruits filled with 50% sugar syrup (500 g of sugar per 1 liter of water). The main thing then is to properly freeze the packaging: a plastic bag or plastic container must be tightly closed so that the liquid does not freeze out.

Is it worth drying fruits and berries?

Of course. Moreover, it is very simple: if you want - in the oven, if you want - in the sun. For drying, it is better to choose slightly unripe fruits. Available with or without bones. The most important thing is correct temperature regime. There are three stages here: at first, plus 45 - 50 degrees - drying; then 70 - removal of the bulk of the water; and finally 80 - bringing the humidity to 20 - 25% and sterilizing the fruits. It takes 10-12 hours to dry. If the berries are shriveled and do not stick together when squeezed, then everything is done correctly. You can also prepare dry powder from berries: dry the fruits so that they easily crumble.

Wild and garden strawberries, raspberries, blackberries do not need to be washed before drying, otherwise the berry will turn sour. Raspberries are best taken unripe. During drying, the berries must be gently mixed several times with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Homemade juices are much more pleasant and healthier than store-bought ones.

Undoubtedly. In addition, at home they can be preserved in different ways: with sugar, without sugar, with pulp (the so-called nectars), clarified, blended (or mixed).

Fruit and berry juices are rich in vitamins and all the useful substances found in fresh fruits. Good combination taste and aroma is obtained by blending sweet and sour fruits: gooseberries and pears, apricots and apples, sea buckthorn and pears...

For the preparation of juices, ripe but not overripe fruits are taken, without the slightest sign of spoilage.

And how to dispose of the pomace that remains?

From them you can make jam, jam or make berry gingerbread. Mash the berries with sugar (3:1) and cook until they fall behind the bowl. When the mass begins to solidify on a spoon placed on ice, pour everything onto a dish, level it, let it harden and cut into gingerbread.

What are candied fruits?

These are boiled and then dried and candied fruits or their peels. Candied fruits are boiled like jam in several doses from apricots, quince, pineapple, pears, cherries, sweet cherries, peaches, mountain ash, as well as from orange, lemon, watermelon and melon peels. When the slices become transparent, they must be carefully removed from the syrup and dried in the oven, like marmalade.

Is it worth pickling, fermenting, soaking fruits and berries?

Why not? Marinades for fruits and berries are prepared in the same way as for vegetables, using acetic acid, Bay leaf, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, sugar. Usually pickled apples, cherries, plums, cherries, grapes, currants, dogwood, gooseberries. As for the sourdough, the fruits can only be poured with warm (not higher than 30 degrees!) Brine. Apples, pears, plums and grapes are traditionally used for urination.

Maria Grigoryevna, how are vitamins preserved during canning?

The most sensitive to temperature changes and the effects of oxygen, the most unstable and rapidly oxidized is vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is best preserved when frozen. Losses of vitamin A during freezing and blanching are negligible. Most carotenoids are lost during cooking and drying. The most resistant to heat treatments are vitamin PP, B6 and P-active phenolic compounds. Vitamin B1 is lost very little during canning. And then when heated to 120 degrees.

Help "SB"

According to the degree of preservation of the vitamin complex of the raw materials, the processing methods are distributed as follows (in descending order): bulk freezing, frozen in sugar syrup, compote, frozen puree, crushed, pureed fruits, juice with pulp, natural juice.

From 10 kg of fresh berries, 1 - 1.2 kg of dried berries come out.

Raspberry

We have known about the beneficial properties of raspberries since childhood. Who has not been treated raspberry jam? Salicylic acid, which is found in berries in in large numbers excellent temperature reduction.

Even after heat treatment raspberries do not lose their medicinal properties. Jam, fruit drinks, teas, compotes will help restore strength at any time of the year.

Only freshly picked berries are suitable for processing. If you find raspberry beetle larvae in them, then dip the fruits in a 1 - 2 percent solution table salt(10 - 20 g of salt per 1 liter of water). Collect emerging pests with a spoon. After that, rinse the raspberries cold water and discuss. If the berries are clean and healthy, it is better not to wash them.

Usually jam is made from raspberries. Let's try to change it a little this time. When preparing berries for jam, set aside whole, beautiful ones. Grind the rest with a mixer or pusher, passing through a sieve or gauze. Put this mass in a bowl or pan with a wide bottom and heat, gradually adding sugar (1 kg of sugar per 1 kg of berries). When it dissolves and the jam boils, add beautiful berries and let them boil for 5 minutes, not forgetting to remove the foam. Arrange the jam in jars and roll up.

A good addition to the jam will be dried berries and leaves. The infusion prepared from them (2 - 3 tablespoons per 2 cups of boiling water - daily dose) can be used both for colds and for neurosis, diarrhea, bleeding, hemorrhoids. Such an infusion is especially useful for hypertensive patients.

Unusually fragrant, beautiful and, of course, very tasty raspberry juice. Especially in a mixture with honeysuckle, blackcurrant, apple. At the same time, 1 glass of sugar syrup is required for 1 liter of blended juice (300 g of sugar is dissolved in 1 liter of water and brought to a boil).

A tincture of fresh raspberry leaves and vodka (1:5) helps with mosquito bites. Getting ready for a big celebration? Then stock up on fresh raspberries. It has been established that it is an excellent sobering agent for alcohol intoxication.

You can make delicious berry cakes from raspberries. All you need to prepare them is 2-3 cups of berries, a pinch of powdered sugar and cinnamon. We heat the oven to 100 degrees. We distribute the berries on a deep baking sheet and simmer until they begin to spread. We take out the berries and wipe them through a sieve. We cover a baking sheet with baking paper, pour mashed potatoes on it and dry until completely cooked at a temperature of 60 degrees. We turn the finished delicacy into a tube, sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Wrap in baking paper and store in a glass container in a dark, cool place.

Gooseberry

How many delicious useful products you can cook from gooseberries for the winter! Just prepare the berries as skillfully as our ancestors once did: ripe ones - for incomparable wine, unripe ones - for royal jam, marinades. If you decide to put compotes, then in order for the berries to retain their integrity, chop them.

Raw gooseberry jam with orange is obtained very tasty and fragrant. For 1.5 kg of berries - 1 - 2 oranges, 2 kg of sugar. Pass gooseberries and oranges with peel (but without pits) through a meat grinder. Add sugar and mix well. After the sugar has completely dissolved, put it in sterile jars and put it in a cellar or refrigerator.

Gooseberry jam is simply prepared. Pass 1 kg of berries through a meat grinder, add 1 kg of sugar, mix and put on fire. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Then pour in 3 tbsp. l. rum and immediately pour hot jam into sterile jars, roll up.

If you love gooseberries, then you should definitely make royal jam from it. Take fruits slightly unripe. Rinse them with cold water, remove the stalks and dry flower calyxes. Make a slit in the side with a sharp knife and remove the seeds with a hairpin or small spoon. Pour 5 cups of prepared berries with a cooled broth of cherry leaves (a handful for 2-3 cups of water) and refrigerate overnight. Then drain the broth and prepare syrup on it (for 2 - 2.5 cups of broth - 7 cups of sugar). Boil it for five minutes and put the prepared berries. After the syrup boils again, reduce the heat and cook for exactly 15 minutes, not forgetting to remove the foam. To prevent the jam from changing color, cool quickly by placing in cold water. Properly prepared jam should be emerald green or slightly yellowish green. Store it in the refrigerator.

Delicious gooseberries and marinated. We chop ripe strong berries, fill them with jars to the “shoulders” and pour the marinade. For 500 g of water - 400 g of sugar, 100 g of 9% vinegar. Boil water, sugar and spices (5 - 6 peas of allspice, 5 - 6 cloves and a small piece of cinnamon) for 5 minutes. When the filling has cooled, filter and add vinegar, pour gooseberries with this marinade. Sterilize filled jars for 3 minutes.

It is not difficult to prepare a spicy gooseberry seasoning. Pass the washed, but already dry, unripe gooseberries, washed and dried dill and peeled garlic through a meat grinder (for 1 kg of gooseberries - 200 g of dill and 300 g of garlic). Add salt and sugar to taste. Mix everything well and pack in clean, dry mayonnaise jars. Store in a cool place.

Currant

Almost simultaneously with raspberries in summer cottages, the collection of no less healing red and black currants begins.

The special attraction of blackcurrant for preparations for future use is the high multivitamin content of its berries (especially they contain a lot of vitamin C) and at the same time a small amount of enzymes that destroy ascorbic acid, and therefore preparations from it are an excellent concentrate of vitamins up to the berries of a new crop. When storing blackcurrants for the winter, remember one more feature: its berries are most rich in vitamin C in green form, and as it ripens, its amount decreases. Therefore, in processing, where slightly unripe (but colored!) Berries (jam, jams) can be used, it is better to take them.

The so-called colored currants are rich in pectins, which is why they make excellent jellies. The thickest is obtained from white currants. And to make it bright, add red. In addition, white currant berries are sweeter and several times richer in vitamin C.

First, squeeze the juice from the berries, add sugar to it (a glass of juice - a little more than a glass of sugar) and put on a very low heat. It is necessary that the sugar is completely dissolved, otherwise it will settle to the bottom and top part the workpiece will be sour and liquid. Stir the mixture all the time with a wooden spoon. Pour into hot, steamed jars, roll up and put "under a fur coat" to steam for additional sterilization.

Good, and most importantly - useful, currant, mashed with sugar. For 1 kg of berries, 1.3 - 1.5 kg of sugar is taken. Mix the fruits with a mixer with sugar. Arrange "live" jam in jars and store in the refrigerator.

For a "five-minute" blackcurrant per 1 kg of berries, 1 glass of water and 1.2 - 1.4 kg of sugar will be required. Dissolve sugar in water and make syrup. Then dip the berries in it. After boiling, cook for 5 minutes and roll into jars.

Original appetizer - pickled red currant. Berries (in bulk or on twigs) put in a jar and pour the cooled marinade: for 0.6 liters of water - 0.5-liter bottle of vinegar and 4 cups of sugar.

Have you tried sugared cranberries? What about black currants? Sort the berries, wash and dry. Dissolve 1 cup of sugar in one egg white, add 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice and grind everything white until the mass thickens. Roll the currants in the resulting mass and put on a dish sprinkled with sugar or powder. When the berries are dry, pour them into jars.

It will not be superfluous to dry the fruits and leaves of black currant. Hearts benefit from tea from 2 tbsp. l. dried berries for 1 - 2 cups of boiling water. The decoction will also help with stomach ailments. A decoction of blackcurrant leaves well cleanses the liver, walls of arterial vessels and lymph nodes, and also neutralizes toxic substances accumulating in the body.

Cherry

Cherry compote everyone knows how to cook. What about cherries in their own juice? This harvesting process is more laborious, but the berry will be fresh in winter. Place the prepared fruits tightly in jars and place in a pot of water. While the water is warming up, the cherry will begin to release juice and "sit down". Add more berries and keep doing this until the cherries are covered with their juice. Cover the jar with a lid, pasteurize for 10-15 minutes and immediately roll up.

Cherry jam is a troublesome business, not everyone dares to cook it. Well, if someone finds an extra hour of free time - he will not regret it. Cherries are boiled both with seeds (then the berries are pricked), and without. The bones are taken out special device, and if not, with a wire pin. For 1 kg of fruit - 1 kg of sugar (if the cherry is very sour, then 1.2 - 1.3 kg), 3/4 cup of water. Sort the berries, wash in cold water and dry on a towel. There are two ways to cook jam: in one or two steps. In the first case, dip the cherry into a boiling syrup of all sugar and water and cook over medium heat until tender. In the second option, we prepare a syrup from half the sugar and water. When it boils, we lower the berries into it and let it stand for 5-6 hours. Then pour the syrup into another saucepan, add the remaining sugar there and dissolve it over low heat. When all the sugar has dissolved, put the cherry in the syrup and cook until tender over medium heat. Pour hot jam into sterile jars and roll up.

Candied cherries are also very tasty: for 0.5 kg of berries - 250 g of sugar. Cook a thick syrup from sugar and a small amount of water. Put pitted cherries in it and leave overnight. In the morning, drain the syrup, boil, pour the berries again, refrigerate. Repeat this process several times until the sugar crystals coat the cherries. Then dry the fruits slightly in a pre-heated, but already cooling oven. Store candied fruits in foil or parchment paper.

Pickled cherries are also original. 1 kg of berries pour 0.5 liters of wine vinegar and leave overnight. In the morning, drain the vinegar, remove the pits from the cherries and boil in a syrup of 500 g of sugar, 4 cloves, cinnamon and 100 g of drained vinegar, until soft. After that, transfer the fruits to jars, pour the remaining vinegar, boiling it for 5 minutes beforehand. Lay parchment paper moistened with vodka on top. Store in a cold place.

In addition to berries, abounding in vitamins useful for the body, cherry leaves and stalks are of medicinal value. A decoction of dry leaves is used in the form of lotions for various skin lesions.

Sleep, beauty

Strawberries have been known since the time of Hippocrates. And all thanks to its great taste and aroma. The berries are still in the garden, and summer residents are already puzzled by new questions: what varieties to plant in July - August and where to get high-quality planting material?

The variety is a matter of taste, and the quality of the seedling is of paramount importance. That's what we'll talk about. What can be seedlings? With an open root system? With closed? Or maybe... frozen? There is, it turns out, and such. This is a frigo seedling. The word itself comes from Latin and means "cold". Here, the trendsetters of garden and berry fashion are the Netherlands and Great Britain, famous for their strawberry plantations. And both in open and protected ground. They ripen this berry all year round. And all thanks to the frozen seedlings.

So what is frigo? With this question, I turned to Cardius Kruisberg, to CEO Belagriplants LLC, which has been specializing in such seedlings for about 13 years. Cardius is Dutch. In 1998, he, as coordinator international project"Strawberry Garden" arrived in Belarus. At that time, having received the education of an agronomist, engineer and manager, he had just entered the university at the faculty of the Russian language and culture. It was the fifth language that a native of the Netherlands sought to learn. Although before that he planned to place his business in South America(even learned Spanish): find your niche in agriculture in Holland is simply unrealistic.

Cardius' parents are creative people. Father is an artist-restorer, mother is a teacher. But their son became a grandfather-farmer. What did he know at that time about Belarus? Almost nothing. Our country for him was associated with Russia. Cardius came to us, as it seemed to him, for a while, but stayed forever. He learned Russian, got married, two charming daughters are growing up. Now in the Grodno region, in the Shchuchinsky district, he is implementing the achievements of his compatriots.

Friends immediately nicknamed him "Dutch Bulbash". And he is proud of it. He is conquered by many things in Belarusians. And first of all, the attitude to the Victory Day - a truly great and special day. And also the tradition of planting a bulb and digging it. Cardius understood: for us, potatoes are not so much an agricultural crop as a cult crop! Along the edge of the field are Mercedes and BMWs, and their wealthy owners, along with their village parents, stubbornly “dig”. It would seem that it would be easier to take and buy, but ... And now the Dutchman himself annually plants up to thirty acres of bulbs on the field.

But still main culture his life is a strawberry. The fields of "Belagriplants" LLC are a continuous conveyor: seedlings are only planted on one part, berries are being picked and seedlings are being dug up on the other.

- Frigo seedlings are annual frozen seedlings with an open root system, - says Dr. Kardius, as his colleagues from Belsadpitomnik respectfully call him. - It has its obvious advantages over the usual green seedlings. Seedlings can be planted in the ground at any time - from April to August, which allows not only to get a crop by the scheduled date, but also to avoid spring frosts - very dangerous for flowering strawberries. In greenhouses, seedlings can be planted all year round. With this approach, the berry conveyor can operate smoothly.

Keeping in mind that the first berries appear 8-10 weeks after planting, it is easy to calculate that, having planted seedlings in June, the harvest can be harvested in August-September, etc.

In general, frigo is a technology for storing plants in a frozen (but up to a certain temperature!) Form. Our seedlings, in fact, are the same green plant, to which we are all so accustomed, but only more advanced, adapted to our needs, meeting the ever-increasing requirements of technological development.

In late October - early November, with the first frosts, the bushes stop growing and begin to prepare for winter sleep. It was at this time that the employees of the enterprise dig up annual strawberry seedlings. They immediately cut off the leaves and layering, then the bushes are packed in plastic bags and sent for storage in the refrigerator, where the temperature is zero - minus 2 degrees, i.e. such, at which the strawberry "fell asleep". Frozen seedlings can be stored for up to 15 months. Plant biorhythms are not disturbed.

Frigo takes root almost 100%, because the roots are well developed, and the aerial part is cut off. If strawberries hibernated in the garden, they could freeze and die. And here, in the refrigerator - just a winter resort. In addition, being in a frozen state, the berry does not waste energy trying to adapt to constantly changing temperatures. All forces will then be thrown into growth and fruiting.

Is it difficult to get a harvest of berries from frigo seedlings?

- No more difficult than from ordinary seedlings, - deputy director Ilya Olesyuk enters the conversation. - First of all, it is necessary to responsibly approach the choice of a site for landing. The land must be cleared of nematodes, May beetle larvae and weeds. You should not break a bed under the garden, as well as where solanaceous grew: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, physalis. It is best to plow the land in the direction of the rows. Then roll the soil a little, without disturbing its structure, and cut the furrows so that the rows on which the seedlings will be planted are slightly higher than the row spacing.

Europeans plant strawberries only on the ridge: this way the soil warms up better. Some cover it with foil. But if the polyethylene does not fit snugly, an air pocket will form and the soil will warm up unevenly. Our climate, of course, cannot be compared with the European one: how well the ridge warms up, it freezes just as well.

The soil during planting should be moist, and after watering is required - especially in the first month. Moreover, before planting, it is recommended to lower the seedlings for 10 minutes in water.

Seedlings grow quickly and amicably. A few days after planting, the first leaves appear. It is best to plant frigo on ridges 15 - 20 cm high: the larger the seedlings, the higher the comb should be. Since autumn, the site can be filled with organic matter, and in the spring it can be fertilized with mineral fertilizers: the same azafoska - from 0.8 to 1.5 kg per hundred square meters. Or give a complex “mineral water”, where the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is 1 - 1.5: 1: 1.5 - 2. The most important thing is to calculate the number of days until ripening (depending on the variety) and choose the right planting day.

Since the frigo does not have leaves, carefully ensure that the "heart" is not covered with earth when planting. Water the berry well immediately and moisten constantly for the first week. And then, if there is no rain, water every 4 to 5 days. Then the care is the same as for ordinary strawberries: 1 - 2 fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers (15 g of urea per 10 liters of water), watering, weeding, mulching.

As for top dressing, it is best to use granular fertilizers. But you need to make sure that they do not fall on a wet sheet. It is advisable to make them before the rain on dry foliage or already during a good downpour.

Weekly foliar treatments with liquid macro- and microelement fertilizers of the Ecolist type are also effective. They can be used before, during and after harvest.

The yield of frigo is much higher than that of ordinary strawberries: from 80 to 120 kg of berries from 1 weave. The weight of one berry exceeds all expectations and can reach up to 100 g! Most of the varieties offered are bred through rigorous selection in Holland and have passed the frost test in our country. Some are zoned and included in the State Register.

On Belarusian soil, such Dutch varieties as "Vima (r) Rina", "Vima (r) Zanta", "Vima (r) Xima", "Vima (r) Tarda", as well as German - "Zenga Zengana" feel good ".

For the winter, a strawberry plantation does not hurt to cover with straw.

Frigo seedlings are good for planting in open ground, and in greenhouses. It grows well both in the fields and on suburban area, and at home on the windowsill. And growing strawberries on film allows you to harvest 1 - 2 weeks earlier than usual.

Strawberries are known to require a lot manual labor, and therefore you can’t do without any choppers and hoes there. Yes, and you have to plant it manually. By the way, on the Shchuchin plantations they “hoe” strawberries not for themselves, as we are used to, but from themselves. The blade of a kind of hoe is parallel to the ground and makes it easy to cut any weed. They say it is much easier for both the back and the arms. Yes, and for landing invented several special devices.

The earth, albeit not immediately, but will certainly thank you if you look after it conscientiously. It also brings people together,” Cardius Kruisberg is convinced.

Noticed an error? Please select it and press Ctrl+Enter

The berry picking season is very extended in time. The earliest species ripen by the end of spring, the later - by mid-autumn. I love berries, so I enjoy growing them in the garden and picking them in the forest. In order not to injure the plant, follow a number of rules for picking berries, which I will discuss.

When to pick berries

With regard to the timing of picking berries, there are concepts: botanical and consumer maturity of berries. The first occurs when the berry stops growing, the nutrients in it have reached their maximum. Such a crop is suitable for long-term storage and processing. The second is characterized by the achievement by the berries of the color, taste and aroma characteristic of the species. Such fruits are suitable only for consumption immediately after harvest. The time difference between the stages of maturity ranges from several days (almost all types of garden berries) to two months (viburnum). Pick ripe berries, too early picking leads to loss palatability, too late - threatens to rot the fruit and reduce the yield.

How to pick berries

When harvesting berries, remember a number of rules:

• Never pick berries near highways, factories and landfills. Eating such a crop threatens with poisoning.
• Best time for picking berries - the morning of a dry day.
• To pick berries from trees and shrubs, start from the lower branches, moving gradually up.
• The softer the pulp of the berry, the smaller the volume of the collection container. Then the berry will remain whole.
• Most berries are plucked with a stalk (strawberries, cherries) or whole brushes (currants).
• For transportation, pick berries immediately in the container in which you will carry it. Shifting from one container to another provokes damage to the crop.
• The frequency of harvesting berries depends on the type of plant. Currants are harvested at a time, approaches to strawberry or raspberry bushes are made every two days.

Garden berry picking

The most difficult collection is the collection of raspberries. This is due to the fact that the berries on this shrub do not ripen at the same time.

When to pick raspberries? From mid-July to the end of August, every day or every other day. Garden Raspberry pruning for beginners

From your further action with a berry depends on how best to pick raspberries. If raspberries immediately go to the table or for processing, pick a ripe berry that easily separates from the fruit. If transportation and storage is required, pick the raspberries together with the stalk and slightly unripe.

Collect currant berries with brushes, remove them from the brush immediately before use or processing. Gooseberries are harvested along with the stalk. Pick off slightly unripe fruit for transport. Cherries are harvested from mid-July. Be sure to cover the tree with netting to protect the berries from birds.

For all types of berries, one more rule of collection is characteristic: when harvesting a crop suitable for food, pick off both rotten and spoiled berries. Leaving them on the plant increases the risk of disease, rot and reduced yield.

Wild berry picking

At the present time, any forest berry can be purchased on the market. But no purchased berry can be compared in taste and aroma with a hand-picked one in the forest. In addition, wild berries are a source of useful and important microelements and vitamins for the body, they form the basis huge amount folk recipes treatment of diseases. Pay attention to the berry calendar. It will help you navigate the timing of flowering and ripening of wild berries.

Summer is a time for saturation with vitamins. Berries play an irreplaceable role in this process. Grow berries on the site, pick them in the nearest forest, don't let the summer go to waste!

Nature arranged it so that berries can be picked in the forest from June to late autumn. Wild berries are much healthier and tastier than garden berries, only it is more difficult to collect them, diligence and knowledge of the forest is required. Once you bring home the generous gifts of nature, you will become a fan of the forest collection. We bring to your attention several useful tips which will certainly come in handy when hiking in the forest.

Collection time is an important condition. Where does a berry grow?

strawberries

Many types of berries grow in our forests, each of which has its own ripening time. The forest season begins with the collection of strawberries, which grow along the edges and along forest clearings and roads. Depending on the weather, strawberries are harvested from early June to early July. Then the berries depart, fall off and the strawberry leaf turns yellow. Most big harvest lasts for about two weeks, then goes down.

Blueberry

Blueberries ripen from the beginning of July, they are next in order, but you can pick them even in September. Blueberries, the largest on low two-year-old bushes, lie in moss, ripen last. The largest number of berries is collected in July, you should not start picking when the berries have not yet poured and have a bland taste. Blueberries grow in clearings, in forest thickets, along swamps, usually blueberries are whole thickets, like plantations.

For blueberries in early August, it grows along the swamps and in the swamps themselves, bushes the size of low currants. Blueberries are easier to pick, you don't have to bend over as often, picking is faster, and the berries are larger compared to blueberries. Blueberries do not fall from the bush, hang for a long time, sometimes during the autumn harvest of cranberries, you can come across an unscathed blueberry, which turns blue and does not let you pass by. Poured to the size of small grapes, autumn blueberries become sweet and crumble when harvested.

Cowberries ripen next, before the end of August it is not worth picking it. Lingonberries must ripen on the bush, because the mixed pink and red berries rot and deteriorate. Lingonberries are harvested until October, at which time the berry becomes dark, sweet and most saturated. Collecting lingonberries is easy, they grow in tassels, like grapes, and the bucket fills up quickly. It’s difficult to sort it out, it takes the same amount of time as collecting it.

Queen of wild berries -. In areas where it grows, announcements are made by the administration when it is possible to open the collection season. Cranberries are considered northern bread, which feeds many. Harvesting should begin no earlier than mid-September, as unripe berries deteriorate and rot. It is easiest to collect cranberries in a swamp, since the weather is not hot, there are no mosquitoes and midges, the bill goes not for glasses, but for buckets. Cranberries are also harvested in the spring, in April, when the snow melts. It is called oyster mushroom, a stunningly sweet and tasty berry from under the snow, a real medicine for children and sick people, weakened in winter.

We buy wild berries

Never buy wild berries at the beginning of the season, you can get a cup to treat yourself or the children. If the seller assures you that the berries are ripe, and the pink ones will reach in a couple of days, then do not believe him. The difference between ripe and poured berries on a bush and harvested ahead of time or at the beginning of the season is significant. It's like tomatoes, taken green, and ripened to condition on a bush.

For harvesting and winter freezing, take a late berry, now you know the dates when they can be harvested. This is especially true for lingonberries, which dishonest pickers begin to sell from mid-August, when the berries are completely unripe. Buying cranberries winter period, do not chase after a beautiful and poured berry, quite often it is cranberries saturated with water, and then frozen.

It is best to get out into the forest with a company, no one will leave empty-handed and get an amazing boost of health.

We are all looking forward to the long-awaited summer. In summer, berries ripen in all corners of the country: fragrant, sweet, fragrant. In order not to miss the berry picking period, carefully study our berry calendar, find out the beneficial properties of berries, just in case, look at the pictures of wild berries. We will tell you when to pick strawberries and lingonberries, when cranberries and blueberries ripen, how blueberries and cloudberries are useful, how the princess differs from stone berries, where redberries and crowberries grow, and much more! Have you read? Take a basket and into the forest!

PICKING BERRIES

Wild berries are generous gifts of nature - a variety of aromas, flavors and colors! Nowadays, any berries can be bought in a store at any time of the year, but their taste and aroma are not at all the same as those of a freshly picked wild berry. The beneficial properties of such berries also differ, in the forest - more vitamins! Don't miss out on the summer wild berry season, take note of the flowering and berry ripening calendar, and you'll always know when to pick berries in the summer.

USEFUL PROPERTIES OF BERRIES

Below is a brief description of the berries and describes the beneficial properties of the berries. Berries are important in human nutrition. Berries are of particular value as a source of vitamins and organic acids, which play an important role in human life, increasing the vitality of the body, its physical and mental performance and resistance to various diseases. How to use the beneficial properties of berries to improve health.

RULES FOR PICKING BERRIES

To maintain the high quality and useful properties of berries, you must follow the simple rules for picking berries:
- When picking berries, it is forbidden to use various mechanical devices (scoops, combs, etc.) that damage the thickets of berries and reduce the yield of berries in subsequent years.
- Harvested berries do not ripen after picking, so only pick ripe ones.
- Berries that you want to eat right away, collect with a growing moon, then they will be more fragrant.
- Collect berries for canning during the waning moon, then they will last longer.
- Pick berries during cool hours (morning and evening) every other day, and in case of dry, hot weather every other day, avoiding overripe. - The collected berries should be immediately removed in a cool place protected from the sun, as those heated in the sun very quickly lose their appearance, taste and beneficial properties of the berries.

- When carrying the berries should also be covered from sunlight.

WHEN TO PICK COWBERRIES

As a rule, the harvest season for lingonberries begins in August-September. The taste of lingonberries is sour with bitterness, which leaves only after frost, lingonberries are harvested until November. Beneficial features lingonberry berries are known to everyone, therefore, when lingonberries ripen, take baskets and into the forest.

Useful properties of cranberries

Lingonberries are a valuable vitamin carrier, lingonberries contain a whole range of biologically active substances, organic acids, sugars. After harvesting, lingonberries can be stored fresh for a month, as they contain benzoic acid. Cowberry berries and juice from them are taken for high blood pressure, are a good thirst quencher, laxative and antipyretic. Cowberry juice has anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects, antimicrobial and detoxifying effects, helps with flu and acute respiratory diseases.

WHEN TO COLLECT THE CROW

Voronika (aka shiksha, aka crowberry) is a plant of the tundra and the north. The crowberry ripens in August, and the crowberry is harvested in the fall, until frost. Crowberry leaves, similar to needles, remain on the plant even in winter, only they turn purple-black. Useful properties of crowberry berries are very diverse.

Useful properties of crowberry

Crowberry well removes radionuclides from the body, improves immunity. Hypertension, migraine, insomnia, metabolic disorders and seizures can also be treated with crowberry juice. In the tundra, crowberries quench their thirst with berries instead of water. Crowberry has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, wound healing, astringent, anticonvulsant, antispasmodic and antioxidant properties. For long-term storage, it is enough to fill it in a jar, fill it with water and put it in the basement. Crowberry is stored in this form for up to a year or more. You can also freeze the crowberry.

WHEN TO PICK BLUEBERRY

The harvest season for wild blueberries or gonobobel comes in July, August and even September. The beneficial properties of blueberries will help everyone who collects blueberries - bluish-black berries with a strong bluish-gray bloom with greenish flesh.

Useful properties of blueberries

Blueberries have a number of unique properties: remove radionuclides, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, normalize the work of the heart, slow down aging nerve cells and the brain. Blueberries have anti-sclerotic, cardiotonic, hypotensive and anti-inflammatory effects. It is effective in atherosclerosis, hypertension, capillary toxicosis and other diseases associated with insufficiency of blood capillaries. Blueberries are recommended for diabetics, as they promote tissue repair, enhance the effect of drugs that lower blood sugar levels, and enhance

WHEN TO HAVE STRAWBERRY

Wild strawberries ripen in June-July, in more northern regions strawberries can be harvested even in August. There are legends about the beneficial properties of strawberries. Strawberries are a berry that ranks first among all in terms of iron, vitamin E, folic acid and calcium content.

Useful properties of strawberries

Strawberries are useful because they contain trace elements, sugars, pectins, acids, fiber, vitamins and essential oils. They not only improve appetite, but also contribute to the normalization of digestion. Strawberries help restore strength, cure diarrhea in children and help with anemia. Strawberries have vitamin, anti-allergic, choleretic and diuretic properties, normalizes metabolism. Thanks to the properties of strawberries, toxins and cholesterol are removed from the body. Strawberries are harvested for future use by drying, freezing or rubbing with sugar.

WHEN TO HAVE CRANBERRIES

Cranberries bloom in June, and the berries are harvested from September through the autumn. Doctors attributed this berry to the most useful food for humans.

Useful properties of cranberries

Cranberries are a great antioxidant. Due to the high content of potassium salts and vitamin C, cranberries are very useful for the body during infectious and colds. Cranberry is considered a natural antibiotic due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Cranberries contain substances that prevent the formation of plaques in the vessels and the formation of blood clots. Cranberry, rich in medicinal properties, is indicated for varicose veins, as it helps to increase the strength and elasticity of the walls of blood vessels and capillaries. Most of all, cranberries are useful fresh, in which they are stored for quite a long time due to the content of benzoic acid.

WHEN TO COLLECT THE PRINCESS

The berries of the princesses ripen in July-August. The prince has a very pleasant taste - it is sweet, but with a sour taste and a strong aroma, reminiscent of both pineapple and peach.

Useful properties of the princess

In addition to the fact that the princess is tastier than ordinary raspberries, it is also useful as raspberries. Infusions and decoctions of the princess in folk medicine recommended as an antipyretic, for gargling when coughing, with catarrhs ​​of the upper respiratory tract and bronchial asthma. Princess berries quench thirst and act as an antipyretic, infusions of berries are given to patients as a drink. From the young leaves, the princesses prepare delicious fruit tea. Leaf infusions are used as a gargle for sore throats and coughs, and as an astringent for diarrhea. Fresh leaves are applied to wounds to relieve inflammation and heal faster.

WHEN TO COLLECT BONES

Kostyanik ripens in July-August. Bone is harvested until the end of September to enjoy the taste of the berry and its healing properties.

Useful properties of bone

Due to the high content of vitamin C (about 150 mg%), tannins and pectin, organic acids, the juice from the fruits of the stone fruit is used as an antiscorbutic and protistocidal drug. Bone juices are recommended for anemia, anemia. Bone fruit juice helps to improve metabolism, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and remove toxins and cholesterol from the body. Rescue infusions from the bones and from pain in the heart. Effective for cystitis and colds. Bone berries have a pronounced antipyretic agent, therefore they are recommended as inclusion in complex therapy for diseases accompanied by "high fever".

WHEN TO COLLECT THE RED

Krasnika grows on Sakhalin, the south of Kamchatka and some other places. Redberries are harvested in August-September. The taste of redberry berries is peculiar: at first they seem sweet, later - sour, and when you completely chew them, bitter-salty.

Useful properties of redberries

Fresh berries and redberry juice effectively reduce blood pressure in hypertension. It has been established that redberry berries are rich in P-active substances that dilate blood vessels and strengthen their walls. Krasnika berries contain vitamin C, benzoic and other organic acids, fiber, 7 essential amino acids, trace elements (copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc and chromium). Redberry is useful for colds, with a headache, the analgesic effect of redberry is manifested. Redberry juice and liquid extract are also used as a laxative. In addition to the berries, the redberry has young leaves that taste like sorrel.

WHEN TO PICK CLOUDLEYES

Cloudberry blooms in May - June, and you can collect cloudberries in July, August. From time immemorial in Russia, fresh and soaked cloudberries were served to the royal table as the most valuable berry of the North. In the North, it is still called the Royal berry.

Useful properties of cloudberries

Cloudberries contain 3 times more vitamin C than oranges. Cloudberries surpass carrots in the content of provitamin A, which rejuvenates cell populations. Miracle cloudberry is a rich source of tocopherols, which accelerate the regeneration of damaged cells and are involved in the most important processes of tissue metabolism. Since cloudberries are high in potassium, they help protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. It is good to give fruits along with honey to strengthen weakened patients. One of the last requests of the famous Russian writer Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was the desire to eat soaked cloudberries.

WHEN TO PICK BLUEBERRIES

Blueberries are harvested from July to September. Blueberries are a healing berry, it contains many vitamins and minerals. It tones and stimulates metabolic processes, has a hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic, diuretic effect.

Useful properties of blueberries

Blueberries can powerfully counteract aging and even rejuvenate the body. The use of blueberries improves the blood supply to the retina, as a result, the regeneration of retinal tissue is accelerated. Blueberries are the richest source of so-called anthocyanidins, the most powerful of all natural antioxidants. The flavonoids found in blueberries are able to raise the level of glutathione (a powerful protector of nervous tissue). It is assumed that just half a glass of blueberries a day can prevent Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's. Bilberry extract has shown the ability to strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Blueberries can lower blood cholesterol as well as some drugs and be a powerful weapon in the fight against heart disease.

In the middle of summer, gardeners reap the fruits of their labors - they begin to harvest. Berries ripen in June-July strawberries, raspberries, currants,gooseberries, cherries and early varieties apples. Strawberries ripen in different time depending on the place of growth and variety. Usually they need to be picked when fully ripe, but berries intended for transportation and processing can be picked slightly underripe.

For harvesting, you need a small container with a capacity of 2-3 kg. Remove the berries together with the stalk and calyx, in this form they do not crumple and deteriorate less. Be sure to separately collect fruits damaged by gray rot, burn them in a fire or bury them deep in the soil. Harvesting is carried out every 1-2 days, avoiding the overripe berries.

Do not harvest in rainy weather and do not pour berries from one container to another, otherwise they will wrinkle. You can store strawberries only very a short time in refrigerators or cellars with good ventilation. It should be remembered that during storage, already on the second day, the content of vitamin C in the berries decreases. It is unacceptable to leave rotten and overripe berries on plants: they serve as a source of rot and, falling off, clog the plantation with seedlings from germinated seeds.

Picking berries raspberries- the most time-consuming process. This is due to the non-simultaneous ripening of berries and, in connection with this, the prolongation and repetition of their collection. Raspberry ripening begins in the second half of July, and the collection ends in August. Collect these berries every other day in baskets, small boxes (1-2 kg).
For fresh use, remove fully ripe and easily separated berries from the fruit, for sale and transportation - somewhat unripe and with a stalk for better transportation.

When collecting black currant remember that in most varieties, berries and clusters ripen non-simultaneously: at first - more large berries at the base of the brush. Collect such varieties in two steps and do not hesitate to collect, as ripe berries quickly overripe, burst and crumble. In varieties with non-shattering berries or with their simultaneous ripening, harvest in one step when fully ripe.
Such varieties of black and all varieties of red and white currants collect with brushes: the berries are more transportable, better preserved, valuable juice does not flow out of them. Separate the berries from the brush immediately before processing, after washing and drying. Pre-select and destroy diseased and fire-damaged specimens. Collection is carried out in dry weather in a container of 2-5 kg, in which they lie in a thin layer and do not crumple. In the refrigerator at a temperature of + 5 ° C, black currants are stored for up to 5 days, red and white - for a week, gooseberries - up to 10 days or more.

Berries gooseberry collect in one go, picking off the stalk. Dessert varieties are removed in the phase of consumer maturity, when they acquire the taste and color characteristic of each variety, use them fresh or for making juices. Collect gooseberries intended for processing (jam, compotes, etc.) unripe. The container for it can be more voluminous.

Ripening begins in the second half of July cherries. Protect the fruits from birds in advance, cover the branches with nets, throwing them on the crown of trees with the help of poles and tying them to the branches.