Harvesting currants for the winter is carried out not only by gardeners who have harvested this berry in order to preserve it, but also by all those who understand that the kind of currants that you choose and prepare for your family yourself cannot be bought in a store. In this matter, the experience of many generations of berry farmers in harvesting currants comes to the rescue. For the winter, the recipes for these “twists” are very diverse, taking into account both the type of berry and the tastes of the gardener’s family members.
Ripening and harvesting of currants occurs in July-August. At this time, both red and black currants ripen at the same time. Each bush bears fruit abundantly. And since you can’t eat many berries fresh because of their characteristic sourness, the issue of storing currants for the winter comes to the fore. You can simply grind the fruits with sugar, obtaining the so-called “vitamin” version. You can also simply freeze the berries, or you can make jam or compote. There are enough options.
Preparing black currants for the winter and red currants for the winter are not fundamentally different, but the resulting dishes are slightly different from each other. Currant jelly for the winter and currant compote for the winter are excellent. There are different options on our website, try and choose the recipes you like most. For example, red currant recipes for the winter are colorful and have excellent taste. Black currants are good and healthy for the winter in their own way; their recipes are suitable for lovers of sweet and sour dishes.
It is definitely worth noting that any currant is very useful. Vitamin C, which it contains in abundance, will be very useful in winter. Simple tea with currant jam is an excellent prevention of colds and a pleasant procedure for strengthening the immune system. This product should definitely be given to children. By the way, they love currant jelly most of all. The winter recipes for this children's delicacy are easy to follow and should be taken up urgently.
Any variety of currant is a concentrate of vitamins. The easiest way to prepare blackcurrants for the winter, pureed with sugar. This is the vitamin jam we mentioned. It is prepared like this: currant berries are cleared of twigs and sepals, then crushed or pureed until the sugar is completely dissolved (proportions are in the recipes). The finished mass is placed in clean glass jars, sealed and stored in a cool place.
Some tips for those who have decided to try this berry for the first time:
Before harvesting, currants must be thoroughly washed with cold water and dried, otherwise they may ferment;
For jam, the traditional proportion is: one volume of berries and one and a half volumes of sugar, but in reality you need to take into account the quality of the berry, its variety, sugar content, as well as the quality of the sugar itself;
The quality of jam will be ensured by the following rules: cleanliness and dryness of ripe berries, sterility of jars, storage of jam in a cold place;
During the cold season, jars can also be stored on the balcony; they will not freeze even in the cold - sugar will not yield.
Jam is an excellent aromatic delicacy, but not everyone can eat it because of the sugar it contains. Some do not eat sugar because they want to maintain a slim figure, while others refuse to eat sugar for health reasons. It would be very disappointing to completely give up jam because of this, so there are recipes that allow you to make very tasty and fragrant jam without this ingredient.
Currant jam without sugar
To prepare such jam, you can use natural sweeteners, and then such a delicacy can be safely eaten by both those who have diabetes and those who are on a diet. The taste of jam without granulated sugar is no worse than that of other desserts. This jam can be stored for quite a long time, so you can enjoy its taste for quite a long time.
Product composition:
- kilogram of currants;
- kilogram of xylitol.
How to prepare jam without sugar:
- First, you should sort out the currants, remove any debris from them, and then rinse them in cold water. Place clean berries in a deep saucepan (you can use a bowl or basin). Afterwards, xylitol is introduced into the currants and ground together with the currants.
- Place the pan with currants on the fire. After the mixture boils, you need to hold it on the lowest flame for about five minutes.
- The finished currant jam should be placed in sterile warm jars and rolled up. First, the containers should be wrapped in a warm blanket until they are completely cool, and then moved to a cool place.
You can use another method.
Currant jam with fructose
Product composition:
- three glasses of water;
- 6 cups black currants;
- three glasses of fructose.
Preparation progress:
- Sort out the black currants and wash them.
- Pour three glasses of water into a saucepan and boil them. Pour currants into boiling water. Cook them for five minutes.
- Next, add fructose to the pan and cook the jam for another 15 minutes.
- Pour the prepared jam into pre-sterilized jars and roll them up.
You can use another method of harvesting currants. In this method, the berries will retain their original aroma and richness of taste. This preparation contains few calories. Can be consumed by diabetics and people who prefer a healthy diet.
Blackcurrant in its own juice without sugar
How to do it?
- Wash the blackcurrant berries, then dry them and put them in jars.
- Place containers in a water bath. During the heating process, the berries will sink to the bottom. The freed up space will need to be filled with the contents of the next jar.
- Next, you should heat the currants to 90°C. Roll up the jars, place them on the neck, wait until they cool completely.
Blackcurrant is so healthy that preparing several jars of berries for the winter without cooking is the task of every housewife who cares about the health of her family members. You can make a preparation by simply grinding currants with sugar. Cold, fresh jam will provide a good dose of vitamin C, for which the berry is famous, which is very important in the cold. They make live jelly and jam. Many people prefer to freeze or dry the berries, thereby ensuring maximum benefits.
An important preparation condition is the selection of berries. For any type of preparation, select not too overripe, whole berries, without signs of spoilage. If you break this rule, you risk soon losing your preservation, since currants are not heat-treated.
How much sugar will you need
When preparing currants, it is important to maintain the correct ratio of sugar and berries. As a rule, unless specifically stated in the recipe, the proportion is 1:1, that is, exactly a kilogram of berries is taken per kilogram of granulated sugar.
Black currants, pureed with sugar without cooking
The sugar mixture can be distributed into jars and placed on a shelf in the refrigerator. A good way is to put it in trays or bags. Then freeze in the freezer and pack compactly, taking up very little space.
Take:
- Currants – 1 kilogram.
- Sugar – 1 kilogram.
How to make cold jam:
- Remove the berries from the branches, free them from other debris, and select specimens suitable for harvesting for the winter.
- Wash and dry on a napkin. Many people try to remove the outer tails of the berries. I think this is extra and unnecessary work - leave it.
- Next, you have several options. Pound the currants with a masher, use a blender or pass through a meat grinder. There is one nuance here: the mass will turn out completely homogeneous. Many people like to find whole berries in the ground mass (I am one of them).
- Therefore, I put a third of the currants in a bowl. I chop the main amount, then return the whole berries to the total mass.
- The next step is to sprinkle the berries with sugar and stir. Leave it for a while. The sweetness should completely dissolve. How long will it take? In different ways, the process depends on the juiciness of the berries. If you want to speed up the process, stir more often.
- When the sugar dissolves, fill the jars with the ground berries and send them to a permanent storage location.
Preparing blackcurrants without sugar
There are three ways to make a healthy preparation for the winter without using granulated sugar.
Grated currants without sugar
In the previous recipe, I told you how to prepare pureed currants with sugar. To preserve fresh berries, adding sweetness is not at all necessary. Grind, transfer to trays or plastic bags. Place in the freezer.
How to dry berries
Nowadays, few people are engaged in drying berries, and in vain. This makes it possible not to lose vitamins and saves space on the refrigerator shelves.
Pick currants in sunny weather. It is not necessary to pick the berries from the tassels. Place loosely on a baking sheet and place in the oven. The temperature should not exceed 60 o C. I advise you to open the oven door slightly to evaporate moisture. Place the dry berries in a jar and screw the lid on tightly.
How to freeze currants
As with drying, currants do not need to be washed, since the berries may become deformed when frozen.
Place the berries in a layer on a tray and place in the freezer. Set it to fast freeze mode. After a day, take it out, package it in bags and place it tightly in a freezer container.
Blackcurrant jam with orange without cooking
- Berries – 2 kg.
- Oranges - a couple of pieces.
- Sugar – 3 kg.
How to cook:
- Prepare the currants for harvesting, rinse and dry.
- Place in a saucepan and chop using any method you choose.
- Wash the orange without removing the skin and divide into 4 parts. Then also turn into puree (use a blender or meat grinder).
- Combine the orange mixture with the berry mixture, add sugar and mix well.
- Forget for a few hours, waiting for the sweetness to completely dissolve. Don't forget to stir to help the sugar dissolve.
- Place the cold jam in jars, tighten and transfer to a cool place. Store for no longer than a year.
No-cooking blackcurrant jelly
I advise you to make powder from sugar, then the texture of the jelly will be soft. Since currants contain natural pectin, no thickeners are required.
- Sugar – 1 kg.
- Black berries – 1 kg.
How to prepare jelly for the winter:
- Grind clean berries in any acceptable way. then rub it through a sieve, removing the seeds and skin. Don’t throw away the cake - freeze it, and in winter you can use it when making compote.
- Add powdered sugar (sugar) and stir. Place the powder in small portions; it will be more convenient to distribute it over the currant mass.
- Distribute into sterile containers, roll up, and refrigerate.
Video recipe for black currant jam for the winter without cooking. Good luck with your preparations, and pleasant winter tea parties!
Everyone has long heard about the beneficial properties of black currant. This berry is considered a “full cup” of phosphorus, iron, pectin, potassium, vitamins C, E, B and other components that are very important for the body. One can talk endlessly about their quantity and quality. However, you cannot eat a lot of this product raw. Classic varieties of berries have a slightly unusual, pronounced taste. Another thing is black currants for the winter. All kinds of aromatic and tasty preparations will decorate a meager winter menu with bright berry colors, and will also be a great addition to baked goods and desserts. Compotes, preserves, gelled jams, confitures and other delicacies should certainly take up residence on your pantry shelf.
Fresh blackcurrants with sugar for the winter in the freezer without cooking
The unique benefits of “raw” blackcurrant jam are explained by its amazing chemical composition. Fresh berries with sugar for the winter involve using the ripest and juiciest berries, and since the preparation is made without cooking or heat treatment, beneficial compounds are not lost. The finished dessert prevents the onset of diabetes, stabilizes blood pressure, speeds up metabolism and normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Fresh berries, ground with sugar for the winter, are used as a topping for ice cream and curd mass, filling for pies and muffins, a base for sweet sauces, etc.
Required ingredients:
- ripe black currants - 1 kg
- granulated sugar - 1.5 kg
Step-by-step instruction:
Recipe for preparing blackcurrants for the winter without sugar
The recipe for preparing blackcurrants for the winter without sugar is less popular than others. But in vain! After all, this is how our ancestors prepared the delicacy. Firstly, sugar-free preparation is much cheaper and more practical, and secondly, it is much healthier, especially for people who are overweight or have high blood sugar levels.
Of course, preparing blackcurrants without sugar according to our recipe requires you to follow some rules. But in comparison with the amazing taste of the finished dessert, they weigh absolutely nothing. So, it is better to pick berries for the old harvest on sunny days. After rain, they become saturated with excess moisture, which will take a long time to evaporate. It is also recommended to carefully sort them out to avoid spoiled specimens getting into the jar. Otherwise, there are no strict guidelines.
Required ingredients:
- black currant berries - 2 kg
Step-by-step instruction:
- Wash well-selected ripe berries and dry on a towel. You can use paper kitchen napkins or ordinary (necessarily clean) hand towels.
- Rinse the jars thoroughly with soda, then heat in the oven until the last drops of water disappear.
- Place clean berries up to the shoulders in a hot container. Place a piece of soft cloth at the bottom of a deep pan and place 1, 2 or 3 cans on top so that they do not touch each other.
- Fill the pan with the jars with water to such a level that it does not fall into the container when boiling. Place the vessel over moderate heat and simmer until the level of berries in the jars begins to drop. Then periodically add berries and continue boiling for several more hours.
- Remove hot jars with unusual jam from the water, placing a board under the bottom to prevent the glass from cracking. Cover each one with a sterile metal lid. Turn over and leave in this position until completely cool.
- Store finished currant jam without sugar in the winter in the pantry or cellar. An open jar is in the refrigerator. Two hours before serving, sprinkle the dessert with sugar and mix thoroughly.
Black currants for the winter without refrigeration - compote with lemon balm and raspberries
Winter compote of black currants with raspberries and lemon balm is considered not only a tasty non-alcoholic drink, but also a useful biologically active addition to daily nutrition. Of course, during the cooking process some important microelements are lost, but many remain unharmed. Compote of these berries is recommended for dysbiosis, peptic ulcers, diabetes, vitamin deficiency, and colds.
This preparation of black currants for the winter with lemon balm and raspberries fully deserves the title of “favorite family drink.” It has an amazing taste, atypical aroma, and a beautiful garnet color. This compote is easy to prepare and can be stored for a long time without a refrigerator, in a primitive apartment pantry.
Required ingredients:
- black currant - 750 g
- raspberries - 250 g
- water - 1 l
- sugar - 900 g
- lemon balm - 3 sprigs
- lemon - 0.5 pcs.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Rinse the ripe currants thoroughly, separate from the stalks, and pour over thick boiling water. Sterilize the jars in the microwave, oven or over steam. Place the specified number of currants in each jar.
- In an enamel pan, cook syrup from water, sugar and raspberries. Pour it into jars with berries, leave for 2-3 hours in a warm place.
- Drain the syrup and boil again. Refill the liquid into the jars and seal tightly with metal lids. Turn the compote upside down and leave to cool.
How to freeze fresh blackcurrants for the winter in the freezer
As soon as summer begins to bestow its fruits on us, we think about how to preserve fragile berries for a long time without damaging the taste, aroma, or delicate structure. And only one correct solution comes to mind - to freeze.
Freezing black currants at home
- Blackcurrants for freezing for the winter should not be too ripe. During defrosting, such berries will definitely lose their shape. Simply put, they will blur. For freezing, it is better to choose specimens that are slightly hard, but not green.
- According to experts, the optimal temperature for freezing berries ranges from -18 to -24C. Under such conditions, the product freezes better and is stored longer. Currants brought to -8 or -10 must be used no later than after 3 months.
- Since berries may lose their shape in plastic bags, it is better to use plastic containers with lids. If you have a freezer with enough free space, you can freeze currants for the winter in disposable portion cups, first wrapping them in cling film.
- When freezing fruits or berries, one should not forget about portion sizes. Individual bags or cups should not be too large. Once warmed to room temperature, it is not recommended to re-cool foods.
- Freezing black currants for the winter can be done in the form of berry puree. Using a blender or wooden masher, the fruits can be easily turned into a homogeneous mass with or without added sugar. It is customary to freeze the berry mass in small trays, cups, zip bags, etc.
- Defrost currants naturally, without using hot water or a microwave. The best option is to transfer the berries from the freezer to the refrigerator for several hours. During this time, the currants will thaw without losing their appetizing appearance.
There are many types of berries and types of preparations. But it is black currant that remains one of the most sought after for many centuries. Preserves, jams and compotes from such “prepared” berries are very aromatic, not cloying, with a slight sourness and a beautiful velvety color. And so that black currants remain just as healthy and appetizing for the winter, try freezing them in the freezer!
To prepare black currants, pureed with sugar, for the winter without cooking, prepare the ingredients according to the list.
Wash the currants in cold water.
Strain and dry thoroughly.
Sort through the currants, removing all wrinkled, spoiled berries, leaves and stalks.
Place the prepared currants in a blender bowl and add sugar. The required amount of sugar depends on the storage conditions and temperature of the product. If blackcurrants, grated with sugar, are stored in a refrigerator or cool room, at a temperature of 0 to +8 degrees, the proportion of currants and sugar can be 1:1 - i.e. For every kilogram of currants, 1 kilogram of sugar is added. If it is assumed that black currants, mashed with sugar (without cooking), will be left for the winter at room temperature or under conditions of possible temperature changes, it is better to increase the amount of sugar to 2 kilograms per kilogram of berries.
Beat the berries with sugar in a blender for several minutes until smooth. If you don’t have a blender at hand, you can grind the berries using a meat grinder, grind them in a mortar, and then add sugar to the resulting fruit puree.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and leave at room temperature for several hours. During this time, stir the mixture every 30-60 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
As the sugar dissolves, the mass will become thicker and acquire a jelly-like consistency. If you have a powerful enough blender, the sugar may dissolve while whipping the berries - in this case, you can skip the step of infusing the berry mass and immediately proceed to the next step.
Once the sugar has dissolved, place the mixture into cooled, sterilized jars, filling the jars to the top.
Add a few tablespoons of sugar to each jar so that the layer of sugar completely covers the surface of the berry mass and you get a so-called sugar plug.
Cover the jars with sterilized plastic or metal lids and place in the refrigerator or dark, cool storage area.
Black currants, grated with sugar (without cooking), are ready for the winter!
