Lingonberry jam benefits and harms. Lingonberry and recipes with its use. Lingonberry jam. Contraindications and harm

Everyone has heard of cranberries. It is a small evergreen shrub that belongs to the heather family. Also, many of us know about the medicinal properties of this berry and its benefits. Many centuries ago, it was used for the prevention of many diseases and their treatment. The berry is also used to prepare various dishes, although earlier it could be found on the table more often than in cosmetology and medicine. Let's look at what lingonberries are, the benefits and harms of which have long been known.

Acquaintance with the berry, its benefits and places of growth

What is a plant called "lingonberry"? This is a small shrub with erect stems, which has a height of 25-35 cm. During the flowering period, snow-white flowers appear among the oval-shaped leaves. It is from them that berries grow over time. In the future, they become reddish, sometimes brown. The taste is sour with a tart and bitter tinge. Let's talk about what characterizes

cranberries (the benefits and harms of this berry), what are the reasons for its popularity. It is rich in trace elements and vitamins, so you can not uncontrollably treat its use. The fruits contain pectin, polyphenols, iron, phosphorus, carbohydrates, organic acids, and much more, including vitamins A, C and B. This bush grows in northern latitudes, in the tundra and in swamps. Likes to settle near spruce and pine forests. For this reason, lingonberries are often called borovka or boron berries in the people.

What products are prepared from lingonberries

As already mentioned, housewives can cook many different goodies from sour berries. First of all, this applies to sweets. For example, delicious jam will not only be a treat for tea, but also restore health on cold winter days. The benefits of lingonberries for the body will also be noticeable from mousses, compotes, jams, fruit drinks. And what an extraordinary taste has a pie with lingonberry filling!

But it's not just about sweets. The berries of the plant in question are also used in the preparation of other dishes. For meat sauce, sour jam can be a real highlight. The berries themselves are sometimes found in several salad recipes. When preparing liquor tinctures on cognac or vodka, lingonberries are also used. And everyone knows the old dish of national Russian cuisine - soaked lingonberries.

Benefits of cranberries for human health

It is invaluable, so let's focus on the most basic useful properties. As a natural antioxidant and to strengthen cell membranes, benzoic acid, which is found in the berry, is used; as an antirheumatic agent - salicylic and tartaric acids. Ursolic acid has a hormonal effect, which gives a good anti-stress effect.

The fruits of this shrub, due to their diuretic properties, help to eliminate puffiness. They will also help with pulmonary tuberculosis, nephrolithiasis, catarrh of the stomach. Against a heart attack, chromium and copper, also contained in lingonberries, help. Elements such as manganese and magnesium, potassium and iron have an anti-sclerotic effect and help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, strengthen the immune system, cure gastritis and anemia. The sugar, which is part of lingonberries, will create a barrier to depression, fructose is needed for diabetes. This is not all the benefits of lingonberries. For the human body, with general weakness, constipation, headache and beriberi, fresh berries are indispensable. Eat a few tablespoons of fruits and they will bring out the alcohol after a wild party.

The benefits of lingonberry juice

Juice is recommended to drink for those people who suffer from anemia, neurosis, impaired vision and high blood pressure. Juice will also help in the treatment of various colds. It is very useful for hair and skin, will support their condition, if necessary - restore.

Drink it for disorders associated with the digestive tract. Since the juice has good disinfecting properties, it can be used in the treatment of dermatological diseases. To remove thirst, the patient with a fever is given a decoction of the fruit. Do not forget to buy or pick lingonberries on time. The benefits will be much greater than the effort, time and money spent.

The harm of lingonberries

Despite the enormous invaluable help from the fruits of the plant in question, we must not forget what an insidious cranberry berry. Benefit and harm are its two different sides, inseparable from each other. Firstly, it should immediately be noted that it should not be used by those who suffer from increased secretory function of the stomach and peptic ulcer.

It will also be harmful to people with low blood pressure. It is not recommended to drink lingonberry juice and its fruits immediately after eating. This plant has the ability to accumulate and absorb radioactive substances, so berries collected near burial grounds, factories and similar places will not bring you absolutely any benefit. You do not need such lingonberries - the harm can be greater than the good. In general, before using it, it is better to consult with the right specialist doctor, remembering what self-medication is fraught with.

The benefits and harms of lingonberry leaves

If we consider a lingonberry bush, then not only its fruits will benefit. The leaves can also be used for medicinal purposes. They contain: organic acids, vitamins, tannin, flavonoids, hydroquinone, arbutin, tannins. It turns out that the leaves of this plant are absolutely in no way inferior to its fruits.

So they, or rather, decoctions of them, are recommended for the same problems and diseases as the berries themselves. These decoctions are very useful for diabetes, diseases of the liver and kidneys, rheumatism, etc. Given that the lingonberry leaf, its benefits and harms are similar to the fruits of the shrub, we will limit ourselves to its most basic use in complex treatment. The leaves will help well with such ailments as prostatitis, pyelonephritis, edema, pneumonia, bronchitis, diseases of the oral cavity. They are used for the treatment of cancer - due to antitumor properties. As for the harm of lingonberry broth, it, among other things, should not be used by children under 12 years of age and hypertensive patients (more than two weeks).

The chemical composition of lingonberries and its useful elements in numbers

We have studied quite well what a lingonberry is, we have also considered its benefits and harms. It remains to specify, due to which such an effect is obtained. Let's start with the chemical composition. For every 100 grams of fruit, there are: 15 mg of vitamin C, 0.2 mg of vitamin PP, 0.05 mg of vitamin A, 0.01 and 0.02 mg of vitamins B 1 and B 2.

Important macro- and microelements are contained in 100 grams: 40 mg of calcium, 74 mg of potassium, 7 mg of magnesium and sodium, 16 mg of phosphorus and 400 mcg of iron. Finally, about the calorie content of the same 100 grams - it is 43 kcal. Proteins in 100 g of lingonberries - 0.7 grams, fats - 0.5, carbohydrates - 9.6. It is all this that relieves us of the fragility of capillaries and blood vessels, has a general strengthening effect, improves metabolism, and has a beneficial effect on the kidneys, liver and heart.

Last Chords

Now you know what the benefits of lingonberries for human health are. It can be found in supermarkets throughout Russia. It is desirable that this berry has become an indispensable attribute of the festive and daily table, it will help your body well. If you add a handful of lingonberries to sauerkraut, it will not only decorate a winter salad, but also significantly increase its benefits. This berry is an original and wonderful side dish for fried poultry and meat. It will refresh well and make the dish not so heavy on the stomach. Be sure to please the children in winter with lingonberry sweets, which are candied berries. They contain benzoic acid, thanks to which they do not deteriorate and retain the entire set of macro- and microelements, as well as vitamins.

In traditional Russian cuisine, lingonberries are perhaps the most popular berry. Fruit drinks, jams and even mead are cooked from it, put in pies, wrapped in pancakes, and meat and poultry are served in lingonberry sauce. And it's not just the wonderful taste of the berry. Ancestors intuitively felt that the beneficial properties of lingonberries are many times superior to other plants. And today, in medicine, the benefits of lingonberry berries and leaves are officially recognized.

Chemical composition and calorie content

Lingonberry is one of the most low-calorie natural products. There are only 46 calories per 100 g of berries. If we consider the benefits of a plant in terms of its chemical composition, the following components should be distinguished below.

Per 100 grams of product:

• Water - 86 g;
• Carbohydrates - 8.2 g (3%);
• Dietary fiber - 2.5 g (13%);
• Lipids - 0.5 g (1%);
• Proteins - 0.7 g (1%);
• Ash - 0.2 mg;
• Alcohol, cholesterol - absent.

Also in the composition of lingonberries are present:

• Organic acids - lactic, salicylic, malic, benzoic, citric, etc.;
• Pectin;
• Carotene;
• Tannins;
• Vitamins A, C, E;
• Trace elements - potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, cobalt, zinc, etc.

Beneficial features

Lingonberry is one of the most popular plants used for medicinal purposes. It is believed that in terms of the strength of the healing effect, it surpasses even such "favorites" of traditional medicine as cranberries or blueberries. At the same time, not only fruits, but also seeds, ponytails and lingonberry leaves have benefits.

Lingonberries are unique in that heat treatment has a rather insignificant effect on its medicinal properties.

The main benefit of the plant is lingonberry leaves. They contain a huge amount of tannins, as well as arbutin, tannin, hydroquinone and carboxylic acids. This is not a complete list of organic acids present in the structure of the leaves, they also contain chemical compounds such as:

• Gallic acid;
• Quinic acid;
• Wine acid.

A decoction of lingonberry leaves is a powerful diuretic and antiseptic that helps with cystitis and inflammation of the renal pelvis, swelling and fever.

Cowberry berries are a natural source of antipyretic components. They have antipyretic properties and can be used for colds to reduce fever instead of acetylsalicylic acid. In addition, it has been proven that lingonberry berries can enhance the effect of antibiotic drugs.

The sour taste of lingonberries is a signal that this berry is indispensable for beriberi. It is recommended to be introduced into the diet to recover from injuries and serious illnesses, with depression and loss of appetite. It tones the body, relieves the first manifestations of migraine and the initial symptoms of a cold.

Lingonberries are a real natural relaxant and source of antioxidants. The fruits of the plant contain pectin and carotene, which have anti-inflammatory and anti-exudative effects.

The use of cranberries in folk medicine

Alternative medicine has long used the leaves and fruits of lingonberries for the preparation of various remedies. Processed raw materials are used in the form of:

• Decoctions;
• Nastoev;
• Freshly squeezed juice;
• Grated mass with sugar;
• Thermally processed fruits (jam, jam);
• Soaked and frozen.

With the help of a lingonberry product, you can treat or improve the condition of the following diseases:

• Gout, rheumatism;
• Pyelonephritis, cystitis, urethritis;
• Fever, dyspepsia, lack and loss of appetite due to stress;
• Avitaminosis;
• Insufficiency of the secretory function of the pancreas and stomach, gastritis with low acidity;
• Hypertension;
• Helminthiasis,;
• Diabetes mellitus, liver hepatosis, obesity;
• Skin diseases - lichen, scabies;
• Tonsillitis, tonsillitis, colds;
• Prostatitis, mastitis.

Also, lingonberry water is good for sunstroke, overheating, and naturally reduces fever during severe fever.

For colds

SARS, viral diseases and severe colds exhaust the body. To restore its protective functions and stimulate the fight against infection, drink an infusion of lingonberry phyto-raw materials.

The infusion is prepared as follows: 10 g of crushed leaves of the plant and 15 g of dried lingonberry sprigs are poured with a glass of boiling water and kept under the lid for 30-40 minutes. The infusion is filtered through clean gauze and drunk 15-20 ml up to 5-7 times a day. You can add linden tea or a little raspberry grated with sugar to it.

At a temperature

At a high body temperature that accompanies a cold or other disease, a strong antipyretic effect will have a phytocollection based on lingonberries.

Mix 20 g of lingonberry leaves and 10 g of coltsfoot grass with 20 g of anise, add dried raspberries and lime blossom (15-20 g of each component), pour 10 g of lingonberries (fresh or dried). Mix the ingredients thoroughly and pour 500 ml of boiling water over them. Boil in a water bath for 30 minutes, cool and strain. Take warm in a glass in the evening or at night.

For diseases of the genitourinary system

In the treatment of genitourinary infections, berries and lingonberry leaves are used with equal frequency. But more often, leaves are still used, since they contain arbutin, which has a strong anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and diuretic effect. A standard recipe for treating an infection in the genitourinary system based on lingonberries is prepared as follows:

• Pour 40 g of dried leaves with boiling water (1 l) and cook in a water bath for 25 - 30 minutes;
• Remove the decoction from the fire, cool and strain;
• Dilute the boiled infusion with clean water to get a volume of one liter;
• Drink 50 ml two hours after meals 1-2 times a day.

With hypertension

With arterial hypertension and its accompanying negative symptoms (headache, palpitations, panic attacks), you can drink lingonberry juice as a natural antihypertensive. It is not necessary to buy it, it is better to prepare a fresh broth:

• A glass of fresh berries is washed with water and kneaded with a fork to a mushy state;
• The mass is poured with 400 ml of cold water and put on fire;
• Bring the liquid to a boil and immediately remove from the stove;
• Morse is infused under the lid for 40 - 50 minutes;
• Strain the liquid through cheesecloth, do not forget to squeeze the berry cake well.

You can drink cranberry juice with hypertension as a refreshing drink during the day. If its taste is too sour, add sugar or natural honey.

With beriberi

If you have been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency in the body, provoked by inadequate or poor nutrition, as well as an incorrectly composed diet with a vegetarian or vegan diet, lingonberry tea will be your salvation.

Pour 10 g of granulated sugar into a porcelain or glass teapot, add 10 - 12 dried lingonberry leaves. Pour the mixture with boiling water and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. If the walls of the teapot are transparent, you can determine the readiness of the drink by color - it should be a rich shade of burnt sugar. You can drink lingonberry tea 2-3 times a day.

A good source of vitamins is a lingonberry and banana smoothie (see video).

For liver diseases

All parts of lingonberries, including berries and leaves, have a strong hepatoprotective effect when applied. For the treatment of liver diseases, the following recipe is most often used.

Grind 100 grams of berries with a fork and pour cold water. Infuse for a day, then take 50 ml before each meal. There is another way of cooking: scald 200 g of fresh lingonberries with boiling water, and then pour into 400 ml of cold water and leave for 6-8 hours. Drink half a glass 2 times a day - before breakfast and dinner.

With diabetes

You can use the berries and leaves of lingonberries for any type of diabetes. Phytocomponents of the plant naturally lower blood glucose levels.

Decoction recipe. 200 ml of boiling water is poured into a saucepan with 20 g of dry lingonberry leaves. The mixture is boiled over medium heat, stirring constantly. The optimal cooking time is 25 minutes. After the broth is filtered and cooled. Take 15 minutes before meals in a volume of 20-30 ml.

Infusion recipe. 50 grams of dried lingonberry leaves are crushed with a knife, poured into a saucepan and poured with 400 ml of water. Bring the mass to a boil and cook for a quarter of an hour. Leave to reach under the lid for another hour, then cool and pour into a clean container, after straining. Take in the same way as a decoction.

With helminths

Pour 100 ml of juice squeezed from fresh cranberries into a blender and add 50 g of raw pumpkin seeds. Beat the mixture until smooth and pour into a container that can be stored in the refrigerator. Take in the morning on an empty stomach, 2 - 3 tablespoons during the week.

From edema

The chemical composition of cranberries contains rutin and quercetin (flavanoids from the vitamin P group), the use of which helps to quickly remove excess fluid accumulated in the body. To get rid of the disease, use the following recipe.

Pour 30 g of crushed dry lingonberry leaves into a faceted glass and add 200 ml of boiling water. Cover with a flat saucer and infuse for 30 minutes. Strain, cool the infusion and add half a teaspoon of honey. Take four times a day (4 servings = 50 ml each).

Cowberry jam

Boiled lingonberry jam is a canned product boiled in sugar syrup in accordance with a certain technology. Since lingonberries contain a huge amount of vitamins, it is very important to choose the correct method of heat treatment in order to preserve the beneficial properties of the berry to the maximum. Lingonberries have a characteristic sour taste (for some, it even causes soreness). Despite this, it contains fructose, sucrose and glucose. Also berries contain:

• Pectin (natural fiber);
• organic acids;
• Carbohydrates;
• Vitamins (C, A, E);
• Potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese.

If lingonberry jam is prepared correctly, in the cold season, in the absence of fresh berries and fruits, it will become a unique source of nutrients and components. It can be used to treat and prevent diseases such as:

• Cardiovascular disease and dysfunction;
• Vegetovascular dystonia;
• Hypertension;
• Tachycardia;
• anxiety disorder, panic attacks;
• Colds and viral diseases;
• Avitaminosis, scurvy;
• Prevention of prostatitis;
• Cystitis;
• Recovery in the postpartum period (for women).

Despite the benefits, less vitamins are stored in thermally processed lingonberry jam than in mashed with sugar or soaked berries.

Lingonberry jam is not only an independent dessert or an ingredient for confectionery (stuffing, syrup, impregnation), but also a side dish for some varieties of fried meat and poultry.

To prepare the perfect jam in terms of taste and texture from lingonberries, follow the recipe:

You will need:

1. Lingonberries - 1 kg;
2. Sugar - 0.5 kg;
3. Cinnamon - 1 stick;
4. Dried clove buds - 3 pcs.

Sort the berries, remove rotten and damaged specimens, as well as petioles and tails. Rinse the lingonberries with cold water, then drain in a colander and pour over with boiling water. Put the berries in a saucepan, add sugar and pour water (it should cover the berries to a thickness of 1 finger). Boil cranberries over low heat. Stir the jam occasionally, after 5 minutes add cinnamon and cloves. When the mass boils, reduce the heat and cook it for another 5 - 7 minutes. After the jam has cooled, place it in sterilized jars and close with airtight lids.

The use of jam during pregnancy

When a woman is carrying a child, the use of many medications is forbidden to her. Even with a cold, you should not drink antipyretic drugs that are potentially harmful to the development of the fetus. In such cases, lingonberry tea, known for its antipyretic effect, is prescribed.

For pregnant women, lingonberries are useful for a number of reasons:

• Vitamin C tones and strengthens the walls of blood vessels, increases the immunity of mother and baby;
• Carotene keeps the blood vessels in the organs of vision in good shape, which is important for a pregnant woman;
• Vitamin E has an antioxidant effect, stimulates metabolism and protects against toxins;
• The iron contained in lingonberries maintains normal levels of hemoglobin in the blood;
• The diuretic properties of lingonberry leaves help get rid of excess puffiness;
• If a woman has arterial hypertension, lingonberries will have a hypotensive effect;
• With toxicosis, a sour lingonberry decoction will relieve nausea;
• In gestational diabetes, fresh lingonberries will help naturally lower blood glucose levels.

Benefit or harm?

Many are interested in whether it is possible to eat lingonberry jam during pregnancy? In principle, this is not prohibited, but the amount of such a product should be minimal: sugar in the jam is not very useful for a woman's body in the gestational period. 10-15 grams per day will be more than enough.

For the prevention and maintenance of immunity during pregnancy, it is better to use fresh lingonberries, drink fruit drinks and infusions from fresh, soaked or frozen berries.

Uncontrolled use of berries can increase the tone of the muscles of the uterus in a woman during pregnancy. Therefore, it is better to consult a doctor.

In what cases is lingonberries prohibited for pregnant women?

• In the presence of hypotension;
• With diagnosed nephrolithiasis;
• With hyperacid gastritis, gastric ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcer;
• With inflammation of the biliary tract, cholestasis and cholelithiasis;
• With blood clotting disorders, hemorrhagic syndrome.

The use of cranberries for weight loss

The main effect for weight loss when eating lingonberries is the diuretic effect of the components of the plant. Glycosides in decoctions and infusions on the berry activate the functions of the urinary system, while removing possible inflammation in the walls of the urinary tract.

It is believed that the regular use of lingonberry infusion for 30 days will help to naturally remove about 2-3 kilograms of excess weight. This reduces swelling, the person feels more cheerful and energetic.

Lingonberries are more effective than artificially synthesized diuretics, since these drugs mainly remove the intercellular fluid, and in an aggressive way. It is known that against the background of taking medication diuretic drugs, dehydration often develops, which is quite dangerous. At the same time, beneficial substances (potassium, calcium, magnesium) are additionally “washed out” from the body, which can cause damage to health. All this can be avoided if you use lingonberries for weight loss.

The recipe for a decoction for weight loss. Pour 40 g of dried phyto raw materials (lingonberry leaves) into a saucepan, pour 200 ml of water. Keep the composition in a water bath and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook the leaves for another 20 minutes. Remove the broth from the stove and pour into another container, let it cool. Take 100 ml warm half an hour before each meal. The course of treatment is 1 month. At the time of admission, limit the use of coffee.

Contraindications and harm

Cowberry berries have few contraindications for use. They are hypoallergenic and contain so little sucrose that they can be consumed in sufficient quantities even in the presence of type I and type II diabetes. Cowberry does not interact with the components of drugs, so it is used in parallel during the drug treatment of a number of diseases. And yet, excessive consumption of berries in some conditions can give a negative result and side effects.

Eliminate lingonberries from your diet if you have one of the following diseases:

1. Nephrolithiasis, urolithiasis - with uncontrolled use of lingonberries, stones can begin to move along the genitourinary tract. With this diagnosis, you can use the berry only with the permission of a doctor (nephrologist or urologist);
2. Ulcerative, degenerative and erosive changes in the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, gastritis with high acidity;
3. Hypotension - lingonberries have a blood pressure-lowering effect and can aggravate the situation;
4. hemorrhoids;
5. Tumors of a malignant or benign nature in the prostate gland.

Lingonberries are an extremely useful product, it should be introduced into the diet. It remains only to decide in what quantity and form: fresh berries, thermally processed, etc. In order not to harm yourself, consult a doctor and find out your minimum allowed for use.

Every Swedish child knows that the most delicious meatballs are always served with sweet and sour lingonberry jam. In the children's menu of the restaurant of the popular IKEA store chain, meatballs with lingonberry jam sauce are always a hit.

The loyalty of the inhabitants of Sweden to the famous lingonberry jam is quite justified: the organic acids contained in these berries create a favorable environment for the assimilation of fatty pork and fibrous beef. Not without reason, in the New Year's season in Sweden and Norway, you can buy whole buckets of thick lingonberry jam at a very reasonable price. After all, the time of Christmas is ahead, when the whole family gathers at the festive table, bursting with meat dishes seasoned with jam from their favorite red berry.

Lingonberry jam. Interesting historical facts

The Swedes' ardent love for lingonberries also influenced the English-speaking inhabitants of the planet, who borrowed this name from the Swedish language. Lingonberry jam was to the taste of London dandies - lovers of everything exquisite and unusual. If in every Swedish family a jar of lingonberry jam is a trivial element of a family dinner, then abroad this sweet and sour berry mixture is simply considered a “cult seasoning”.

Usually, heather berry jam was served with small meat balls or with fried herring. An excellent side dish for meatballs and fish is mashed potatoes made from potatoes beloved by the Swedes.

Scandinavian berry traditions

Traditionally, lingonberries in Scandinavia begin to be harvested in early autumn, when they are fully ripe and contain the greatest amount of nutrients. Almost every family was engaged in harvesting lingonberries for the winter, because no Swedish child would refuse to feast on tender jam from a sweet berry. Nowadays, in Sweden and Finland, lingonberries have been grown on plantations for decades and harvested with the help of special equipment. Even Russian entrepreneurs are eager to adopt the Scandinavian experience, because crops on cultivated plantations are twenty times greater than in wild forest thickets.

Is Swedish Cowberry Jam Healthy?

Some note the hypoallergenic properties of lingonberries, but it should be warned that lingonberry jam, which is usually sold in Swedish supermarkets, sometimes contains sugar and preservatives. Therefore, homemade lingonberry jam is the safest option for a diabetic and allergic child.

Active diuretic

Wise cranberry

We collect these “red pearls” and in the meantime I sing a fairy tale to my daughter: “Look, dear, lingonberries can teach you a lot. She is a humble berry. When blooming, the flowers are lowered low to the ground to protect pollen from destructive moisture. As a kind mother hugs her children, so the delicate white petals of lingonberry flowers save small particles of pollen for hungry bees. And then bright red berries appear from these white flowers. And again, the lingonberry seeks to protect, only now it helps other mothers to cure sick children. How much harmful things are around us now, and the juice of this berry and poison removes, and saves from infections. And lingonberry jam - although sour, but curative. You collect, dear, do not be lazy.

The evergreen beauty of cranberries

Cowberry berries, like leaves, have antibacterial properties, so fruit drinks and drinks made from lingonberry jam perfectly help with putrefactive phenomena in the gastrointestinal tract. Berry juice compresses are good for skin inflammation.

Useful lingonberry recipe. Swedish recipe for a sweet treat

For chocolate dough:
Two eggs
300 g sugar
100 g salted butter
2-3 tbsp. l. cocoa
200 g flour
1 tsp baking powder or 0.5 tsp. slaked soda
1 tsp water
Vanilla essence or vanilla seeds
5 g salt

The formula for success is simple:

• Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer. Add a mixture of flour, salt, vanilla and baking powder dissolved in one spoon of water to them in parts.
• In a separate bowl, dissolve the cocoa powder in the heated liquid butter. This trick will allow you to get the perfect chocolate shade of the cake.
• We combine the chocolate mass with sweet egg dough and bake in the oven for forty minutes at medium heat (175 degrees).

Lingonberry is a miniature evergreen shrub belonging to the heather family. Berry shrub grows mainly in forests with deciduous and coniferous trees, found in swamps. The strongest shoots that can break through the thickness of old stumps reach a meter height. Everyone is interested to know how lingonberry jam acts on the body. The benefits and harms of this sweet dessert with a unique taste are discussed in this article; in the final part of the text, recipes for preparing this beloved delicacy are given. Lingonberry meadows are found exclusively in the north of Russia, the expanses of the Far East and the Caucasus. Artificial cultivation of lingonberries in the plots is acceptable, in this case it is possible to annually harvest a rich harvest of berries of several tens of kilograms.

Useful use of lingonberries and lingonberry jam

Medicinal qualities of lingonberry leaves

Today, lingonberries are actively used in the medical field. It was found that a decoction based on lingonberry leaves has a mild diuretic potential and good disinfectant properties. The collection of medicinal raw materials is carried out in the spring, in advance of flowering, or in the fall, after the fruit ripens. Experts recommend leaving the clearing where the leaves were collected for several years alone, it is advisable not to take material from it for 5-10 years. Lingonberry leaves are a valuable natural source of hydroquinone, phenol carboxylic acid, tannin. The leaves contain arbutin.

The benefits of fresh lingonberries

Delicious cranberries contain impressive portions of useful substances, such as carotene and organic acids. The product contains sugar and vitamin C. The fruit, fresh or dried, is a safe diuretic product and an excellent remedy for diarrhea. Berries help the body fight developing arthritis.

The benefits of lingonberry jam

Cowberry jam, which has a characteristic pleasant taste, is considered more saturated with vitamins than other powerful sources of nutrients - cranberries, citruses or grapes. It is useful to consume a sweet dessert in limited portions after childbirth, the product will help resist the development of mastitis and suppress inflammation.

For males, lingonberries are also shown; this natural remedy can and should be included in the diet for the successful treatment of prostatitis. Jam has shown itself to be a fast-acting antipyretic that helps improve the condition of colds. Despite the usefulness of folk remedies, the treatment of diseases should be carried out by traditional methods under the supervision of a doctor, and lingonberries should be used as an aid.

Preventive properties of cranberries

Studies by Swiss scientists have confirmed that juice squeezed from fresh berries has a positive effect on vision, contributes to the natural normalization of body weight and protects the skin from all kinds of problems.

Possible harm and contraindications of lingonberries

It turns out that not in all cases you can use lingonberry jam. The benefits and harms can be hidden in this dessert - it all depends on the quality of the berries and the state of human health. To get only the benefits from fresh or processed berries, care must be taken when picking fruits from a shrub. It is advisable to give preference to plants located away from the roadway. The fact is that exhaust gases adversely affect all parts of the plant, completely poisoning its leaves and berries. Fruits or foliage taken from ecologically unfavorable areas are definitely harmful to the human body.

You need to know that there are contraindications associated with the ability of the active substances from the berries to lower blood pressure. From this follows a simple conclusion that lingonberries are not useful for people with hypotension.

Due to the high percentage of acids in the composition of berries, it is dangerous to introduce them into the menu for stomach ulcers.

How to cook lingonberry jam?

Aromatic lingonberry jam

Components:

• cold clean water - 1 glass;
• granulated sugar - 1.5 kilograms;
• additives to your taste - cloves and cinnamon.

Put the berries washed and doused with boiling water in a container, add sugar and water, add the required amount of spices and maintain a boil for some time, setting the minimum heat.

Lingonberry pear jam

Components:

• fresh cranberries - 1 kilogram;
• fresh pears - 1 kilogram;
• granulated sugar - 1.3 kilograms.

First, soak the peeled and de-seeded pears in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then rinse and pour boiling water over the berries. Cook lingonberry jam in the standard way - over low heat, add chopped pears at the end of the process.

Lingonberry-apple jam

Components:

• fresh cranberries - 1 kilogram;
• water - 250 milliliters;
• granulated sugar - 250 grams;
• fresh apples - 250 grams.

A syrup consisting of water and sugar must be cooked in advance. Put the washed berries into the prepared sweet mass, mix everything, boil, stop heating and leave the mass to cool. Then you need to start cooking again, adding apples that are pre-sliced, peeled and peeled. The second stage of cooking should be carried out over low heat until cooked.

To give a unique taste to a sweet dessert, various additives are made in the form of fruits, spices and berries - at your discretion. You can cook in different ways, but be sure to eat lingonberry jam in moderation. The benefits and harms of this dessert have been analyzed in this article in order to popularize the consumption of vitamin products.

Cowberry jam- an incredibly tasty canned product obtained by boiling fresh lingonberries in sugar syrup. The beauty of this dessert is its appearance. Even after heat treatment, the fruits remain whole and appetizing (see photo). This delicacy has a bright burgundy color and a tart sweet and sour taste.

Lingonberry jam was popular in ancient Russia. However, at that time, lingonberries were boiled not in sugar syrup, but in honey, which made the delicacy doubly useful.

Today, a berry dessert can be bought ready-made, while in ancient times it was prepared exclusively at home. After harvesting the lingonberry crop, the housewives carefully sorted out the fruits. Unripe, crushed or spoiled berries must be thrown away. Jam was prepared only from good ripe lingonberries. Often, this delicacy was supplemented by apples and pears, and sometimes citrus fruits, such as oranges.

Today, in the composition of lingonberry jam, you can find such additional ingredients:

• walnuts;
• cinnamon;
• vanilla;
• nutmeg.

Very often lingonberries are supplemented with cranberries, blueberries and many other berries. All these components saturate the sweet dish with an unusual taste and attractive aroma.

Most housewives prefer to stock up on this product exclusively for the winter, because it is during this period of the year that beriberi is most often manifested. However, some berry desserts are prepared for every day, and in this case it can be cooked not only from fresh lingonberries, but also from frozen ones.

Lingonberry jam, like any other, is recommended to be subjected to minimal heat treatment in order to preserve the beneficial properties as much as possible. That is why in many recipes the dessert is proposed to be cooked in three sets of five minutes each. As a rule, such delicacies are called "five-minute".

Use in cooking

In cooking, lingonberry jam is used not only as an independent dessert for tea. Using this product, you can cook a wide variety of pastries, ranging from ordinary pies to all kinds of bagels or puffs. Due to the pleasant sourness, lingonberry jam gives flour products an invigorating fresh taste.

This berry delicacy goes well with meats, including veal, lamb, as well as beef, poultry and game. Sweet and sour product can accompany meat dishes both as a side dish and as a sauce.

If you want to cook an unusual lingonberry sauce for meat, then be sure to use the recipe below. Finely chop the onion (120 grams), pour over with boiling water and place in a container in which the sauce will be cooked. Supplement the vegetable with wine vinegar (50 milliliters), lemon juice (70 milliliters) and water (700 milliliters). After that, add cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon (to taste), as well as Southern sauce (40 grams) and lingonberry jam (300 grams) to the container with the ingredients. Fluff the mixture with a fork. Then bring it to a boil and combine with pre-diluted starch (20 grams). Boil the sauce for five minutes, then cool and serve with the meat. Enjoy your meal!

With lingonberry jam, you can also make an original and very tasty apple salad. To do this, take four apples, peel and chop into small strips. Prepared fruit must be seasoned with jam (two tablespoons) and chopped horseradish (teaspoon). The resulting mixture must be placed in a salad bowl, salt and garnish with one glass of whipped cream. The salad prepared according to this recipe has a fabulous, festive and incredibly appetizing appearance!

In addition, this delicacy is in perfect harmony with dairy products. If you grind it, for example, with cottage cheese (proportion 1: 2), you will get a delicious curd mass, from which both an adult and a small child will be delighted.

Benefit and harm

The benefits of lingonberry jam lie directly in the composition of lingonberry fruits, which are saturated not only with carbohydrates such as glucose and sucrose, but also with pectin and organic acids. Lingonberry berries also contain vitamins and minerals, thanks to which the jam made from these medicinal fruits can affect the body in the following way:

• prevents heart disease;
• reduces blood pressure in the arteries;
• stimulates the functioning of the immune system;
• relieves swelling.

This delicacy is incredibly useful for women in the postpartum period. And for men, doctors recommend using this jam in order to prevent prostatitis.

It is worth noting that in order to preserve the above-mentioned beneficial properties, the dessert manufacturing technology is very important, as well as the cooking time of lingonberry fruits.

As it turned out, in some cases, lingonberry jam can also harm the body. For example, hypotension. For people suffering from this disease, berry dessert is very harmful, as it lowers blood pressure. Also, this product is dangerous for stomach ulcers due to the content of a large amount of acids.

In addition, lingonberry jam, for the preparation of which fruits collected in ecologically unfavorable places are used, will not be useful.

Cowberry jam is an immensely delicious delicacy that can be enjoyed as an independent dessert, as well as in original sauces, salads and various pastries.