Kalina is a truly unique berry. Since ancient times, the Slavs are very appreciated for its healing properties and tart, sweet-sour taste. In the frosty, snowy months, this berry helps to strengthen the immune system, heal colds, normalize blood pressure. In addition, sweets from viburnum - this is a much more useful addition to tea than the store, chemical products. And in order to eat plenty of fruits, it is important to know how to properly preserve and prepare Kalina for the winter.
Features of the collection
If you do not buy viburnum, and grow it in your own plot, it is important to understand the timing and nuances of the harvest, as this may affect the safety of the crop. Next, we consider how and when to properly cut it and what external signs indicate its ripeness.
Kalina is a unique plant of its kind, its beneficial properties are practically unparalleled.
When to collect Kalina
It is difficult to give exact dates of ripening, as they differ for different regions. In general, already in late August - early September, the berries begin to fill with red. In the middle latitudes in early October, the collection period begins. The onset of small stable frosts is the main criterion for the start of the collection. It is with the onset of cold weather that viburnum loses bitterness and acquires a pleasant taste. Also by this time it is fully enriched with useful substances. 
If there is no opportunity to harvest in frost, or the autumn in your region has been very warm, berries can be harvested earlier, and placed in the freezer for ripening for a couple of days for ripening.
Important! Berry picking day must be fine and dry, without fog and precipitation, otherwise the crop will be lost.Fully ripened viburnum berry has a rich dark red color, it is very soft, with a slight press it immediately releases the juice and easily separates from the branch. The unripe berry will be more elastic, it is not so easy to squeeze the juice from it, as well as to tear it from the branch. And if you pick up the berries very early (when one side of them is still green), then they will not be able to ripen.
How to cut
Both fully ripened and slightly unripe berries should be cut off from a bush in a cluster (together with the stem) with the help of garden shears or shears. The twigs will be already dry. At the same time unripe berries in this form will be able to fully ripen, and ripe ones can be easily separated from the branch, having slightly tugged at hand.
Ways to preserve viburnum for the winter in its pure form
Of course, it is best to store the berry in its pure form, without heat treatment and the addition of preservatives (even natural sugar). So you can extract the maximum benefit from it. The main ways to preserve the product in its pure form - freezing and drying. 
Frost
This method is extremely simple and fast. From the inventory you will need a fine lattice or spacing, sachets or food containers for packaging. You do not need to wash berries before freezing, this procedure is carried out immediately before eating.
- It is necessary to carefully pick the berries, separate them from the branches, without tearing off the stem - this will prevent the juice from flowing out - and spread them out in a single layer for spacing.
- Spacing put in the freezer for 1 hour, then collect the finished portion and folded into bags or containers.
- Prepacked portions are also placed in the freezer and stored there all winter.
The easiest way to preserve fruits, herbs and vegetables is freezing. See how to freeze champignons, beets, potatoes, lemons, mushrooms, zucchini, cucumbers, oyster mushrooms, mint, carrots, porcini mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, greens, broccoli, corn, cherries, tomatoes and blueberries for the winter.
Drying
Drying is another easy way to store berries for the winter. There are two options for drying:
- In the oven. This option is fast. Pre-berries are not washed, but only separated from the branch together with the stem, laid out in a small layer on a baking sheet and placed in an oven or electric dryer. The temperature is set to 50-60 ° С. The oven door should be left slightly ajar. Readiness is indicated by the wrinkled surface of the berries. Next, the product must be packaged in glass jars with tightly screwed lid.
- Outdoors. Preparation is the same as in the previous version. The berries are laid out on paper and placed in a dry, shaded place. For high-quality drying, the crop will need to be periodically shaken and stirred. Top for the time of drying it can be covered with gauze. After readiness - stored in a glass container. It can also be dried in the open air with whole bunches suspended by threads. In this form, viburnum can be placed in the attic or balcony and used until spring, tearing as needed.
Did you know? Kalina is the only plant in the world, the bone of which is similar in shape to the heart symbol.
How to prepare viburnum for the winter
So, we looked at how to preserve the crop in its purest form. But there are many recipes for creating delicious and healthy berry blanks using various ingredients.
Drying
According to this recipe, you can make very tasty blanks of viburnum for the winter. When dried, the berries remain soft and elastic, since they do not completely lose moisture, and the effect of heat in the process is minimal. This is the main difference of this method from drying. 
First, Kalina needs to prepare:
- Berries need to sort, wash in a colander under the faucet, remove the stem.
- Pour the sugar at the rate of: for 1 kg of product 400-500 g of sugar.
Next, it is best to dry the billet in the oven or in an electric dryer.
- In the first case, viburnum should be spread on a baking sheet in one layer and placed in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 80 ° C, then cooled, turned over to the other side and heated for another 30 minutes, reducing the temperature to 65 ° C.
- In the electric dryer, you need to select the mode specified in the instructions, and prepare the berries for about 10 hours.
Dried viburnum can be stored for one year in a dark, cool place (15-18 ° C). For packaging, you need to choose glass jars with a tightly screwed lid. 
The juice
Viburnum juice is an excellent source of vitamins, tasty and able to be stored for a long time.
Recipe:
- Berries need to sort, wash, remove the stem. Squeeze the juice.
- Mix the mass with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio, that is, 1 kg of sugar is needed per 1 liter of juice.
- Sterilize the glass container and pour the mixture. Store at a temperature of 0-6 ° C (in the refrigerator or cellar).
You can also use the second recipe:
- Prepare the berries and squeeze the juice.
- Add water (5 parts viburnum 1 part water) and honey to taste.
- Stir the mixture and boil for 10 minutes.
- Sterilize glass containers and pour juice. Storage method is the same.
Important! For making juice from viburnum, it is advisable to use a screw juicer rather than a centrifugal type, since it copes well with a hard and flat bone.
Jam
Kalina can be preserved in the classical way, that is, adding only sugar.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of berries;
- 800 g of sugar;
- 200 ml of water.
Step-by-step recipe:
- Separate berries from garbage, twigs and peduncles, wash and pour hot water for 30 seconds to soften.
- Prepare the syrup by mixing the sugar and water in the specified amount, and boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the berries into the syrup and simmer on the fire for 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Turn off the mixture and insist 6 hours.
- After this time, boil down to a thick consistency, decompose on sterilized banks, cork and wrap.
If you want to eat vitamins and many nutrients in winter, read how to make black currant jam, pears, quince, wild strawberries, strawberries, tangerine, rose, zucchini and orange, green tomatoes, zucchini with lemon, apricot, feijoa, grapes, raspberries , plums, pumpkins, thorns (with and without stones), lingonberries, hawthorn, gooseberries, pitted cherries and seedless cherry jam.The original taste can be obtained by adding citrus to the jam.
Ingredients:
- 2 kg of viburnum;
- 1 kg of oranges;
- 1.5 kg of sugar.
Step-by-step recipe:
- Berries to sort and wash, mash in a blender, through a metal sieve or in a meat grinder.
- Mix the mass with sugar and leave for 2-3 hours.
- Oranges are very carefully washed, pour over boiling water and cut into pieces, not peeling. Also mash in a blender or meat grinder.
- Combine orange puree and viburnum, mix and spread on banks. Store at 1-6 ° C under a capron cover.
Did you know? Kalina is the record for the content of vitamin A and C - 100 grams of berries contain a triple daily rate of retinol and a daily amount of ascorbic acid!
Paste
Natural and healthy delicacy for the little ones. Pastila from viburnum is an excellent addition to tea and a means for healing the body, strengthening the immune system and preventing disease. It is prepared very simply. From the ingredients you will need:
- 1 kg of berries;
- 2 tbsp. water;
- 700 g of sugar (can be to taste).
Step by step method of preparation:
- Wash berries, puree in any way.
- Boil sugar with water until the crystals completely dissolve.
- Pour the berry mixture into the syrup and cook until the volume is halved.
- Spread the mixture with a layer of 0.5 cm on a baking sheet and dry in the oven until the mass hardens.
- The finished dessert can be cut into strips (or roll up) and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Kalina, ground with sugar
Sugar will act as a natural preservative, which will help preserve all the beneficial substances in the harvesting. The billet can be used as a stand-alone dessert, or as a basis for making tea and fruit drinks, pastries and other desserts.
To preserve all the beneficial properties of viburnum during the winter months, consider how to cook viburnum with sugar.
The recipe is step by step:
- Rinse the berries, sort through, puree using any available method.
- Kalina and sugar mix in a ratio of 1: 2 (2 times more preservative).
- Sterilize glass jars.
- Lay out the workpiece in containers and roll up. Store in the refrigerator, cellar or basement.
Important! Some time after cooking, juice may form at the bottom of the cans. Do not be afraid, it does not mean that the product is corrupt, but is a normal process.
There is a slightly modified recipe of grated viburnum with sugar:
- Berries to prepare and mash.
- Mix with sugar in equal proportions.
- Spread them in jars and sterilize in boiling water: 10 min. for 0.5 l cans; 20 minutes. for 1 liter cans
- After this time, roll up and send to storage.
Pouring viburnum
Despite the ease of preparation, this tool is very effective for colds. For the preparation will need such ingredients:
- 1 liter of juice;
- 1 l of water;
- 1 kg of granulated sugar;
- 5 liters of vodka.
Phased cooking recipe:
- Prepare the berries and squeeze the juice.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Infuse the mixture for 48 hours at room temperature.
- Pour the sauce in a clean container and store in a dark place at room temperature.
To prevent colds, check out the best recipes for harvesting viburnum for the winter.As you can see, there are many ways to prepare this useful berries for every taste. If viburnum pleased you with the harvest this year, do not limit yourself to one way. Canned viburnum is fully usable throughout the year. The same applies to dried and frozen product.
Video: how to make a sour viburnum
Reviews from the Internet about how to store viburnum
