Bilberry is a round black-colored forest berry growing on low bushes. It is because of its color that it received the name - in fact, even under the shell, the color of the berry is almost black, and slightly bluish outside it makes a light dull plaque, rubbing that, you can easily expose the smooth, shiny, black skin.In addition, this little berry very cleverly paints the hands and tongue of anyone who decided to eat it. One of the advantages of blueberries is that it can be harvested in almost any form: dried, boiled, frozen. Not every fruit boasts such "abilities". :) Personally, I remember being very young (kindergarten), sitting in the kitchen of my grandmother and watching how she cooks something from small hard balls, similar to black pepper. When I asked my grandmother about the mysterious things: "What is it?" - then she replied: "Dried blueberries." Of course, I immediately tasted the berries and, I must say, I liked the taste. :) And, of course, all these blanks are made for a reason - except for their pleasant taste, blueberries have great benefits.
What is useful blueberries
Those who are faced with such a nuisance as a weakening of vision, for certain, have heard (and will hear) a recommendation more than once in their lives: "Eat blueberries!" However, this wild berry is good not only for the eyes.
Blueberries contain a large amount of easily digestible fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. It is useful as a preventive measure to prevent diseases of the cardiovascular system and diabetes. By the way, this is probably why blueberries also help eyesight - it strengthens the blood vessels in the retina of the eyes. Also, this wild berry: improves memory, has anti-inflammatory properties, protects against possible infections, reduces the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood, helps to cope with intestinal disorders (decoction of dried berries) and diseases of the genitourinary system, and also has a rejuvenating effect.
It should be noted that, despite all the useful properties, it is impossible to restore vision with the help of blueberries, as some commercials and posters promise, it only helps to strengthen the retina (however, this is already good).
To obtain a positive effect on the consumption of blueberries, eating a handful of it once a year is not enough (however, like other healthy fruits), and therefore: eat fresh blueberries in a season and harvest its fruits and leaves for the winter. Moreover, now, this berry can be not only harvested in the forest, but also grown on its summer cottage (although the grown berry is less fragrant than the forest one).
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Benefits of Blueberries for eyes[/caption]Blueberry Drink Recipes
If you need fresh bilberry juice, it is very easy to get it from ripe berries with the help of tolkushka, sieve and mari or juicer.
Blueberries in their own juice:
- 3 kg of fresh blueberries;
- 1 tbsp. blueberry juice.
Sort blueberries, gently rinse and pour on a towel to dry the berries. Then cook 1 glass of blueberry juice, pour it into a saucepan and add 3 kg of berries there. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime, sterilize the jars. Fill jars with blueberries and juice, roll them up and turn them over for 15 minutes. Then wait for cooling and store in a cool place.
Blueberry compote:
- 3 tbsp. water;
- 3 tbsp. fresh blueberries;
- half a cup of granulated sugar.
Pour water into the pan, add sugar to it and put on moderate heat. Wait for the sugar to dissolve and bring the water to a boil. Pour blueberries in boiling water and boil. Then remove the compote from the heat and cool.
Blueberry juice:
- 1 liter of water;
- 1 tbsp. fresh blueberries;
- 0.5 tbsp. sugar sand.
Take the berries, rinse and dry. Then mash the blueberries and squeeze the juice out of it (using a sieve and cheesecloth). Juice the juice for a while in the fridge, pour the squeeze with water, boil for 10 minutes and strain. Now combine the resulting broth with blueberry juice, add sugar, mix well until it dissolves and cool the juice.
Milk drink with blueberries:
- 4 glasses of fresh blueberries;
- 1 glass of chilled cream;
- 0.5 tbsp. powdered sugar.
Berry pick, rinse, dry and squeeze juice from them. Then pour the cream into the juice and add the icing sugar - mix everything well. Cool ready drink and serve.
Kissel from dried blueberries:
- 4 tbsp. water;
- 80 g of granulated sugar;
- 40 g of starch;
- 20 g of dried blueberries.
Berries fill with water and cook until they are completely softened. Then, spoon the blueberries over with a spoon, strain the broth, add sugar to it and put the broth back on the fire. Dissolve starch with a small amount of cold water and add it to the broth. While stirring, bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Blueberries for breakfast:
- 1 tbsp. chilled milk;
- 1/2 Art. blueberries;
- 1-2 tsp. sugar sand.
Add sugar and blueberries to milk - mix well, and - healthy breakfast is ready!