When is red rowan harvested? Storing red rowan at home

The plant, hung with clusters of red berries in autumn, has been known since ancient times. People are familiar with the amazing healing power of this plant. It has always been used in the preparation of various drinks and dishes, as well as many medicinal products.

In order to take advantage of the magnificent healing properties of this wonderful plant, you must first collect the berries, and for this you should know the harvest time of red rowan. Information about this is presented in the article.

Rowan forest

In autumn, gardens and forests are covered with colorful leaves of a wide variety of bushes and trees. And against this background, orange and red bunches of rowan stand out as a bright spot. Often, especially in fruitful years, the branches of bushes bend under the weight of these fruits. During the migration period, red-breasted bullfinches sit on them, which, like hazel grouse, sparrows, waxwings and bee-eaters, like to eat ripe berries. However, such beauty does not happen every year - as a rule, after a fruitful year comes a low-yield year.

There are about a hundred species of rowan in total, but the most common is the common one, which grows in abundance in forests.

Before answering the question of when red rowan is collected, let’s find out where it grows and provide a description.

How is it useful for women?

Women are most susceptible to mood swings, and red rowan teas and infusions will help correct this. On critical days, fruits and decoctions from them will help reduce pain. Infusions will also be useful when your periods are very heavy. This is dangerous for a woman, as it can lead to anemia, loss of strength and other unpleasant consequences.

During menopause, not only changes in hormonal levels are observed, but also other changes, for example, sudden surges in blood pressure, nausea, increased sweating, etc. You can get rid of all these symptoms not only with tablets, but also with the help of decoctions and teas from red rowan.

Spreading

Red rowan is found everywhere in the temperate climate zone of the earth. It grows especially in large quantities throughout Europe (from the Kola coast to the Mediterranean, from the Urals to Scandinavia), in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

As an introduced plant, it can also be found in areas with a temperate climate (in North America, even in the Far North). This is due to the fact that mountain ash has the ability to survive even at the lowest temperatures (down to 50 ° C). The plant bears fruit best in the western part of the forest zone (in comparison with the eastern) of the European Plain, as well as in the taiga (in comparison with mixed-deciduous forests).

Ripening time and storage

In order to find out the time of harvest, you should know the time of its ripening. To collect fruits, you must not miss the period when the berries turn red and fill with juice.

People even have a holiday (September 23) - Rowan Name Day, when the very period of berry picking begins. At this point, the fruits are filled with juice and fully ripened, and it is believed that it is possible to harvest red rowan for storing fresh at home.

Bunches of berries are hung in the cellar and stored in barrels of water. This way they are stored until spring.

Signs of ripe fruits

To determine the maturity of chokeberry, you need to study the simple recommendations from this section and take them into account. It won’t be difficult to figure it out even for those who are harvesting for the first time and have no experience:

The first factor is the rich and deep purple-black color of the berries. Until they have darkened to such an extent, you don’t even have to check them, since this is one of the main external signs of maturity.
You can also check the chokeberry by touch. An unripe one, even if it has darkened, will be very hard. But the ripe one becomes much softer, but at the same time retains high elasticity and density.
If the first signs coincide, you can taste the chokeberry. It becomes sweet and has a moderate amount of tartness. But an unripe one will be tasteless, very astringent, and unpleasant to eat.
Finally, you need to crush the berry and see what color the juice is. If it is still light, you need to wait. If it has a rich purple color, the chokeberry is ripe.

Normal maturation can be judged only if all the listed signs are present. It is also worth remembering that berries on one bunch can have different degrees of ripening. In this case, you need to either wait or cut out all the light berries so that they do not spoil the taste.

Description of the plant

Red rowan is a shrub or tree and the same name for the berries of one of the varieties of rowan.

Its spherical fruits are small in size (up to 1 cm in diameter). They are covered with orange-red skin. Inside there is juicy pulp with small, round-shaped seeds.

Due to the presence of bitterness in the berries, they are practically not eaten fresh. But, thanks to their rich composition, they are the most valuable raw materials for the medical and food industries. Rowan is used for the production of various drinks (non-alcoholic and alcoholic), jam, preserves, jams, marmalade, candies, etc. are prepared using it.

Tincture recipes

Below you are offered some recipes for homemade red rowan tinctures with various additives to give bright shades of taste and aroma.

You can change the recipe according to your preferences. But if you have little experience in making tinctures, use our recipes. Rowan tincture always tastes good, with the aroma of forest and fresh apples.

Before preparing the tincture, wash the berries thoroughly. It is recommended to rinse it well 5 times. Then no contaminants or small debris will get into the drink, which means the quality of the mountain ash will be higher and it will last longer.

Soft tincture of rowan

If you prefer that your stocks of preparations do not dry out quickly, then the recipe below for a soft rowan tincture with vodka or alcohol is for you.

Ingredients

Rowan - 5-6 kg.
Vodka or alcohol diluted to 45-500 – 7-8 l.
Granulated sugar – 0.5 – 1 kg.

Preparation

Peel the red rowan berries from the branches, wash under running water, let drain and dry.
Pour rowan berries with sugar in a 10 liter glass bottle, alternating layers.
Pour the mixture with alcohol base until it completely covers the berries.
Over the course of 3-4 days, top up with vodka or alcohol, because as the alcohol is absorbed, the level will decrease.
Now leave the container to infuse for 30-35 days in the dark at room temperature.
After 30 days, drain the resulting first infusion.
Fill the remaining berries in the jar with alcohol again and wait another 45 days.
After this period, drain the second infusion, combine with the first, and leave for another 14 days.
The fragrant soft rowan is ready. Don't forget to strain the drink well and bottle it. Store in a cool place.

The longer you keep the finished tincture, the more perfect its taste will be. The period for this is from 6 months to a year.

Fragrant rowan in cognac

Rowan in cognac is already a classic. This drink did not remain on Soviet shelves. Now a similar recipe is used to prepare homemade tincture, but without artificial ingredients - dyes, stabilizers, flavors.

Rowanberry without sugar or honey can be used to treat skin wounds, rashes, suppurations; it promotes faster healing.

Ingredients

Red rowan berries – 500 g.
Cognac – 1 l.
Honey – 200 – 300 g.
Oak bark - 2 tbsp. l.

Choose high-quality cognac for tincture. Counterfeit or cheap, it will ruin the taste of the finished drink.

Cooking process

Pour the sorted, washed, dried berries into a glass or ceramic (not plastic) jar of the required capacity. Mash lightly with a rolling pin or leave whole.
Add honey, oak bark and cognac to the rowan. Stir until the honey dissolves. Close the jar tightly.
The mixture should be kept in a dark place at room temperature for 30 to 90 days. (The longer this period, the tastier).
After infusion, drain the liquid, strain thoroughly, you can leave the tincture for another 14-30 days until clarified. Or use immediately.

Classic rowan tincture

A classic recipe always assumes that you can take it as a base and then add whatever you want. But do not overdo it with quantity so that the quality of the drink does not suffer.

If your health does not allow you to use alcohol tincture of red rowan as a medicine, drink its juice, decoction, eat berries, jam, and marmalade made from it. These products also contain beneficial substances.

Ingredients

Berries – 1 kg.
Vodka – 1-1.5 l.
Sugar - a glass.

Preparation

Prepare red rowan berries as above.
Place them in a glass jar and fill them with good quality vodka.
Soak for 21 days in a dark place. Sweeten the tincture. Wait another 14 days.
Drain the liquid part and squeeze out the berries.
Strain several times to avoid sediment, pour into dark bottles. Store in the refrigerator.

Strong alcohol cannot be stored or infused in plastic containers. A chemical reaction is possible, causing harmful substances to get into the drink.

Tincture of red rowan and oak bast

Oak bast is the part of the bark adjacent directly to the trunk. You can get it by peeling a small tree branch.

To improve appetite, eliminate headaches, and have a general strengthening effect on the body, drink 30 ml of mountain ash twice a day before meals.

Ingredients

Red rowan - glass.
Vodka – 500 ml.
Oak bast – 1 tbsp. l.
Honey – 1 tbsp.

How to insist

Place frozen berries with honey and bast in a jar and fill with vodka.
Shake or stir until the honey is completely dissolved.
Infuse the drink for 2-3 months, as described earlier.
At the end of the infusion period, drain and strain.

Tincture of red rowan and apples

Fragrant, ripe autumn apples serve as an excellent flavor accent in rowan tincture.

Ingredients

Red rowan berries – 0.5 kg.
Apples – 1 kg.
Sugar – 0.3 kg.
Vodka – 1.5 l.

Preparation

Wash and dry the rowan.
Wash the apples, cut out the core, cut into circles.
Place apples and rowan berries in a jar in layers, sprinkle the layers with sugar.
Pour vodka over the fruit until it covers.
Tie the neck of the jar with a clean rag or gauze.
Send the mixture to infuse until the berries lose color, giving it to the tincture. This is approximately 2-3 months.
Drain and strain the finished tincture until transparent.

Rowan tincture with alcohol

Rowan tincture with alcohol is another classic recipe. The alcohol should be diluted to 45-500, then the drink will be more pleasant to drink and will not burn your throat.

To cleanse blood vessels of cholesterol and improve kidney function, take 20 ml of tincture twice a day.

Ingredients

Alcohol – 1 l.
Rowan – 3 kg.
Sugar - a glass.

How to cook

Place red rowan berries in a 5 liter bottle and sprinkle with sugar.
Pour diluted alcohol or very high-quality moonshine over the rowan so that the alcohol covers the berries.
During the first 7-8 days, the alcohol level will decrease, absorbing into the berries, it will have to be topped up.
Leave the rowan tincture to infuse in alcohol for 30 days.
Drain off the first infusion and pour alcohol over the berries again. Leave the secondary portion for one and a half months.
Then drain both portions together and strain. Keep the finished double tincture of red rowan in alcohol for as long as possible. It will become much tastier.

Rowan on vodka with mint

The classic tincture of red rowan with vodka is perfectly complemented by ordinary mint, which adds a coolness to it. The given recipe is technically more complex than the previous ones, but the taste of the drink is also more refined.

Ingredients

Vodka – 1 l.
Rowan – 0.5 kg.
Mint leaves (or lemon balm) - to your taste.
Granulated sugar – 50 g.

How to cook

Crush the sorted clean rowan berries or pass them through a meat grinder and pour in vodka. Leave to infuse for two weeks.
Lightly heat the sugar in a frying pan until it acquires a light caramel color and consistency.
Keep the mint leaves in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, drain and save the resulting decoction.
Drain the red rowan vodka tincture and strain through a fine sieve.
Add sugar and mint decoction to the tincture, mix well.
Let the drink brew for another two weeks.
Strain the tincture at the end of infusion again, pour into bottles and taste.

Tincture of red rowan with honey

This tincture tastes best with cognac. It is consumed as an alcoholic drink more often than medicine. But its benefits are undoubted. After all, it also contains honey. This drink is useful for the prevention of cancer.

When using rowan tincture as a medicine, do not forget about contraindications and side effects. Consult your doctor.

Ingredients

Rowan – 0.5 kg.
Cognac – 1 l.
Honey – 50 g.
Oak bark (pharmaceutical bag) – table. spoon.

Preparation

Lightly crush the rowan directly in the jar, add honey and oak bark.
Pour cognac over the berries, stir until the honey dissolves completely.
Infuse the drink in a dark place for 2-3 months until the berries discolor. Shake the jar of mixture occasionally.
Pour the strained tincture into dark bottles and keep for another month to stabilize the taste.

Sweet rowan tincture with cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice that not everyone loves. But with its participation, rowan tincture becomes much more aromatic and piquant in taste. We invite you to experiment by preparing a drink according to this recipe.

Rowan tincture is easy to drink, it is very tasty, so it is easy to get carried away and not calculate the amount you drink. Be careful! Alcohol is addictive.

Ingredients

Rowan berries – 2 kg.
Alcohol – 1 l.
Water – 1 l.
Sugar – 1 kg.
Cinnamon – a pinch, maybe two.
Lemon zest – 15 g.

Preparation

Make syrup using sugar and water. Skim off the foam during cooking and boil for 10 minutes.
Squeeze the juice from the rowan in any convenient way, strain it through cheesecloth.
In a glass container, mix the cooled syrup, rowan juice, cinnamon, and zest.
Fill the mixture with alcohol. Seal the jar and shake several times to ensure even mixing.
The mixture should infuse for only a few days. Then it needs to be strained and stored in the refrigerator. Some advise doing without insisting. But at the same time, the tincture is not strained, but carefully drained from the sediment as needed.

Harvest Tips

The bush of the plant becomes covered with beautiful clusters of red berries closer to autumn, but this does not mean at all that the period has come when red rowan is harvested. For some time, the berries have a bitter taste, and therefore it is not entirely advisable to pick them yet.

There are some rules for harvesting:

It is advisable to pick berries after the first October frosts, due to the fact that light frost kills bitterness;
according to the timing of the onset of the first frosts, as a rule, the harvest time falls in October - November;
Berries should not be picked near the roads, otherwise it may cause harm to health rather than help.

a brief description of

Red rowan is highly valued as it is a source of vitamins C, A, as well as group B (including PP). In addition, berries contain minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and many others. It is hardly possible to compete with rowan in terms of the composition of nutrients, since just 100 grams of berries contain the daily requirement of almost everything that a person needs for the normal functioning of the body. However, not everyone likes the organoleptic characteristics of rowan.

What does it look like?

Red rowan can be from two to 12 meters in height, so you can find not only trees, but also shrubs. The leaves reach 20 centimeters in length, and each has from seven to fifteen lanceolate leaflets with pointed edges.

Fruits are the main value of a tree. They grow in handfuls and have a spherical shape. The berries are small, round and red when ripe. They are most often used in cooking, cosmetology and folk medicine.

When does it bloom?

Quite often, the flowering time of any plant (not just red rowan) depends on weather conditions and temperature conditions that are established in a particular region. © https://ydoo.info/product/krasnaya-ryabina.html Red rowan blooms from approximately May to June.

When does it ripen?

Flowering lasts from nine days to two weeks, after which fruits begin to form. This usually occurs at the end of August and can last throughout September.

Taste

When rowan has just started, its taste is bitter and tart. It is simply impossible to eat it. Gradually ripening, the berries become softer and acquire a sweet and sour taste. Rowan lovers note that it becomes most delicious after the first frosts have passed. After frost, the berries become sweeter.

After drying, baking and mixing with sweeteners such as honey or sugar, the taste of rowan is improved and resembles candy.

When is red rowan harvested?

To prepare a wide variety of dishes and drinks, you need to wait a certain period after the berries have fully ripened. For jam, wine, liqueurs and tinctures, rowan berries should be collected in November, after the bitterness has gone from the berries. By that time they become tastier and sweeter. Slightly frozen fruits are good for a wide variety of preparations.

Berries for tincture. When to collect red rowan? The main conditions for preparing such alcoholic drinks at home are the pronounced taste and juiciness of rowan berries. The harvest is ready for harvest after the very first autumn frosts or right before them. This is the second half of October or a little later. But you should not allow it to become frozen, otherwise the berries will lose their moisture.
For wine, the harvest time is similar - no later than the beginning of November. By that time, the berries lose some of their astringency, which is not bad for dessert drinks. Dry and semi-dry wines are best made from berries picked in September.
Rowan jam is a rather rare dessert, but it is very tasty, especially if the fruit is harvested on time. When to collect red rowan for jam? If you cook it from ripe, but slightly bitter berries, then the harvest for this can be harvested during the same (above-mentioned) holiday. But the jam will be tastier if you wait until the first frost.

Rules for collecting chokeberry

When collecting ripe chokeberry berries, you must comply with a number of mandatory requirements:

Bunches of berries should be carefully trimmed with garden shears or pruning shears and placed in a clean, dry container (plastic, aluminum, glass) so that they are not damaged.
You need to work in dry, warm weather (if the fruits are wet, they will quickly deteriorate).
Harvesting should be done in the morning (at this time the greatest amount of nutrients is concentrated in the fruits).
You cannot pick up fallen berries from the ground.

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Harvest in the morning in good sunny weather. Wet fruits after rain are not suitable for storage; they must be processed immediately. It is best to place cut bunches in cardboard boxes, since plastic, aluminum or glass containers contribute to the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the fruit.

Benefits and composition

Since ancient times, rowan has been popularly used as an ornamental, medicinal and magical plant. Traditionally, its berries are eaten both fresh and dried, and are also used for canning and cooking.

Since ancient times, people have known its excellent healing properties, today confirmed by science. The berries contain 8-12% sugars, organic acids, a huge range of microelements and vitamins, a small amount of protein, essential oils and tannins.