Blueberries are a particularly useful and unique berry, found in the wild and domesticated. The berry is small in diameter (6-13 mm). It is dark blue or black. Sometimes you can see a slight bluish bloom on it. It is round in shape (ball). There are seeds inside the fruit.
Berry features
Almost 85% of the berry is water. The calorie content of the fruit is 42 kcal per 100 grams of the product, therefore this berry is suitable for dietary nutrition.
Blueberries are high in carbohydrates, in particular:
- fructose;
- pectins;
- glucose;
- sucrose.
In addition, it contains a lot:
- vitamins (groups B, C, PP, A);
- anthocyanites (malvidin, myrtilin, delphinidin, idain);
- flavonoids (astragalin, hyperin);
- organic acids (lactic, oxalic, malic, succinic, citric);
- phenols;
- microelements and macroelements (iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iron, gold, cobalt, silver);
- tannins;
- routine.
Where blueberries grow
Given such a rich content, blueberries are recommended by doctors for anemia, various kinds of bleeding. It is often used in pharmaceuticals.
Characteristics of blueberries
Since childhood, every Russian knows a picture of blueberries. A small growth (up to 20-40 cm), a bush with dark blue, almost black, round berries is not only a source of tasty fruits, but also medicines.
You can not confuse the bush with other forest plants due to the following features:
- stems - mostly erect or ascending;
- stem color - greenish brown;
- leaves - are ovoid, hold on short stalks, are green, slightly pointed tip; total length - 9-20 mm; for the winter, almost all the leaves fall off.
The plant begins to bloom in April-May. The corolla is greenish-white or greenish-pinkish in color. A nectar with a very pleasant aroma and a reddish color. Growing blueberry bushes is beneficial for bees, because this plant is an excellent honey plant.
It is useful to use infusions, decoctions, teas, blueberry jam, as well as raw berries for:
- eliminate diarrhea, improve intestinal motility;
- control of glucose levels in diabetes mellitus;
- reduction of inflammatory processes;
- positive effect on the liver;
- strengthening the nervous system;
- healing wounds;
- improving visual acuity;
- treatment of diseases of the urinary system;
- improving blood tests.
Healthy blueberries
Where it grows in Russia
Most often, blueberries are found in the coniferous forest, as well as in swampy areas. This plant is very fond of moisture and shade. Sometimes the plant can be found in mixed plantings. Loves blueberries and hillside.
You should not look for a blueberry bush in an open field or in places with a warm climate. Answering the question: where do blueberries and blueberries grow in Russia, it should be said that these plants can be found in almost every region, so it is not without reason that blueberries received the status of "folk berries". Of course, there are places in Russia where blueberries are especially dense and rich in harvest. These include regions:
- Nizhny Novgorod;
- Novosibirsk;
- Chelyabinsk;
- Leningradsky;
- Khabarovsk;
- Tyumen.
Also, a lot of blueberries can be collected in Karelia, Siberia, Trans-Urals.The residents of the capital also have a chance to enjoy their own blueberries, because Moscow and its suburbs are well suited for the germination of blueberry bushes.
Those who are interested in where blueberries grow in the Moscow region should learn about such "berry" places:
- in the floodplain of the Dubna River, in the forest zone between Dmitrovsky district and Taldomsk;
- the northern part of the Losiny Ostrov park;
- virtually the entire Lotoshinsky district and Shakhovskoy;
- the map of the Moscow region makes it clear that suitable forest breeding grounds for blueberries can be found in the east of the region, in particular, in: Shatursky, Yegoryevsky districts, Meshcherskaya lowland;
- in the suburbs of the city of Vare (in the Naro-Fominsk region).
Picking blueberries
The neighboring Moscow region, the Vladimir region, is also rich in blueberries.
Since the berries have a very thin skin and are easily injured, it is best to pick them by hand. Beforehand, hands are protected with rubber gloves, because the berry contributes to a strong color of the skin. For industrial purposes, blueberries are harvested using vacuum devices - a special device with a diesel engine and a pump. This one sucks in berries like a vacuum cleaner.
Craftsmen sometimes make their own berry picking tools. One of these is a mini-harvester, similar to an inverted rake with teeth, it makes it possible to pick berries from the side where it is difficult to reach with your hand. It is best to use a plastic or glass container for transporting blueberries.
How to procure
The garden and the vegetable garden are planted with blueberry bushes not only to obtain juicy berries, but also leaves. The best way to preserve them is to dry them. You can use special electrical devices or provide natural drying.
Blueberry jam
As for harvesting berries for the winter, there are several options:
- Drying. If this process occurs in a natural way, without the use of devices and high temperatures, then the berry will be able to preserve the greatest amount of nutrients and vitamins. Since dirt and all kinds of leaves quickly adhere to wet blueberries, you first need to carefully sort it out and rinse it. A thin layer of berries is poured onto a tray, baking sheet or other surface and placed outside in the sun. The berries need to be mixed from time to time so that they do not start to rot;
- Freezing. Blueberries are a berry that you can safely freeze. After defrosting, it does not lose its useful properties and remains as tasty as fresh. Before sorting the berries into packages or containers, it is worth rinsing and drying them first;
- Cover with sugar. Sometimes blueberries are simply sprinkled with sugar and kept in a glass container. After a while, she lets out the juice. In order not to spoil the product and not cause its fermentation, a jar of blueberries should be stored in a cool place (basement or refrigerator);
- Canning. Blueberries make an incredibly tasty jam. It can be eaten on its own or used for some baked goods. You can also add blueberries to different compotes. You can find more than a dozen useful recipes on the net. Blueberries go well with plums, apples.
Summing up, it should be said that blueberries are a particularly valuable berry for humans. It has a good effect on virtually all systems and tissues, as well as vision and blood. Therefore, you should not be lazy to collect and harvest it for the winter.
In our region, blueberries grow in every forest, as the places are swampy and warm. The only thing that collecting it is a laborious and energy-consuming process, all the same, each berry has to be torn off. And for collection with special scoops, they are fined.
My grandmother always had bushes of various forest berries on ropes in the attic, including blueberries, so she simply cut twigs with berries into a teapot with scissors and poured boiling water over them. The tea is awesome! And buns with dried blueberries instead of raisins - this is something - beyond words, raisins are resting)))
I have always envied those who can pick blueberries close to home. In our Kursk region, it is not, at least in the southern part. And in stores it costs a lot of money, and its quality is not so great.
I really like this berry, but in our Volgograd region it does not grow anywhere. Sometimes relatives bring it from the Tyumen region, then we prepare it for future use, and there is enough to eat.
My neighbors come from the Vologda region. Every year, at the end of July, they go there in full force to pick blueberries. Not a bad income, but the most delicious and healthy jam for the eyes.
Every summer as a child I spent with my grandparents in a village in the Arkhangelsk region (almost the border with the Komi Republic). That's where there are a lot of blueberries! I remember that my grandmother gave me homemade rakes with a box, so that when picking berries my hands would not get dirty. Then at home, of course, when fingering blueberries, my hands (and tongue :-)) were black. Granny made pickled blueberries and dried them on a Russian stove. Favorite delicacy!
We used to dry blueberries for the winter. And recently they began to freeze. It is not difficult, and the taste is better preserved. The only negative is that you need a lot of space in the freezer.