Blackberry is the queen among the berries. She is very beautiful, has a noble dark purple color and a pleasant aroma. It reminds one of raspberries, therefore it belongs to the same family with it. Suitable for preparing various desserts, pastries, soups and cereals. However, many chefs prefer to cook tincture at home from blackberry tincture. This drink is very tasty and healthy, can be used to treat colds.
Where to get a berry and which one to use?
There are three places where you can get a blackberry for making tinctures: in a store, in a forest or in your own garden. In supermarkets, berries are usually sold frozen. As a rule, it is already selected and prepared for further use. Before cooking, it remains only to let it melt at room temperature and wash.
Forest blackberry most often grows near rivers. It is easiest to collect for villagers who know the area like 5 of their fingers. City dwellers may not find her. When picking berries from the bushes, one should be careful, the branches cling to clothes and prick strongly. Use the fruits for cooking immediately, since they are not stored for a long time.
Another option is to collect blackberries in your garden. It is clear that for this it must first be planted and grown. The best varieties to date are considered to be non-bearing - Loch Ness, Navajo and some others. Homemade blackberries are simple to collect and use, it is tastier. But you need to be prepared for the fact that she does not have the unique delicate aroma that the forest has.
Whatever blackberry you use - forest, garden or purchased, see that it is ripe, dry and fairly hard. Tails, damage, non-standard color, mold on the berries should not be. Otherwise, a good tincture to make based on them will not work. She just doesn’t deserve to spoil.
The benefits of blackberry tincture
This drink made on moonshine, alcohol or vodka is considered healing. It helps the body to improve the functioning of the stomach and intestines, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the joints, allows you to get rid of inflammatory processes, including in the kidneys and bladder. It can be used as an antipyretic.
A similar effect on the body is due to the presence in the berries of blackberry and any drinks made from them of a number of useful substances: organic acids (ascorbic, citric, nicotinic and malic), vitamins P and K, retinol, iron, manganese, calcium and so on. Thus, drinking tincture for a little bit is very good for health.
Cooking secrets
Blackberry tincture should be prepared immediately after picking the berries or buying them. To do this, the berry must be washed and carefully dried, laid out on paper towels. Then transfer to clean jars, fill with the amount of sugar indicated in the selected recipe, add, if necessary, other ingredients: a sprig of mint, a slice of lemon and so on. Insist up to 4 weeks, periodically shaking. Pour over cheesecloth into a clean bottle. That’s it, it’s done.
Moonshine Recipe
This tincture of blackberries effectively helps in the fight against colds and pneumonia, helps cure joint inflammation. It can be used to gargle with gum disease and just to improve mood.
Ingredients
- purified moonshine - 1 liter;
- clean water - 0.5 l;
- sugar - 0.2 kg;
- blackberry - 1 kg;
- net jar.
Cooking
Wash the glass container with soda, sterilize and dry a little. Put berries in it along with sugar, pour moonshine. Leave on for 4 days, not forgetting to shake periodically. Filter the resulting liquid from the precipitate with gauze. Pour the remaining berries on the fabric with water, leave for 4 hours. Mix everything, strain again. Pour into bottles, put on a shelf in a cupboard.
The recipe for alcohol
A tincture prepared with alcohol is no worse in taste than made with moonshine. It is recommended for use in atherosclerosis, the presence of inflammatory processes, gastritis. It is prepared quite easily.
Ingredients:
- mint leaves - 1-2 pcs.;
- blackberry - 0.3 kg;
- lemon zest - a little;
- alcohol - 0.5 l;
- sugar - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
- clean sterilized jar.
Cooking
To prepare a tincture of blackberry for alcohol, you need to take a glass container and immerse in it clean and well-selected berries, mint leaves and lemon zest, mix gently (best with a wooden stick or spoon). Pour all the ingredients with alcohol, remove for 1 month (you can slightly more) in a dark, cool room. Then filter, pour into a clean bottle and refrigerate.
The recipe for tincture on vodka
In the infusion of blackberries on vodka, you can add other berries, for example, raspberries or black currants, as well as jam. The usefulness of the drink from this will only increase. It will have relaxing and firming properties, will be able to help with sore throat or flu.
Ingredients:
- blackberries - 0.2 kg;
- 40% vodka - 1 liter;
- blackcurrant (or jam) - 0.2 kg;
- sugar - about 4 tbsp. spoons.
Cooking
The recipe for blackberry tincture on vodka is as follows: thoroughly wash an ordinary three-liter jar with soda, rinse, sterilize for 15 minutes. Let it dry a little. Put berries and sugar in it, pour vodka. Cover with gauze and clean in a dark place. Insist for 1-1.5 months, making sure that mold does not appear. To avoid its formation, it is recommended to periodically shake the container, at least once every 1-2 weeks. After the brewing time has passed, strain the drink through cheesecloth, pour into a dry bottle. Put in the refrigerator. Store up to 5 years.
Blackberry tincture for grinding
In addition to being used inside, blackberry tincture is often used to rub sore spots for rheumatism, back pain (if there are no chronic diseases), arthrosis, and so on. To create ointments together with berries, leaves are traditionally used.
Ingredients:
- fresh leaves - 50 grams;
- vodka - 1 bottle.
Cooking
The recipe for a tincture of blackberry at home in this case is very simple: you need to collect the leaves that do not have any damage, wash them, rinse with boiling water, slightly dry, transfer to a glass jar and pour vodka. Close the container with a nylon cover, remove for 7 days in a dark place. After pour into a dry bottle and refrigerate.
Take note!
According to whatever recipe you are preparing a tincture of blackberry, it can be used for compresses to treat colds. To do this, you need to wet dry clean gauze in the drink and place it on the chest. Wear warm clothing on top or climb under a thick blanket. Since you need to sweat well after this procedure, it is best to do it before bedtime. Since the compress is absolutely safe, it can also be done by young children, with the possible exception of only newborns and allergy sufferers.