Dogwood is a shrub with bright oblong red berries. This plant is southern; in the Caucasus it is very common both in the wild and in summer cottages. Dogwood is valued not only for its unusual taste, but also for the healing properties it possesses. In addition to the standard set of vitamins that all berries are rich in, dogwood contains a lot of vitamin P, so it helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels, prevents capillary fragility, and helps with venous insufficiency, swelling of the legs, and inflammation of the veins. Dogwood jam is a very tasty and healthy delicacy. In the Caucasus, it is often used as an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent for colds and flu. Here I will talk about how to make dogwood jam so that it is not only tasty, but also retains all the benefits of this extraordinary berry.

For jam, you can use any dogwood - both wild and garden. They are equivalent in healing properties. But, since dogwood is always boiled with a seed, it is useful to know that in garden varieties, as a rule, the seed is smaller, the berries are more fleshy, and therefore, in culinary terms, it is preferable to use garden dogwood. The jam it makes is thicker and richer. When buying dogwood in the markets, be sure to try and choose a berry that is dark burgundy in color, has a sweeter taste, and has fleshy and juicy pulp.

You will need:

• dogwood 1.5 kg
• sugar 1.5 kg
• water 100 - 300 ml

You will also need enamel dishes - preferably a bowl with a flat bottom and high sides with a volume of 3-3.5 liters.
Advice: lAlways cook any jam in a small container, no more than 1.5 kg of berries. In this case, the jam will heat up faster and more evenly, the berries will not boil over and the syrup will turn out transparent..

From this quantity of products you get 4 half-liter jars of jam.

Step-by-step photo recipe:

Sort through the berries, clean them of debris and impurities, wash them, and place in a colander to drain.

Prepare the syrup: Place sugar in a bowl, add 100 ml of water and, stirring, bring to a boil. If the sugar does not melt well, this may be due to its quality, add more water.

Boil the syrup for 5-7 minutes, stir constantly. Once the syrup thickens, it is ready.

Dip the berries in syrup, mix gently and leave to cool 10-12 hours(I leave it overnight). Do not be embarrassed that there is not enough syrup - soon the dogwood will give juice and the syrup will cover all the berries.

In the morning d bring the jam to a boil. There is no need to boil the jam for 5 minutes, as many cookbooks advise. At the first boil a syrup should form which will cover the berries. Turn off the fire and leave the jam to cool for 10-12 hours- if you start cooking in the morning, then leave it until the evening. As it cools, it is helpful to gently stir the contents of the bowl several times. Don’t be alarmed if, when stirring, you find undissolved sugar at the bottom, this is normal, because the cooking process is only at the very beginning.

Cook the jam in three batches: morning-evening-morning. Or evening-morning-evening, as it suits you. For the second cooking, just like the first, just bring the jam to a boil. For the last third time, boil the jam for 5 minutes, pour into clean, sterilized jars and close with lids. There is no need to wrap the jam in a blanket. How to sterilize jars and lids, see → Leave closed jars to cool at room temperature, then remove for storage. Any “hot jam” can be stored at room temperature.

With this bright and unusual, and for northerners, quite an exotic delicacy, you can forget all your business!

The cultural habitat of dogwood is the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Crimea and Asia. There they prepare traditional dogwood jam with seeds. Since this berry has a slightly sour taste, to make jam, use a little more sugar than the berries themselves. Or they add other fruits or berries, for example, pears or apples.

We will make dogwood jam with the seeds, but you can also take them out; in any case, it will be an excellent addition to tea or coffee. Tasty and healthy even in one teaspoon!

Ingredients

• fresh dogwood – 1 kg;
• granulated sugar – 1.2 kg;
• water – 250 ml.

Preparation

Rinse dogwood berries thoroughly, remove twigs and leaves, and sort. To make jam, it is important to take only whole berries without any signs of spoilage. Bad berries can start the fermentation process and ruin the entire batch. Since this jam is made from whole dogwood, each berry must be whole. Leave the washed berries in a colander for a while to drain, or spread them out on a clean kitchen towel for a few minutes.

Pour water into a saucepan and add sugar. Cook the syrup over low heat. It needs to be stirred from time to time so that the sugar does not burn to the bottom. Once the sugar has completely dissolved and bubbles appear on the syrup, cook for another 5-7 minutes.

While the syrup is boiling, we need to pierce each berry in 2-3 places. You can use a toothpick or other sharp wooden stick. Yes, this procedure is quite tedious, but the berries in the jam will be intact, and the skin will not burst. And anyway, the syrup is not ready yet.

The boiled syrup needs to be cooled slightly. The temperature of the syrup should be approximately 80°C. Since it is impossible to measure this without a special thermometer, leave the syrup on the table for 10 minutes to cool. Place the berries very carefully so as not to get burned by the hot syrup. Then gently shake the pan so that the syrup coats all the berries. Cover the pot with dogwood with a clean towel and leave on the table for at least 8 hours. During this time, the berries will be saturated with syrup and will not burst during cooking.

When time has passed, put the dogwood jam back on the fire. After boiling, cook for 15 minutes over moderate heat, constantly skimming off the foam. Cool completely.

Place the jam on the stove again and let it boil for 10 minutes. If you are preparing jam for long-term storage, you need to skim off the foam with special care. If you plan to use the jam within the next 2 weeks, you don’t have to worry too much about the foam. Sterilize both jars and lids in boiling water. To do this, simply pour a little boiling water into clean jars and leave for 5-7 minutes. When it's time to fill the jars with jam, pour out the water. Bring the lids to a boil in a saucepan of water. It is better to use small jars for jam, because opened jam can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a week. Spread the jam up to the threads of the jars and close with iron lids. Pour and seal the jam only while it is hot. It is even possible to let the jam simmer slightly in the pan while you pour it into jars.

Although, to preserve jam, you can omit sterilizing jars and lids. So rinse and dry the jars and lids. Place the jam in them when completely cooled. Before doing this, it is better to mix it well with a clean ladle or spatula. This method will not affect the storage of jam in any way.

Store dogwood jam with seeds in a cool, dry place for a year. You can make this jam from frozen dogwood using the same principle.

Dogwood is a tree or shrub that grows berries that have a sweet and sour taste, with a pleasant, slightly astringent effect. It is possible to benefit from the components of dogwood: leaves, berries, bark, roots and seeds. Its healing properties are widely used in folk medicine and are also widely used in cooking. Compotes, wines, jams, jams, liqueurs, sauces, soups - and this is not a complete list of what can be prepared from this fruit. In this article we will tell you the benefits of dogwood jam and its properties.

The benefits and harms of dogwood jam

Proper preparation affects the preservation of beneficial properties: vitamins and minerals. They have a beneficial effect on human health. The shelf life of raw berries is only twelve days; after this time, they become dangerous for consumption.

So, what are the benefits of dogwood jam:

1. Anti-inflammatory and cleansing effect for the body.
2. Increasing immunity, strengthening and tonic properties.
3. Regular consumption helps protect against infectious colds.
4. It has a positive effect on cardiovascular diseases, stomach and intestinal disorders.
5. Cleanses the bronchi.
6. Antipyretic effect.

Dogwood is saturated with various beneficial properties, the jam from which contains a high level of ascorbic acid, vitamins E, C and P, provitamin A (carotene). Among the minerals included in the composition are iron, calcium, potassium, sulfur and magnesium. Dogwood is rich in biologically active components: glucose, essential oils, tannins and organic acids.

Due to its effective medicinal properties, dogwood jam is effective in the prevention of sclerosis, liver diseases, stomach infections and skin diseases. It has an antibacterial effect, normalizes blood pressure, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood. Helps reduce body temperature during fever.

These features are widely used in the treatment of many diseases, for example:

• avitaminosis;
• anemia;
• hypertension;
• influenza and acute respiratory infections;
• gout;
• stomatitis;
• eczema, etc.

The benefits of dogwood jam with seeds

The benefit of dogwood jam with seeds lies in the high content of pectin, which helps remove harmful toxins from the body. Since the seeds are less susceptible to loss of beneficial qualities during heat treatment, such a delicacy will bring maximum benefit. It is also useful for improving the gastrointestinal tract.

Unfortunately, some of the valuable properties of the berries are lost during cooking. In order to minimize losses, it is necessary to reduce the heat treatment time.

But we should not forget about the harmfulness of the fetus. It is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, with individual intolerance, an easily excitable nervous system, gastritis, diabetes, increased blood clotting, as well as people suffering from insomnia, as they excite the body, giving it a boost of energy. Excessive consumption of dogwood jam leads to flatulence, diarrhea, kidney disease and weight gain. Any food with the addition of dogwood is not compatible with the simultaneous use of medications.

When using jam as a traditional treatment, it is recommended to avoid Jamaican dogwood, as it is potentially highly toxic and is contraindicated for food. It is prescribed exclusively in extreme cases of acute diseases and only under strict medical supervision in precise dosages.

Dogwood is a red, sweet and sour berry the size of an olive. It has found wide application in cooking. So, these berries are consumed dried as a dessert; they are used to make compotes, jellies, marshmallows, as well as sauces and gravies for meat and fish. From the same article you will learn how to make dogwood jam, the benefits and harms of which are discussed in its very first lines.

Properties of dogwood jam

The benefits of dogwood jam

Properly prepared dogwood jam has a number of beneficial properties. It preserves the vitamins and minerals found in fresh berries, and they have a positive effect on health.

Rich chemical composition of berries

The benefits of any product are determined by its mineral and vitamin composition. As for dogwood, it is famous, first of all, for its high content of ascorbic acid. In terms of its concentration, it surpasses even blackcurrant and lemon. Dogwood berries also contain vitamins E and P, provitamin A (carotene). The mineral composition is dominated by iron, calcium, potassium, sulfur and magnesium. Among the biologically active components are organic acids, tannins, glucose and fructose, and essential oils.

As you know, during cooking, beneficial substances are partially lost. In order to preserve them as much as possible, it is necessary to reduce the duration of heat treatment. Below you will find recipes for making jam that help minimize the loss of vitamins and minerals. The result is not just a tasty, but also a healthy treat.

Help with colds

Since dogwood jam contains a lot of vitamin C, as well as other substances that can have an antibacterial effect, it copes well with various symptoms of colds. In this case, it is often used in the same way as honey. It is useful to consume jam with warm drinks - tea, milk, herbal decoctions, for a speedy recovery. The same can be done for prevention. But in this case there are no strict rules. To protect yourself from colds, it is enough to eat jam in reasonable quantities throughout the cold season. You can simply spread it on fresh crispy buns, add it to porridge, cottage cheese, desserts, serve with tea, etc.

General strengthening of the body

Since dogwood berries and leaves are rich in biologically active compounds, they are used in folk medicine for the preparation of medicinal products. Jam does not have a high concentration of nutrients, so it can only act as a general strengthening product. In particular, lovers of this dessert are less likely than others to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, stomach and intestinal disorders. Such people are cheerful and mobile, and rarely get sick.

Harm of dogwood jam

But when you start regularly consuming dogwood jam, the benefits and harms of it should be fully known to you. In particular, such a delicacy has contraindications. First of all, these include diabetes mellitus, since any jam is prepared based on berries or fruits and sugar, including dogwood jam.

For the same reason, it should not be consumed in large quantities. Sugar is not good for the body as a whole, and it also has a detrimental effect on dental health.

Dogwood dishes are not recommended for people with high stomach acidity and chronic constipation. In addition, individual intolerance to berries sometimes manifests itself, in which case it is also worth giving up jam.

Dogwood: useful base for jam with a long shelf life

How to make dogwood jam?

Quick recipe

To get not a simple, but a healthy dogwood delicacy, the jam should be cooked according to a special, quick recipe.

Ingredient proportions:

1. Dogwood - 1 kg;
2. Sugar - 1.5 kg;
3. Water - 2 glasses.

Fresh berries need to be carefully sorted, freeing them from twigs and leaves, and then rinsed well. Next you need to prepare the syrup. To do this, mix sugar with water and boil until a homogeneous liquid mass is obtained. Pour hot syrup over the berries and place them on low heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, and then immediately pour into sterilized jars and seal. Store the jam in a cool, dark place.

Dogwood jam with wine

Wine is often used when making dogwood jam. It gives the dessert an exquisite, sophisticated taste. To prepare it you will need:

1. Dogwood - 1 kg;
2. Sugar - 1 kg;
3. Dry or semi-dry wine - 350 ml.

Sort the berries, rinse and fill with hot water. After a few seconds, a maximum of a minute, drain it. Heat the wine in a separate container, add sugar and, stirring, cook until a homogeneous syrup forms. Pour the berries into it and simmer all together, skimming off the foam, for no more than 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for the jam to cool completely, then bring it to a boil and cool completely again. The last stage of preparation is to place the container on the stove and after boiling the contents, simmer it over low heat for about 7 minutes. Pour the jam into prepared sterile jars, wait until it cools and store in a cool place.

To maintain good health, you need to pay attention to what you eat. Even desserts can be healthy. By choosing dogwood jam, the benefits and harms of which depend only on compliance with the rules of use, you get a delicacy that can protect you from various ailments. It will help cope with colds, strengthen the immune system, and give vigor. It is only important to remember the contraindications and eat jam in reasonable quantities.

I like the slightly sour taste of this jam. I make it every year, although the preparation itself requires time and patience. And since dogwood is reluctant to give up juice, this berry needs special preparation.

Dogwood jam is prepared with or without seeds, sometimes it is ground.

Dogwood jam, recipes for the winter

Secrets of delicious jam:

• Dogwood cannot be cooked for a long time; with prolonged heat treatment, the berries become hard. Therefore, the best option is several cooking approaches.
• Before cooking, the berries need to be pricked; it is best to do this with a regular toothpick so that the juice comes out easier.
• To make dogwood jam beautiful, you need to preserve the integrity of the berries; to do this, you can simply hold them in a weak soda solution (a teaspoon of soda per liter of water), and then rinse thoroughly. Keeping the dogwood in the soda is enough for 10 minutes.
• If you do not want to cook dogwood with seeds, then it is better to rub it through a sieve and remove the seeds.

Dogwood jam with stones

Ingredients:

• A kilo of dogwood berries
• One and a half kilograms of sugar
• Half a liter of water

Sort the berries, keep only the good ones, rinse. Prick each berry with a toothpick. Then boil syrup from water and sugar and pour the prepared dogwood into a very hot one. Keep in syrup for 3-4 hours.

Now carefully remove the berries with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup for about five minutes. Put the berries back in for the same amount of time and pull them out again. In general, repeat the entire process. The third time, also soak the berries for several hours, only this time do not take them out, but boil them until tender. At the end, determine readiness with a drop of jam; if it holds its shape, then it can be poured into sterilized jars.

Delicious dogwood jam

Cooking takes less time, and the jam turns out thick and beautiful.

Will need:

• A kilogram of dogwood berries
• Two hundred kilograms of sugar
• 1/4 cup water

How to cook

Wash and select only good berries, without stains or damage. Prick each with a toothpick, this will release the juice faster. Cover the dogwood with sugar and wait until the sugar is saturated with juice without any residue.

Pour water there and put on fire. As soon as it boils, immediately turn off the heat and skim off any foam that appears. Let the jam cool and then repeat the whole process. Next, put the prepared jam into jars.

Dogwood jam without seeds

This ground jam is convenient to use for various types of baked goods; for example, a pie with this filling is very tasty.

Products:

• Half a kilo of ripe dogwood
• Half a kilo of sugar
• Glass of water

How to make dogwood jam

In this option, it is advisable to choose the ripest berries, sort them and wash them. To grind them, you need to pour water over the berries and simmer a little, about 15 minutes. Then rub through a sieve and mix with sugar. The cooking time for this dogwood jam after boiling is 3 minutes.

A simple recipe for dogwood jam

This recipe is easy as it takes little time and this makes it popular.

We will need:

• A kilogram of ripe dogwood berries
• Half a liter of water
• Kilo five hundred sugar

Making jam

We inspect all the berries so that we don’t get any spoiled or bruised ones, and at the same time we remove all the branches. We rinse under the tap several times and let the water drain.

While excess water drains from the berries, begin to cook the syrup. Boil it for about five minutes and immediately pour the berries in, leave it like this for five hours. Only after this we put it on low heat and cook the berries for ten minutes. Then immediately pour into clean and dry jars.

Dogwood jam with apples

Dogwoods ripen in the fall, at the same time as apples. And this allows you to prepare a very tasty, unique, delicious dogwood jam with the addition of apples.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kilograms of dogwood
• 0.5 kilograms of apples
• 1.5 kilograms of sugar
• 1.5 glasses of water

The process of making jam

Remove the seeds from the berries that have been selected and washed. Wash the apples, peel them and cut them into slices half a centimeter wide. Separately cook the syrup from water and sugar. Pour two thirds of it into the berries and begin to cook over low heat, and pour the rest into the apples and cook until the slices become transparent and soft. Then mix dogwood with apples and cook until the mixture thickens. Place into sterile jars.

The benefits of dogwood jam

Dogwood has various beneficial properties; its jam contains a high level of ascorbic acid, vitamins E, C and P, provitamin A (carotene).

Among the minerals included in the composition, we note such as: iron, calcium, potassium, sulfur and magnesium. Dogwood is rich in biologically active components: glucose, fructose, essential oils, tannins and organic acids.

Thanks to the valuable qualities of dogwood, jam also has such beneficial properties as:

• astringent for people who have problems with the stomach and intestines;
• increases the activity of the pancreas;
• improves food digestion, increases appetite;
• has diuretic, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, choleretic properties, therefore it is used for cystitis and inflammation of the bladder;
• tones, invigorates and strengthens the body;
• increases immunity;
• normalizes vascular pressure in the brain and arterial;
• prevents the occurrence of sclerosis;
• reduces headaches;
• strengthens the walls of capillaries and blood vessels, as a result of which it is useful for inflammation of the veins, leg swelling, fragile capillaries, venous insufficiency;
• used for joint diseases, skin diseases, eczema, gout, liver and kidney diseases;
• improves and normalizes metabolism;
• useful for gastritis and ulcers, acute gastroenterocolitis, rheumatism, polyarthritis;
• has an antiscorbutic effect;
• used for deficiency of vitamins, micro- and macroelements, anemia, fever;
• helps with colds, flu, bronchitis, sore throat, sinusitis, scarlet fever;
• reduces joint pain;
• has antipyretic properties;
• used for hemorrhoids, typhoid, anemia, gout, dysentery;
• recommended for bleeding and diseases of the oral cavity.

Harm of dogwood jam

However, there are contraindications; the use of dogwood is not recommended for:

• increased acidity;
• constipation;
• easily excitable nervous system, nervous overexcitation and agitation (especially not to be consumed at night);
• individual intolerance.

Recipe for simple dogwood jam, video