When the dogwood ripens. Legend of Kizil

Despite the fact that this versatile plant has tasty fruits, a wide range of medicinal properties and decorative diversity, it is undeservedly deprived of attention from gardeners and farms, which, in my opinion, is an omission. In Ukraine, for example, dogwood is found only in some southern regions and in Transcarpathia. In order to want to grow this autumn berry on your site, you need to understand all its advantages and gifts that it can reward you with in recognition. In this article, I want to pay attention, first of all, to the taste and beneficial properties of dogwood. I will share recipes for a healing decoction and a delicious dessert. So let's get to know each other!

What can I say about dogwood...

• The real "male tree" comes from the Caucasian forests, thanks to its strong wood, it has forever gone down in history as an ideal plant for making weapons.
• Dogwood reaches 5 – 6 m tall and has a very early bright yellow bloom, before the foliage and all other vegetation in the neighborhood have blossomed. But this fact does not at all guarantee you a quick harvest, because the fruits of the dogwood ripen by late autumn.
• They resemble in taste, combining the astringency of cranberries paired with sour-aromatic cherries.
• Dogwood from a family of centenarians, is able to live up to 150 years in one place and, with appropriate care, give high yields.
• By popular belief it is believed that the richer the dogwood harvest, the more severe the winter cold will be. This sign – an echo of one eastern legend about the "shaitan berry", where evil spirit doubled the cornelian yield due to greater solar heat consumption.
• Dogwood was the number one berry during the First World War, when with the help of its beneficial properties they were saved from scurvy. Today, dogwood is recommended to be included in the diet for medical reasons to prevent beriberi and increase the body's endurance.

Dogwood and its beneficial properties

There are about 44 calories in 100 g of dogwood. Its pulp is saturated with biologically active substances necessary for the normal functioning of the body, such as potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Very often dogwood is used for preventive and therapeutic purposes. And for the preparation of medicinal infusions, all parts are used medicinal plant- berries, leaves, bark and even roots.

"A hundred troubles - one answer"

• The increased content of vitamins C and PP contributes to good elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, which, in turn, affects the normalization of blood pressure.
• The tannins and astringents contained in the berries will help to quickly cope with inflammatory processes, therefore, an infusion of freshly squeezed dogwood juice is successfully used in the treatment of inflammation of the throat mucosa, as well as in periodontal disease and stomatitis. In this case, the juice is used as a rinse. In case of allergic skin reactions, hives, itching, tissue lotions from grated berries can be applied to inflamed areas of the body.
• An excellent tool for immunostimulation of the body, especially for prevention colds. And in case of metabolic disorders and poor appetite, instead of expensive vitamins, I advise you to drink 2 tablespoons of fresh dogwood juice 3 times a day.
• The high content of potassium, vitamin C and the high content of fruit acids in the berry has a detrimental effect on the bacteria of the typhoid-dysenteric group: streptococci, tubercle bacillus. Therefore, dogwood is successfully used in the treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, helping to restore its normal functioning.

Recipe for healing decoction:

A decoction of fruits is prepared at the rate of 2 tablespoons of dogwood berries per 1 cup hot water. Boil for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve or gauze and hot bring the volume to the original. Take a ready-made broth 1/2 cup 3 times a day. For children, jelly is boiled at the rate of 3 tablespoons of soaked or fresh fruits per 1 glass of water. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals. With gastric colic, as an analgesic, dogwood infusion from fresh or dried fruits and dogwood jam helps well.

How to harvest and store crops?

Harvesting dogwood fruits should begin as soon as the berries have acquired their natural red color, without waiting until they become soft or dark. Don't pick dogwood when it's raining or when it's dewy, because wet fruit will disappear very quickly. The fact is that dogwood berries do not ripen at the same time, and this complicates the harvesting process, requiring several approaches as it ripens. Picked berries should be left to ripen wicker baskets or wooden boxes in a dry room for 10 – 14 days. After this period, ripe dogwood darkens, acquires sweetness and enhances its aroma. For the collection of dogwood leaves (which are often used in the preparation of healthy infusions), it is best suited summer period from June to July, when the foliage is still "full of strength" and useful substances. The bark is harvested in the spring, during sap flow. autumn or in early spring it's time to collect the roots. The collected leaves, bark and roots are dried in a dryer or in a warm place outside in direct sunlight.

dogwood keeps well in wicker baskets

Culinary delights

In the Caucasus, dogwood is used to make “healthy pita bread” – excellent diet dish very vitamin. Balanced combination of sugar, lemon, apple and succinic acid, and essential oils, pectin, tannins and vitamin C make dried and fresh fruits an ideal seasoning for meat and fish dishes. From dogwood, jelly, marmalade, jams, extracts, syrups, fruit drinks, fillings, amazing soft drinks and even wine are obtained. My grandmother often made dogwood jam and for some reason called it "carnelian". Probably because it resembled glitter in color semi-precious stones carnelian – "Carnelian is red like blood, transparent." Over time, I tried to improve my grandmother's jam recipe by adding some new ingredients, and now I am happy to share it with you.

store jam in a cool place

Cornelian cherry jam

The easiest part of this process – picking berries, and the most difficult – separate the pulp from the stone. For me, all this processing of berries has always been a difficult test. – until I resorted to one little trick, immersing them in warm water for a few minutes, which made them soft. Someone can use the usual kitchen knife, carefully cutting out the bones from the berries, but I decided to speed up the process by using a “masher” for cooking mashed potatoes. As an alternative – grate the pulp. Of course, a lot will depend on the chosen dogwood variety, there are quite large varieties that are well separated from the pulp.

Ingredients:

Dogwood - 800 g (the taste of the berries will vary from bitter to sweet and sour depending on maturity)

Sugar - 400 g

Lime - 1 piece (can be replaced with an orange)

Pink water – 2 tablespoons (Rose water is often used in oriental cooking. Its recipe is very simple: pour 15 buds of fragrant rose petals onto the bottom of a wide saucepan and put a jar or bowl in the center. Pour the contents with water so that it covers the petals, but does not reach the edge Bring the liquid to a boil, then make the fire moderate, and at the same time turn the lid of the pan with the handle inward so that the steam collects in the center of the lid, settling on the handle (which must be iron), and the “rose water” flows into the bowl. )

Cardamom powder - ¼ teaspoon

Water - 800 ml

Cooking method:

To make jam, we need a saucepan with a thick bottom, where we first add berries and water. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Do not forget to remove the resulting foam with a slotted spoon. After 15 minutes, remove the boiling berries from the stove and filter through a colander, and return the liquid back to the pan. Now the "magic" of the culinary arts begins – add lime juice, sugar, cardamom powder. Let everything mix and boil. Cook dogwood nectar for no more than five minutes, stirring often. And now the final touch – add rose water and leave to languish over medium heat for another 20 – 30 minutes to thicken. Then remove the pan from the heat, pour the liquid over glass jars for jam and send it to the refrigerator or, if you have it, to the cellar, it will also be fine there.

My grandmother's upgraded "carnelian jam" paired with fresh bread and feta cheese makes for a great breakfast. Bon appetit!

dogwood lives and bears fruit up to 200 years

dogwood jam preserves vitamins

Let's hope that in the future Ukrainian farmers will actively start supplying this useful fruit to local markets. In the meantime, I enjoy dogwood jam in the shade of my garden. Perhaps someday these magnificent plants with red late berries will grow not only on summer cottages, but also in parks, along the roads of busy streets. About new fruit and ornamental varieties dogwood, I will definitely tell you about the method of planting and care next time. By the way, I almost forgot to mention one more useful property of dogwood. This plant will serve as a good protection against insects, so I advise you to plant it, not far from the windows. Take care of yourself and be healthy!

Dogwood - male berry

Shaitanova's berry has gained such fame also because in the East they believe that tea or compote from it increases potency, so they are drunk immediately before a pleasant process.

* "The natives of the Crimea, - writes a great connoisseur of the nature of the Crimea, - V.Kh. Kondaraki in 1883, - consider the dogwood fruit to be extremely useful for all kinds of diseases, if it is used in the form of a decoction. In these beliefs, they say that all the famous physicians of ancient times, visiting Taurida, did not stay in it because they saw a lot of dogwood, as the best doctor against all diseases inherent in the human body.


* Dogwood, like wild rose, helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels, prevents the fragility of capillaries, is used for venous insufficiency, swelling of the legs, inflammation of the veins.

Dogwood improves metabolic processes in the body, is used for joint diseases, gout, it is used for skin diseases, as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent for acute inflammation of the bladder, cystitis.
Also, for a long time, dogwood wood has been highly valued for its beautiful texture and extraordinary hardness and strength. In ancient times, back in the Bronze Age, it was called - hard as a horn and was used to make spears, sword handles, sticks, canes, etc.


* Dogwood blooms (in nature) very early - as early as February. It happens that even the snowdrops do not appear, and the dogwood is already in bloom.
Dogwood
Sergei Prilutsky
Dogwood delighted today
Blooms with its honey color
As if the sun had shed a ray
There is a lot of light here.

Where did the bee come from?
But the flies are still not visible,
Now she'll eat her fill
And even now I'm envious.

But the main thing is that there is no foliage,
Tree crowns do not rustle,
But dogwood flowers
We are given yellow buds.


However, its flowering stretches for a long time (sometimes until the first days of May). It would seem that with such an early flowering and fruits should be expected early, but no - only by autumn its berries ripen. Just on this discrepancy early flowering And late ripening founded one of oriental legends about dogwood.

When Allah created the world, he lay down to rest, and a blissful spring came on the earth. Buds began to bloom, trees turned green, flowers began to appear. There was a big noise here. This one grabs one thing, that one pulls another, they quarrel among themselves, swear. Allah could not stand it, woke up and began to restore order. First of all, he called everyone to him and said this: "My foolish children! You will spoil all the gardens. I command each of you to choose some plant for yourself, so that in the future you will only use it." What started here! Who asks for a cherry, who asks for an apple tree, who asks for a peach. Shaitan approached Allah.

And what did you choose? - asked Allah.
- Kizil.
- Why dogwood?
- So, - Shaitan did not want to tell the truth.
- Well, take dogwood, - said Allah.

Shaitan jumped merrily, still - he deftly outwitted everyone, asking for a dogwood for himself. Dogwood, after all, is the first to bloom, which means it will yield a crop before other plants. And the first berry, as you know, is the most expensive. But now summer has come, the fruits of sweet cherries, cherries, apple trees, pears, and peaches have begun to ripen. And the dogwood was still not ripe and still remained hard and green. Shaitan sits under a tree, gets angry: "Yes, ripen soon, Shaita-new berry!" Dogwood does not ripen. Then Shaitan began to blow on the berries, and they turned red-red, like a flame, but, as before, remained hard and sour.

Well, how is your dogwood? people asked Shaitan.
- Muck, not berries, take them for yourself.

In late autumn, when the harvest in the gardens was already harvested, people went to the forest for dogwood. Gathering delicious, ripe berries, they laughed at Shaitan: "Shaitan miscalculated!" Meanwhile, Shaitan was furious with anger and thought how to take revenge on people. And he came up with. The next autumn, he made it so that the dogwood was born twice as much. But in order for it to ripen, it needed twice as much heat. People rejoiced at the large harvest, not suspecting that these were the tricks of Shaitan. And the sun was exhausted during the summer and could not send enough heat to the earth. And such a harsh winter came that all the gardens froze, and people remained a little alive. Since then, there has been a sign: if big harvest dogwood - to be cold in winter.

* A dogwood appeared, as he says ancient legend, from the spear with which the founder of Rome, Romulus, first outlined the boundaries of the future the eternal city, and then with force he plunged the spear into the ground, and it blossomed into a dogwood tree. Obviously, therefore, the Greeks and Romans made sword hilts, arrows and spears mainly from dogwood wood, and dogwood itself was called a tree, "friendly with weapons." By the way, the famous Odysseus also had a dogwood spear shaft.

From time immemorial, a decoction of dogwood leaves has been used to treat intestinal diseases, and a decoction of the fruit has been used to treat colds and fever. In addition, the fruits have bactericidal properties. Already in our time, it has been established that dogwood bark, its berries and leaves contain organic acids, sugars, pectins, tannins, and they contain as much vitamin C as black currants.

In the Caucasus, mashed dogwood berries have long been used to make a special vitamin pita bread. It is known that during the First World War, with the help of such lavash, it was possible to eliminate scurvy on the Caucasian front.

Residents of the southern regions, where dogwood is common, unripe berries are salted with bay leaves and fennel. They taste like the famous olives. Perhaps this recipe has come down to us from the time Ancient Greece and Rome, where they also salted dogwood fruits and ate them with bread and cheese, and some with meat and fish, depending on wealth.


***
I asked at the top, overgrown with dogwood:
"What manhood serve as a measure?
"Attitude towards a woman," the sky said in response.

Rasul Gamzatov


There is a Christian legend (of unknown origin) that the Holy Cross was made from dogwood.

Dogwoods were said to have been larger in the time of Christ than they are now, the largest trees in the Jerusalem area. However, after the Crucifixion, Christ changed the plant to its current state: it became lower, its branches hung down so that it could no longer be used for crucifixions.

Christ also changed its flower to resemble the Cross, with four cross-lying petals that represent the four arms of the Cross, the thorns are the nails with which Christ was nailed, the red stamens of the flowers are the crown of thorns, and the red fruits are his blood.


Dogwood varieties
***
In former years
was a warrior
Archer brave -
Sharp dogwood.
Today they are ripping off
Me for fun.
people forgot
Old glory.

Autumn got
Brushes and paints.
Are you looking for me?
Listen for hints:
brown leaves
Will soon wither
dark berries
They will become red.

Cecile Mary Barker. Dogwood elf song

(The dogwood has other beautiful names- for example, glog and root).

dogwood contraindications

You can not take dogwood with increased acidity of the stomach, with nervous excitement and overexcitation, especially at night, individual intolerance.


* In ancient times, dogwood was used by American pioneers to brush their teeth.

Dogwood wood was highly valued for the production of shuttles for looms, arrows, door handles and other small items that require very hard wood. Dogwood wood was also used to make clamping screws for squeezing juice from grapes and fruits, tennis rackets, hammer handles.

*In Main botanical garden RAS, dogwood has been grown in Moscow since 1950. Now the dogwood grove has 50 plants (up to three meters high and three meters in diameter), which bloom beautifully, bear fruit and even seedlings. Flowering in the Moscow climate usually occurs in the second decade of April, and fruit ripening - in September. This means that growing dogwood on your own garden plot any gardener can, there would only be a desire, because nothing is impossible for true plant lovers!


*However, dogwood is attractive not only for its palatability, it helps to cure a variety of ailments - Hippocrates himself treated his patients with it. Fresh and dried berries and dogwood jam can be taken from diarrhea (due to the substances it contains - tanides - dogwood has astringent properties), diabetes (lowers the percentage of sugar in the blood), lack of appetite, with low enzymatic activity of the pancreas, beriberi, anemia, gout , hypertension and varicose veins. Well, due to the high content of vitamin C in dogwood, jelly and juice from it are included in the diet of astronauts. However, the most important property of dogwood is that it has the ability to prolong life.

It was noted above that the maturation of dogwood in some areas, depending on the environmental conditions and variety, occurs at different times (from July to October).

The largest number of fruits is collected from August 15 to September 20. In the event that the main arrays of wild-growing dogwood are located near the processing point, then the collection of its fruits is recommended to be carried out during their full maturity and the collected fruits should be immediately sent for use.

The degree of fruit ripeness, as mentioned above, has great importance not only for their further transportation and short-term storage, but also for technical processing.

For the production of juices, extracts, syrups, fruit and berry wines, jam, marmalade, jelly and fillings, fruits should be collected at the full stage of maturity, and for making jam - a little earlier than full maturity. Fruits intended for canning in hermetically sealed containers in order to protect them from overcooking (preserving their shape) must also be collected a little earlier than the full stage of maturity, when they have a fairly firm texture.

In the hinterland, cornel should be harvested shortly before full maturity, so that by this time the fruits have reached normal size and the vast majority of them have been painted in the characteristic color characteristic of this variety!

To collect fruits, you should have baskets with a capacity of 6-8 kg. The fruits must be removed carefully, only with your hands and in no case should you resort to shaking the fruits off the tree, which sometimes happens when harvesting. Cornelian cherry fruits are more delicate than cherry plum fruits and are easily deformed. It is best to remove the dogwood fruits with the stalks, since in this form they tolerate transport and temporary storage somewhat better. When harvesting fruits without stalks, the possibility of damage to the pulp of fruits and loss of juice is not ruled out, as a result of which they will deteriorate faster. Pickers should only pick fruits that are healthy, unripe, without mechanical damage and not dry. When harvesting, it is recommended to pre-sort the fruits, for which the largest and most well-colored fruits should be put in a separate container.

Before shipment, the cornelian fruit is inspected and sorted for quality, while all fruits with defects are removed.

According to our observations, consignments of cornelian fruit delivered to processing stations, on average, contained 20% unripe fruits, 76% mature and 4% overripe. Naturally, such raw materials have different storage capacities. During storage, even very short-term, the fruits of the dogwood quickly "ripen". So, the same batch after 7 days of storage contained: unripe fruits 1.5%, mature 86% and overripe 12.5%.

Fruits should be stored at a low uniform temperature, preferably close to 0 or +1°. At the same time, the degree of ripeness of the fruit has a great influence on the shelf life; overripe fruits do not withstand storage at all.

When storing dogwood fruits in production conditions (in the absence of equipped or adapted premises), losses occur, which, according to our experiments, are expressed in significant amounts over seven days of storage.

A Caucasian proverb says: "Where dogwood grows, doctors are not needed." Its berries are the main component of many traditional medicine recipes - for decades this plant has been used to treat ailments and diseases, both external and internal. Why dogwood is useful, how to use it correctly, what are the contraindications for its use - more details in the article.

dogwood berries

Crimean legend, deren, damn berry, red doctor - as soon as the people call the dogwood shrub. According to legend, cornel branches sprouted from a spear that the founder of Rome, Romulus, stuck on a hill, where the ancient capital of the Roman Empire subsequently arose.

Over time, this plant spread so much in the area that the Romans began to actively use it in everyday life - they made healing strengthening decoctions from dogwood leaves and fruits, and the branches were used to make sword handles.

Dogwood blooms in early spring one of the first trees

This plant was nicknamed the devil's berry because of its deceptive precocity: the dogwood shrub blooms one of the first, but the berries themselves, although they turn red very early, become suitable for consumption only by autumn.

Sometimes such a plant is called "dogwood" - this corresponds to a literal translation from Turkish and Chagatai languages ​​("dogwood" - literally "red"). Despite such an abundance of nicknames, only two traditional synonyms for this berry remain: “deren” and “dogwood”.

Outwardly, the fruits of derain resemble a small red pear: they are dense in structure, fleshy, have a strong skin and an inedible bone. Color can vary from orange to dark purple. The average weight of one berry is 4 grams, of which about 80% is juicy pulp.

The taste of dogwood fruits is tart, astringent

Dören is one of the most ancient plants on earth - dogwood bones were discovered during excavations of Neolithic settlements, whose age is estimated at 5 thousand years.

Chemical composition

Dören berries are a low-calorie product: 100 grams contain only 45 kcal. The ratio of BJU is 1:0:9 - this allows you to include dogwood in the diet. So, compote from this berry contains about 25 kcal, and the energy value of jam is 170 kcal per 100 grams.

IN chemical composition dogwood includes:

• alimentary fiber;
• ash;
• vitamins C, PP;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• sodium;
• sulfur;
• selenium;
• zinc;
• pectins;
• Apple acid;
• disaccharides.

Nutritional value of 100 g dogwood

Dogwood leaves also contain a huge amount of tannins - tannic components that release protein from food and fix it in the body. In addition, the leaves are rich in fructose, arabinogalactan and rutin.

Dogwood flowers contain gallic acid and isoquercitrin - powerful antioxidant substances. Such a rich chemical composition leads to the fact that in folk medicine and cosmetology, almost all parts of this plant are used - from roots to flowers.

Useful properties of dogwood

This "red doctor" is truly a folk healer - it has a lot of useful properties and effects:

• normalization of blood pressure;
• prevention of atherosclerosis;
• elimination of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, normalization of stool, increased activity of the pancreas;
• acceleration of metabolism;
• antipyretic effect;
• excretion of uric acid and toxic substances;
• strengthening the walls of blood vessels, veins, reducing swelling of the legs and preventing venous insufficiency;
• elimination of infections of the oral cavity, removal of toothache and inflammation of the gums;
• invigorating and tonic effect;
• lowering blood sugar levels;
• healing of purulent wounds;
• normalization of potency;
• increased concentration, improved memory and attention.

Video: beneficial features dogwood

For pregnant and lactating women, dogwood is also very useful product- it not only replenishes the vitamin balance in the body, but also reduces fatigue, prevents the development of various infections and viruses, saturates the mother's blood with iron, which prevents the occurrence of anemia, and also normalizes the processes of digestion and defecation.

Decoctions from this berry are given even to infants (starting from the age of 3 months): this allows you to save the baby from colic and indigestion, strengthens its immunity and stimulates brain activity. Dogwood also affects the development and strengthening of bone tissue, which is an important factor at the growth stage of a small organism.

Important! For getting maximum benefit it is necessary to adhere to the correct dosage of dogwood consumption - doctors recommend consuming no more than 150 grams of fresh berries per day, and no more than 250 grams of decoction or compote. Pregnant women, when including this berry in their daily diet, are also recommended to consult a doctor - this will eliminate the likelihood of diseases associated with individual intolerance to this product.

Possible harm and contraindications

Like any other product, dogwood can have a negative effect on the body - in case of exceeding the daily dosage of consumption or individual intolerance to this berry.

The use of dogwood can be harmful, especially if there are constipation, gastritis, insomnia

The fixing and diuretic effect of the product may harm people with diseases genitourinary system, and increased acidity of the stomach can impair the digestion of this product and lead to pain in the intestines and impaired stools.

People with nervous disorders, as well as those suffering from increased nervous excitability, should limit the use of cornelian cherry - it has an invigorating effect and can aggravate existing problems.

Collection and preparation of raw materials

In order to prepare a rich, healthy and healing decoction from dogwood, you need to know the rules for collecting and harvesting this medicinal plant- when you need to pick and dry the leaves, when the berries ripen and how to keep the maximum of vitamins and nutrients in the plant.

Collection

The collection of dogwood fruits should be started no earlier than the end of August or the beginning of September: it is by this time that the berries ripen and accumulate vitamin substances. Berries are collected only in dry weather - wet fruits will begin to rot very quickly.

You can also collect fallen berries, after shaking them off from adhering dust or dirt. It is advisable to collect all the dogwood before the beginning of October: if the crop is overexposed on a bush, the fruits will become covered with rot and birds will peck at them and eat insects.

Overripe fruits are very juicy and have a thin skin, so they are difficult to transport and do not lend themselves well to drying and heat treatment.

Ripe cornel has a dark red color

The leaves are harvested and dried until they begin to turn yellow: they are usually plucked at the time of picking berries, but leaves can be harvested earlier. If you pick the leaves before picking the berries, then the bush will get rid of additional moisture consumers, and the berries will begin to receive the maximum of useful substances.

In autumn, dogwood leaves turn burgundy, it is important to collect them while still green.

The flowers are collected during the flowering of the shrub (early March-April) - it is important to leave a sufficient number of flowers for pollination and further fruiting of the dogwood.

Flowers should be collected before the formation of the ovary

The roots are dug up and dried after harvest, before the onset of frost.

Roots should be washed and chopped immediately.

Twigs are best collected in the spring season: at this time they are most elastic and most suitable for household use (for example, for weaving baskets, etc.)

Dogwood has an excellent antiscorbutic effect, which is why it has been added to the daily menu of long-distance sailors since the 19th century, and today it is also included in the diet of astronauts..

Drying

Dogwood drying - the most best way preserve the vitamins and nutrients of this plant in a concentrated form.

Harvesting berries for the winter does not require much effort or financial costs: the fruits are washed with water, they are sorted out and the rotten ones are removed, then they are laid out on a clean, dry surface (tablecloth, sheet, etc.) and dried in the shade.

It is important to avoid direct sun rays on the berries - they will quickly wrinkle and become very hard in structure.

When storing dried dogwood important points are humidity and ventilation

Leaves, roots and branches are dried in the same way (the flowers can not be washed beforehand). Dried dogwood is poured into a linen bag and stored in a cool, dry place.

Storage

Fresh berries are stored only in a dark, cool room - dogwood is best stored at a temperature of + 1-3 ° C. Plucked fruits ripen quickly, so if you keep them warm, then after 5-7 days the fruits will overripe and begin to rot. Berries picked with stalks are best stored - this way they remain strong and firm for up to 8 weeks.

Dried leaves, roots, flowers and fruits of derain can be stored at room temperature - the main thing is to protect drying from moisture. Periodically, you need to pour the dried plant into another bag or glass container - this will saturate the drying with air and prevent the workpiece from rotting or dampening.

You can make jams, dogwood jams and save it this way

Dried dogwood can last up to 3 years under the right conditions.

Traditional medicine recipes

Dogwood has been used in alternative medicine for many decades: in China it is used for anti-aging procedures, in Switzerland it is mixed with coffee beans and prepare a vitamin drink, and in India pickle and use as a spicy spice.

The field of application of dogwood in medicine is quite extensive - consider some of the most popular recipes for improving immunity and treating certain diseases.

To strengthen immunity

The concentration of vitamin substances in the deren is actively involved in strengthening the immune system and combating viral infections. The following vitamin decoction helps to strengthen health and restore strength.

Ingredients:

• 20 fresh or dried dogwood berries;
• 0.5 liters of water;
• sugar - to taste.

Dogwood is amazing plant: it is not only actively used in folk medicine, cosmetology and cooking, but also useful in everyday life, and is also beautiful bush able to decorate even the most skillful suburban area.

This “red doctor”, as people say, is able to cure a thousand diseases, and its rich chemical composition, as well as the huge beneficial effect it has on the human body, fully corresponds to this opinion.

What is dogwood useful for: reviews

I also appreciated the healing properties of dogwood. After the second birth, she suffered from hemorrhoids for quite a long time, until she learned about the healing properties of the fruits of this shrub. I just used berries wild plant, since I live in the Crimea - there are just a lot of dogwood in the mountains. I used it with bones. With pleasure I have been carrying out disease prevention using this method for 3 seasons already and, thank God, there are no more problems!

Masja
http://www.koloproktologia.ru/topic.php?forum=23&topic=14&postid=1312799068#1312799068

Folk media: recommended by an obstetrician-gynecologist when she was in the hospital.
Helps with an exacerbation of hemorrhoids, the usual dogwood, or rather the bones of the dogwood.
Take orally in the morning and evening, 1 pc. for at least 2 weeks,
A better month. The peculiarity is that there are no adverse reactions, it can be used during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Try it, there will definitely be no harm, it helped many. Helps relieve chronic exacerbation.

April
http://forum.aromarti.ru/showpost.php?p=331205&postcount=7

Well, if you have fun with dogwood, then it turns out deliciously to grind ripe, washed and dried berries and separate the seeds. Sprinkle sugar in half and store in the refrigerator. The same was done with the porichka.

Ribbon
http://www.sadiba.com.ua/forum/showpost.php?p=15501&postcount=19

Cornel is one of the oldest cultivated plants, has been known in our area for about a thousand years. In Ukraine, dogwood grows in the Odessa region, a narrow strip of Transnistria, in Cherkassy and, of course, in the Crimea.

During hikes in the autumn Crimea many tourists are happy to enjoy ripe cornelian fruits. Dogwood is an excellent way out for raw foodists who go hiking in the Crimea in the fall. In addition, you can cook an excellent compote from Dogwood, however, for this you will need a large number of sugar, unless you are a fan of acidic drinks. But it is much better to eat raw dogwood - straight from the tree. In 2012, while hiking, we ate dogwood so much that instructor Maxim made jam from the remains of this berry, which we ate at the event " New Year in Yalta. Christmas story by the sea».

It is easy to recognize a dogwood - it is a small tree or a tall bush. Dogwood fruits ripen in autumn and are juicy cylindrical or pear-shaped berries. Inside the berry is an oblong bone. The color of dogwood berries ranges from yellow to ruby ​​red. They taste sweet and sour, slightly tart. IN favorable conditions this tree can live up to 250 years and bear fruit every year, starting at the age of ten.

Legend of Kizil

In Crimea, dogwood bears the legendary name "Shaitan's berry". The legend says that when the Lord commanded everyone to choose their own plant, Shaitan's choice fell on dogwood. Still, it blooms before everyone else, which means that the berries will be early, and it will be possible to sell them for a very high price to people who miss vitamins. But spring and summer came, and the dogwood still did not want to keep up. Shaitan was angry, cursed, spent the day and spent the night under a bush, saying: “Yes, you already have a drink, Shaitan’s berry!”. But September came, and the dogwood was still sour. People passing near the bush asked Shaitan: “Well, how did the dogwood ripen?” To which the angry devil replied: “What rubbish, take these berries for yourself!”. After that, the evil Shaitan spat once again and went home. A little less than a month passed, and the dogwood ripened. People collected it and rejoiced: “The unclean one miscalculated!”.

Yes, dogwood has such a property - to bloom in early spring, in March or April, when no other plants of the Crimea have yet bloomed. But the fruits of dogwood are edible in September or late August.

Useful properties of dogwood

Dogwood fruits contain a lot of vitamin C, which is perfectly absorbed by eating raw or dried berries. An antiscorbutic lavash is prepared from cornelian berries. Dogwood is also a tonic, antipyretic and anti-tuberculosis agent. Dogwood berries also have a beneficial effect on people with diseases of the cardiovascular system. Dried dogwood leaves give the tea an original flavor. The berries, when roasted, are an excellent substitute for coffee. Dogwood fruits make good wine and, as mentioned above, delicious jam.

An interesting fact is that due to the saturation of dogwood with vitamins, a paste is made from it for the nutrition of astronauts and sailors. Fruit decoction is used for sore throat, rickets, measles, scarlet fever and gastrointestinal diseases; a decoction of the roots and bark - for the treatment of rheumatism, malaria, and especially with inflammation of the liver and hepatitis; Another decoction of the bark and leaves is used for diseases of the liver and kidneys.