Nature offers us many gifts that we are used to using in the kitchen and in the home pharmacy. Most of the harvest takes place in autumn, but some have to be left to freeze.
Although they seem to be ripe before winter, we have to wait for their perfection until they have spent at least a short time in sub-freezing temperatures. Which crops are we talking about? For example, about rowanberries, blackthorns and arrows, which only acquire their sweet and milder taste in the cold.
The natural pharmacy also includes sea buckthorn, which is discussed in a YouTube video by the author of Happy People:
Source: Youtube
It’s not just about taste
If we wanted to argue that the taste doesn’t matter so much, if it’s mainly about the healing power of the rose hip, we could only be right if freezing didn’t bring other benefits. This is not only a change in the taste properties, but also a better digestibility, which contributes to the easier use of all the beneficial substances that our body can get from such fruits.
Don’t ignore the arrow
Adherents of rosehip therapy are well aware that these small fruits contain a really large amount of important vitamin C, which supports the body’s defenses, acts as an effective antioxidant, thereby protecting cells from damage by so-called free radicals. In addition, its effects are also manifested in greater collagen production and consequently in brighter and at first glance healthier and more youthful skin. The health of hair and nails also goes hand in hand with this.
Do not store it for a long time
We should therefore do everything in our power to harvest the arrowroot at the ideal time – i.e. slightly over-frozen. But be careful: long-term storage reduces vitamin C, so it is best to use rosehips before summer.
Bitter as a thorn…
It is not for nothing that they say that something is as bitter as a thorn. These tiny berries actually tighten their mouths into a weird grin before they freeze, and it’s hard to resist such a grimace. But the cold will change their taste and, in addition, it will open up a wider field of activity for flavonoids, tannins and antioxidants, which, among other things, will help with digestive problems. But nature is even wiser, so it offers us an excellent ingredient in liqueurs or syrups, which give it a really unusual and delicious taste.
Berries for better eyesight!
We should not forget about the already mentioned rowan. Their small fruits also contain a sufficient supply of vitamin C and tannins, but as can be judged by their color, we also find beta-carotene in them, which is the basis for processes in the body leading to the maintenance and even improvement of eyesight. In particular, it can fight against impaired vision in low light, which is certainly useful for everyone, but especially for drivers.
For children and adults, but with caution
In addition to classic tea, we can also make excellent marmalade from rowan berries, which children will also appreciate. However, we also have to leave rowanberries on the trees longer than is usual for other crops. It is not impossible to tear them calmly even under snow. However, it is better not to eat rowanberries without heat treatment, some of them, such as rowanberry, may contain very slightly toxic substances. But these disappear when boiled or poured with boiling water.
Harvest even in winter
If you like to wander through nature, even now, when everything seems to be resting peacefully, you can find and harvest at least a small contribution to your natural pharmacy. Thorns will probably no longer be on the bushes – they often become a welcome and healthy winter food for hungry birds.
Sources: www.kupi.cz, encyklopedie.biooo.cz, www.bylinkyprovsechny.cz
