This shrub can often be spotted on walks or in gardens. Not only is it a great decoration, but it also turns out that its fruit is very healthy and has many uses in the kitchen. It is worth including them in your diet, especially in autumn, because they contain large amounts of vitamin C, which is known to support immunity.
“Siberian gold” is a term referring to sea buckthorn. It is a plant that is well known in our regions, but for most it is only a decoration in the garden. However, it turns out that it can be extremely valuable for our body. Therefore, it is worth preparing sea buckthorn preserves that will support our health.
It is called “Siberian gold” because one of the most popular and resistant varieties of sea buckthorn comes from Siberia. In those regions, this specimen grows wild and perfectly copes with severe frosts, poor soil and drought.. It is popular there to use the fruits of this plant as a food source in winter, because the fruits stay on the vine for a long time and do not spoil despite the low temperature.
Moreover, they are extremely healthy because sea buckthorn is rich in vitamin C and contains from 300 to 2500 mg of this vitamin. This is much more than, for example, a lemon or an orange. In addition, this plant is also valued for the fact that it contains omega-9 fatty acids.
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If we want to collect sea buckthorn fruits, we must know that it is not that easy, because the plant’s twigs have many sharp thorns, and the fruits themselves are easy to crush. For this reason, it is recommended to pick them after frost, because then the fruits are soft and fall off the branches more easily. It even happens that you just need to gently shake the branch and it will break off on its own.
However, when it comes to the taste of sea buckthorn, it is quite unique. It resembles the mixed aroma of unripe orange, mango and lemon. Due to the fact that it is a rather sour fruit, it goes perfectly with sweet products, which is why it is often served with cakes, ice cream and other desserts.
We can also prepare sea buckthorn by adding fruit to water and mixing with a little sugar and pasteurizing it in bottles. Some people also decide to prepare homemade jam with the addition of orange peel or vanilla. It will also be a good idea combining sea buckthorn with apples and mixing them until smooth to create a tasty mousse. It is also worth freezing some fruit and using them regularly, e.g. as an addition to smoothies or tea.