Dried hawthorn is used in cooking for the preparation of fillings, drinks, it can be mixed with flour for baking pastries. Hawthorn is used in folk medicine for problems with blood vessels, for heart disease, for nervous overstrain. You can harvest hawthorn flowers and fruits.
Instructions
Step 1
Collect hawthorn flowers in May, at the beginning of flowering. You need to collect them quickly, while one part of the buds has not yet bloomed, and the other has not opened. Do not harvest insect-damaged hawthorn flowers or flowers that are wet from rain or dew.
Step 2
Cut the hawthorn blossoms or pluck them from large stalks. Place them in the basket without tamping. Do not put hawthorn in plastic bags, otherwise the flowers will steam up and burn out when dried. Do not store the hawthorn for a long time, it must be dried as quickly as possible.
Step 3
Spread the hawthorn flowers in a thin layer (no more than 3 cm) on a cloth or paper in a well-ventilated area. It is advisable to cover them with a layer of gauze from insects. If possible, dry the hawthorn flowers in a special dryer at 40 ° C.
Step 4
Harvest ripe hawthorns in September-October before frost. Pluck them or cut off the entire berry shield with a pruner, then remove unripe or spoiled fruits.
Step 5
Spread the hawthorn berries on a baking sheet in a thin layer. Place the baking sheet in a 60 ° C oven. Open the door slightly to allow moisture to escape. Watch the berries while drying and stir to prevent them from burning.
Step 6
Determine the readiness of the berries in the following way. Take a handful of hawthorn and make a fist. If the berries release juice that sticks them together, you must continue drying. If the lump breaks down into individual berries, drying is complete.
Step 7
Refrigerate dried hawthorn, remove impurities and stalks and transfer to paper bags. Store dried hawthorn in a dry place away from odors and mold. The shelf life of dried flowers and hawthorn fruits is two years.
