Jam made from pine or fir cones

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   Prepare the products. The bump should be collected away from the roads, only then it will be of use. Collect small, soft cones 2.5-4.5 cm, larger ones will already be solid. Take a resinous cone, of the correct shape, without damage and only from branches. The time of collection depends on the region, it lasts from April to June.

2. Step 2:

   

   The way to prepare the cones for both recipes is the same: - Sort out the collected cones, clean them from twigs. There should be no damaged bumps. I covered the bowl with wrapping paper. It is better to work with a bump in gloves so that your hands do not end up in resin.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rinse the lump under cool running water. Then pour cold water and leave for 2-3 hours, the lump will swell, the bitterness and forest inhabitants will go away a little, then rinse it again. Use a stainless steel or aluminum pan, then it is easier to wash it from the resin. I use an old aluminum pot only for cooking cones, both mature and green. Do not use plastic buckets, colanders, etc., everything will be irretrievably spoiled.

4. Step 4:

   

   The prepared cone should be sorted out again, the larger 3.5-4.5 cm should be separated, it should be cut lengthwise or left for jam without cooking or for tincture. Pour the smaller one with water to hide the lump by 1.5-2 cm, add sugar, stir. After sorting, I got 500g of small and larger cones.

5. Step 5:

   

   Method - 1. Cook the cone in 6 stages. 1st time: Put a saucepan with a small bump on heating above average. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook the cone for 10 minutes. Then remove from the stove, cover tightly with a lid and a terry towel. Leave to cool completely.

6. Step 6:

   

   2nd time: Bring to a boil, but do not boil. Remove from the stove, cover with a lid and a towel, let cool. 3rd time: as the 1st, boil for 10 minutes, remove, cover and let cool.

7. Step 7:

   

   4th and 5th time: Boil, turn off the heat, leave on the stove for 30 minutes, do not cover with a lid. 6th time: Bring to a boil, remove from the stove and allow to cool completely without a lid.

9. Step 8:

   

   Pour 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice into the finished, slightly cooled jam, mix and let it cool down completely. Lemon can not be added, it is optional, but it gives a little sourness, additional vitamins and prevents candying.

10. Step 9:

    

    Strain the cooled jam through 2-4 layers of gauze so that the resin does not pass through the gauze in hot form, and it cannot be consumed. Cones don 't eat ! The cones contain resin that will not leave the body, but will settle in layers on the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. Yes, I know some people eat them. But if there are no problems with the kidneys and liver, this does not mean that they need to be acquired. This is very useful, but it is necessary to protect the body so that the jam will benefit, not harm.

11. Step 10:

    

    The finished jam should turn out to be a soft amber-pink color, a viscous consistency like honey. The taste is coniferous, with a pronounced aroma, moderately sweet, with a slight astringent astringency. If you still leave the cones in the jam, then after chewing, it is better not to swallow them. /It is enough to look at the cake after straining, so that there is no desire to have it in the stomach/.

12. Step 11:

    

    Method - 2 without cooking. It's not even jam, but syrup. It is not subjected to heat treatment, so there is a lot of useful in it. Cut the prepared and sorted larger cone into 4-6 pieces. Pour sugar in layers, the top layer is sugar. Close the jar with a lid and shake it well. Remove the lid and close the jar with 2-4 layers of gauze so that there is air access.

13. Step 12:

    

    Leave the jar in a dark, warm place for 3-4 days, shake periodically. When the sugar is completely dissolved, the syrup is ready. Strain through cheesecloth, as with the first method. Store only in the refrigerator. It is necessary to use such syrup in moderation. It is enough for an adult to eat 1-2 dessert spoons in the morning / evening, and for a child – 1-2 teaspoons.

14. Step 13:

    

    Pack in sterile, dry jars. Store jars with blanks in the refrigerator or in a dark, cool place. Shelf life is up to 2 years. It turns out 500 ml of filtered jam, if with a lump, then 2 jars of 0.5 liters. Syrup without cooking is also 500 ml, it turns out to be a soft yellow-amber color and much thinner than that which is cooked. The taste is sweet, coniferous. Both types of syrup should be taken with warm water or tea.