Five top lingonberry preserves for winter

September delights berry lovers — sea buckthorn, viburnum, and blackberries are ripening, and lingonberry season begins. You’ll want to make the autumn abundance last. We have five proven lingonberry preserves for winter. They’re not only tasty but healthy too — lingonberry is a true vitamin treasure trove.

Lingonberry jelly

In winter, a jar of fragrant lingonberry jelly will please both children and adults. It’s simple to make. You will need:

• lingonberries — 300 g;

• water — 1.2 l;

• granulated sugar — 300 g;

• gelatin — 45 g.

Once all the ingredients are in front of you, follow this plan:

1. Pour 150 ml of warm water over the gelatin, stir thoroughly, and leave to swell.

2. Purée the lingonberries with a blender, then press the remaining juice through a sieve into a cup.

3. Pour the remaining water over the berries, bring to a boil, and strain.

4. Combine the resulting liquid with the previously pressed lingonberry juice.

5. Bring the lingonberry «solution» to a boil, add sugar, and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes.

6. Sprinkle in the gelatin in a thin stream and mix thoroughly — it’s important that the gelatin dissolves completely.

After these steps, simply let the jelly cool slightly, pour it into jars, and leave it to set. Once it sets, move it to the refrigerator or a very cool place.

Lingonberry jam with orange

This recipe evokes cozy family evenings. To bring them closer, let’s start by listing the ingredients for your future lingonberry-and-orange jam.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• lingonberries — 1 kg;

• oranges — 1 kg;

• sugar — 1 kg;

• cinnamon — 1 stick;

• cloves — 2–3 pcs;

• allspice — 1–2 pcs.

Everything assembled? Then let’s proceed:

1. Slice the orange thinly, peel and all.

2. Pour boiling water over it for 2–3 minutes, then run it through a meat grinder.

3. Put the lingonberries into a saucepan, cover with sugar, and set over low heat.

4. Stirring, bring the berries to a boil, then cook for another 15–20 minutes.

5. Add the orange, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and stir.

After that, simmer over low heat for another half hour, stirring occasionally (if you wish, add several thin half-rings of sliced orange). Let the jam cool, pour it into jars, and store it in a cool place — and well out of children’s reach.

Pickled lingonberries

Lingonberries are among those berries that are delicious when pickled. If you haven’t tried this yet, the time has come. Pickled lingonberries turn out piquant, and if you add apples and pears, the flavor becomes even more refined.

Write down the ingredients:

• lingonberries — 1.5 kg;

• sugar — 370 g;

• pears and apples — 750 g each;

• water — 0.9 l;

• vinegar — 190 ml;

• salt — 0.5 tsp;

• cloves, allspice (whole), and cinnamon — to taste.

All prepared? Let’s start pickling:

1. Cut the pears and apples into quarters and drop them into a rolling boil a couple of minutes apart: cook apples for 3 minutes, pears for 5 minutes.

2. Drain the par-cooked fruit in a sieve and let the liquid run off.

3. Place the berries and fruit in jars, cover them, and start on the marinade.

4. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the water, add the spices, bring to a boil, and cook until the sugar and salt dissolve.

5. Remove the pot from the heat, pour in the vinegar, cover with a lid, and leave to cool.

6. Pour the marinade into the jars, cover with lids, and set them to sterilize.

When everything is ready, carry out the usual home-canning steps: seal the jars hermetically, turn them upside down, and cover with a warm blanket. Once the jars cool, move them to a cool place.

Lingonberry and zucchini jam

If you haven’t yet worked through an abundant zucchini harvest, you can combine it with lingonberries and seal it in jars. The treat will be so good you’ll be amazed.

Write down the ingredients:

• lingonberries — 600 g;

• zucchini — 2 kg;

• sugar — 2.5 kg;

• water — 0.25 l.

Everything in place? Let’s cook:

1. Add the sugar to warm water and, stirring, bring it almost to a boil — this will be your sugar syrup.

2. While the syrup is cooking, peel the zucchini and cut them into cubes; put them into the syrup along with the lingonberries and cook as you would a regular jam.

3. As soon as the zucchini turn translucent, your jam is ready.

Let the finished jam cool and portion it into jars for winter. It will be aromatic and taste reminiscent of cranberry with pineapple.

Salted lingonberries

Salted lingonberries are unlikely to be a standalone dish, but there’s nothing stopping you from trying them — you may like the berry this way too. They’re used mainly as a base for many dressings and seasonings, and you can also add them to sauerkraut. Besides being tasty, salted lingonberries are extremely simple to make.

You will need:

• lingonberries — 1 kg;

• sugar — 1 tsp;

• water — 1 l;

• salt — 5 tsp;

• cloves — 2 pcs.

You can salt lingonberries in familiar glass jars or in wooden barrels. But to have something to store, you need to prepare them first. Follow this step-by-step guide:

1. Bring the water to a boil, dissolve the salt and sugar in it, and add the spices — this will be your marinade.

2. While the marinade is simmering, sort the berries and distribute them among jars.

3. Pour the prepared marinade over the berries in the jars and cover with gauze and lids with holes.

All set. Now simply move the jars of salted lingonberries to a dark, cool place for storage.