When and how best to collect viburnum, the timing of harvesting berries and storage technology
Kalina red is a berry that is famous not only for its beautiful appearance, but also for its beneficial properties. It is a shrub up to 4 meters high. Grows in semi-shaded park areas on personal plots. For medicinal purposes, the leaves, bark, berries of the plant are used. To preserve all the useful properties, you need to study the features of harvesting and storing crops. Before you start consuming a product, it is important to know when and how to collect viburnum.
When to collect viburnum?
Harvesting begins after the onset of the first frost, as the fruits ripen. The specific time depends on the climatic conditions of the region, the characteristics of the soil. The first collection usually starts after the end of September. The bright red hue is not an indicator of the ripeness of the berries. The first frosts bring sweetness to the viburnum fruit. During this period, the destruction of glycosides occurs.
Many gardeners are afraid that birds may eat the crop, so they try to harvest it faster. Unpicked berries do not fall off the branches, they remain until spring. After the first snow falls, the viburnum loses its attractiveness, the fruits become wrinkled, but do not lose useful qualities.
Lunar calendar
The moon actively influences the quality of the harvested plant parts. Therefore, at the time of harvest, some rules are taken into account. In the first phase of the moon, attention is paid to the underground parts of green spaces. In the second phase, the plant's terrestrial organs are harvested. The energy coming from below brings all the useful substances upward during this period.
The fourth phase of the moon is similar to the second, therefore it also contributes to the harvest. In the third phase, the moon is mainly engaged in drying flowers and fruits. The main collection of fruits and viburnum bark occurs at the end of September.
Depending on the variety
The most common types of shrubs are: Red bunch, Pomegranate bracelet, Maiskaya sweet, Zarnitsa. These varieties are hardy plants that can withstand temperature extremes. During fruiting, they are little exposed to the invasion of pests. The berries can be harvested until spring.
Viburnum varieties Zarnitskaya, Zakat, Ryabinushka and Shukshinskaya ripen in early September. Kalina Vigorovskaya and Zholobovskaya ripen by the middle of the first month of autumn. The fruits of the viburnum Maria are ready to be harvested at the end of August. By the end of September, the berries of the Souzga variety growing in the central region ripen. In the southern part of the country, in mid-September, the varieties Elksir, Aurora and Krasnaya bunch ripen.
Each variety of a shrub plant belonging to the Adoxovye family has its own characteristic features.On personal plots, mainly, Sadovaya viburnum is grown. The plant is also harvested in September.
Factors affecting timing
The technical maturity of the viburnum occurs when the berries acquire a uniform red color without green veins. In the southern regions, this period falls on the end of August, in the middle and northern latitudes - in September-October.
The harvest time depends on several factors:
- climatic conditions of the region;
- soil features;
- plant varieties;
- taste of berries.
The peak of the usefulness and ripeness of the fruit occurs in mid-September. But many people do not like the bitter taste of viburnum. Therefore, the harvest is carried out in late autumn or winter months. In winter, the taste of the berries changes, becomes sweeter, the bitterness goes away.
Cleaning technology
The berries winter well on the branches, the main thing is that the temperature on frosty days does not drop below -25. From this, the fruits turn black and die. Kalina is harvested after full ripening. Clear weather is chosen for harvesting. Gardeners recommend carrying out activities using a disinfected pruner. Such protection is necessary for the plant from pathogenic bacteria.
In order not to damage the berries, they are removed with a whole bunch. This will preserve the beneficial properties. If you plan to process berries immediately after harvesting, then you should not worry about their integrity. The cut bunches are placed on a flat base so that they do not touch each other. This feature prevents twigs from tangling and further shedding of berries.
If processing is planned after harvest, then the bunches are tied together and the fruits are separated. Then they are washed and dried. When processing, viburnum is sorted out, spoiled and rotten berries are removed, otherwise they will ruin the entire crop.
Storage of berries
Viburnum is useful in different states - fresh, frozen or dried. You can also store it in the refrigerator on the shelf. There are three main ways how to preserve the usefulness of viburnum for a long time:
- Hanging bunches - in this form, the fruits of the plant are stored for no more than two weeks, otherwise they will lose their beneficial properties. The bunches are tied together, hung with a rope in a cool dry room.
- Storage in the refrigerator - viburnum is stored on a shelf in the refrigerator for only a few days. Therefore, for long-term storage, it is placed in the freezer. The berries are first removed from the brushes, sorted out. Then they are washed under running water and dried thoroughly. The prepared fruits are spread on a baking sheet and placed in the freezer. Frozen berries are packaged in containers or bags. You can store the fruits in this form for several months.
- Drying - berries in this form retain useful vitamins and minerals. To dry the fruits, they are placed in an oven or a special dryer. You can dry the berries naturally on the window. But this option will take a long time.
Viburnum berries are used to make medications, various dishes, and drinks. It protects the body from harmful bacteria. This is especially true in the spring-winter period.
Therefore, the red berries of this plant can relieve many ailments all year round, subject to the conditions for collecting and storing a useful product. And you can also just enjoy the pleasant taste of viburnum, the main thing is to remember that thermal and mechanical processing reduces the degree of its usefulness.
