Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berries.
Nutritional values:
Vitamin C (an average of 695mg per 100 grams / a range of 114 to 1550mg per 100g)
Beta Carotene.
14 vitamins including C, E, D, K and B group vitamins.
18 amino acids.
Minerals – 11 micro elements.
β-sitosterol (more info can be found here- http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-939-beta-sitosterol.aspx?activeingredientid=939&activeingredientname=beta-sitosterol ).
Polyphenols inc 36 types of flavonoids.
Omega 3, Omega 5, Omega 6, Omega 7 and Omega 9.
Serotonin.
Uric acid, Succinic acid and Oleanol acid.
Recipes:
Sea Buckthorn and Rosemary Vinegar.
Ingredients:
2 cups Sea Buckthorn berries
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Few sprigs Rosemary
Quart Jar
Directions:
Remove berries from the branch carefully, and remember….this plant is called the seabuckTHORN for a reason, the thorns are very thick and will cause a serious ouch! Rinse the berries well and allow to dry overnight to remove the risk of water in your vinegar which can sometimes cloud or cause bacteria. Place the berries into a sterilized jar with the sprigs of Rosemary ( hint: bruising the herb will speed the time for the vinegar to mature).
I usually use a quart jar… and sometimes double or triple the recipe depending on my harvest, as I often make many smaller bottles of the finished vinegar for gifts, they are a gorgeous colour and look fantastic once bottled. Gently heat the vinegar , remove just before boiling and let cool slightly. Pour the warm vinegar into the jar to the top and place the lid on. Be sure to use a plastic lid or seal as opposed to a metal one, vinegar will corrode the lid and cause rust and possible contamination. Place in a dark cupboard for 3-4 weeks to let the flavor mature. Remove the jar from the cupboard and strain your vinegar, then place into bottles for future use. I use these quite often for pressies and gift baskets! Just add a few berries (I always forage extra for winter tea! ), add a long sprig of Rosemary, and VOILA, a gourmet gift for any occasion that never fails to impress.
This vinegar is healthy and delicious, so use freely on salads or as a tonic to benefit from the medicinal properties.
from Sea Buckthorn Insider – http://www.seabuckthorninsider.com/news/what-is-sea-buckthorn-and-what-can-i-do-with-it/
Sea buckthorn jelly.
Follow the link below to see the full post – this is an exert from Fabulous Food Finds.
Back at home, we sorted through the berries to get rid of bugs and leaves. At this point the berries didn’t smell that great – a bit like sickly, sour wine. We mixed with 0.5 times the amount of water to weight of berries (eg. 1kg berries to 500ml water).
We gently brought the berries to the boil and simmered away for around 20 minutes.
We strained the berries through a sieve. We decided to strain through a muslin cloth too as there seemed to be some residue that had come off the skins of the berries. Stirring and encouraging the juice through the muslin quickened the process!
We measured the strained juice and added 1.5 times the amount of sugar (eg 500ml juice to 750gm sugar). Then boiled vigorously for about 10 minutes then reduced heat to a rolling boil, stirring every so often to avoid the jelly catching on the bottom of the pan.
I put a plate in the freezer to chill and after a few minutes of further boiling spooned a small amount on the plate to check the set. After just a couple of minutes more it cooled to a well set jelly so we removed from the heat. We then skimmed off the scummy bits on top which left a beautifully clear jelly, then carefully funnelled into freshly sterilised jars.
Et voila! From 500ml of sea buckthorn juice (I froze 400ml to save for a special sorbet) we created these three beautiful jars of sea buckthorn berry jelly.
Sea buckthorn recipes.
Sea Buckthorn oil.
There are many ways of making Sea Buckthorn oil. This one is relatively easy and straightforward:
1. Wash freshly picked berries and leave to dry naturally. 2. Squeeze the juice out. The juice will quickly separate into two parts – the top thick, orange layer consists of oil, pieces of skin and pericarp. 3. This top layer needs to be carefully removed and placed in a glass jar. 4. Following 1:1 proportion, pour cooled boiled water over the oil and stir the mix. 5. After stirring an oily substance will rise leaving pieces of skin floating in the water below. 6. The oil should be removed again and steps 4 & 5 repeated 3-4 times.
Pour warm (40C) sunflower oil over the oily collected and leave to stand for 3-4 days. Remove the oil which forms at the top and repeat steps 4 & 5 again: pour water over the remaining mix, remove the oil, repeating this 3-4 times. The oil needs to stand for a few days and any sediment should be removed. Pour the oil in dry clean jars and cover tightly with lids. The final product is a bright orange oily substance owning its colour to a high level of carotene (approximately 300 mg per 100 g of berries).
Sea Buckthorn juice.
Proportion: 1:1 (berries to sugar)
Using electric juicer squeeze out the juice of sea buckthorn berries. Filter the juice through and place it in a non-metallic bowl. Gradually add sugar to the juice, gently stirring with a wooden spoon until it dissolves fully. Pour the juice into sterilized jars. Cover tightly with lids. The juice is best kept in a cool place or fridge.
Sources October 2017:
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