In mid-September, ruby beads are scattered across the moss cover of sphagnum bogs. The most valuable berry of the forest zone is ripening - marsh cranberry.
However, you can pick cranberries not only in September, but also later, until winter. And even in the spring, after the snow melts, they will remain in the swamps - snow cranberries, which are much sweeter than autumn ones. But there is no vitamin C left in them anymore.
Common cranberry, swamp
This is a plant from the heather family. A relative of lingonberries, blueberries, and heather.
In Russian swamps, common cranberry, otherwise called swamp cranberry, predominates. Distributed in the north of European Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, Kamchatka and Sakhalin. And also in northern Europe.
In addition to common cranberries, small-fruited cranberries also grow in Eurasia. It is, however, more often recognized not as a separate species, but as a subspecies of the common one. And there is also a large-fruited cranberry, a predominantly American species, growing in the swamps of Canada.
Swamp cranberries naturally grow in swamps. In raised, sphagnum bogs. In transitional, sphagnum-sedge swamps. Found in swampy forests, tundra and forest-tundra.
Sphagnum moss is a constant companion of this most valuable berry. After all, it is he who creates these swamps. If you are interested in this very peculiar representative of the bryophyte department, please take a look at.
Everything about swamp cranberries is small and not very noticeable. Besides berries, of course. The leaves are tiny, the stems are thin and creeping.
However, it is a shrub. Thin, slightly thicker than ordinary thread, the stems are woody and very durable. Only the shoots of the current year remain soft and covered with fluff.
Each individual bog cranberry bush grows in one place for several decades. During this time, a pine tree in the forest grows into a multi-meter tree. And the creeping cranberry vines reach a length of almost a meter.
Cranberry is an evergreen plant. Its small leathery leaves with rolled edges overwinter under the snow. They are glossy, dark green above, whitish, covered with a waxy coating below.
Swamp cranberry is not too demanding on soil. And what kind of soil is there in the swamp? – Acidic, poor in nitrogen compounds.
But this is exactly what cranberries are happy with! Try to plant it in a well-fertilized bed - the plant will feel bad. For its successful growth, it will be necessary to bring peat from the high sphagnum bog. Moreover, provide excess watering.
But the swamp cranberry has irreplaceable helpers for life. Like all heathers, it forms mycorrhiza - a symbiotic community with fungi.
Fungal hyphae permeate the entire plant. The cranberry shares sugars produced during photosynthesis with the fungus. The fungus provides the shrub with nitrogen compounds.
It’s very beautiful in the sphagnum bog in May! Blooms include rosemary, wild rosemary, and palmate root. Swamp cranberries are also blooming.
The flowers are small, but elegant. On a thin peduncle, bell-shaped pale pink corollas rise above the moss hummocks. The stamens grow together into two pollen tubes. In the center of the flower there is a short pistil with a four-lobed ovary.
It seems that a thin melodic ringing can be heard. Or is it still the mosquitoes that are “ringing”?
In summer, berries are formed in place of flowers. They are white at first, but by the end of August they begin to turn red. The berries are round or oblong, and quite large - reaching a diameter of a centimeter or more.
The shrub can no longer hold them. And the berries scatter on greenish-yellow, whitish, sometimes reddish moss. Swamp cranberry is the healthiest berry in the northern forest.
Sometimes called "northern grapes". For some reason the comparison doesn't seem particularly appropriate to me. But “northern lemon” is spot on!
Benefits of cranberries
Swamp cranberry has valuable nutritional and medicinal properties. In addition, this berry is unique in its preservation. It can stay fresh for almost a whole year. It is enough to sort out the berries and scatter them in a dry place. Benzoic acid in the berries prevents them from rotting.
Compotes, jams, jelly... Cranberries in their own juice... Puree with sugar... In sugar syrup... In powdered sugar. The use of berries is very diverse!
Excellent jams are made from cranberries. It’s even awkward to compare tasty and healthy cranberry juices and drinks with the “household chemicals” that grocery stores are filled with.
Cranberries are used both as a seasoning for meat dishes and as part of some salads. Add cranberries when sauerkraut - it will become both tastier and more beautiful on the plate.
In addition to homemade preparations, the berry is widely used by the food industry. Juices, jams, preserves, drinks, alcoholic beverages.
And let's not forget that marsh cranberry is a medicinal plant!
It tastes sour. The juice contains a high acid content. Citric acid predominates. That’s why it’s a “northern lemon”! There are benzoic and quinic acids. A lot of ascorbic acid is vitamin C.
As a source of vitamin C for the prevention of scurvy, marsh cranberry has only competition in the north.
Cranberry juice is indispensable for colds and flu. It has excellent antipyretic and tonic effects.
Cranberry juice, especially in combination with honey, treats coughs and sore throats.
Benzoic acid not only preserves the berries themselves. Its powerful bactericidal effect also benefits us.
Cranberry juice and fruit drinks are indicated for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract, both acute and chronic. If the disease is caused by a bacterial infection, the natural antibiotic benzoic acid in combination with potassium counteracts it.
In addition, cranberry juice and fruit drinks help cleanse the kidneys, remove harmful substances from them, and prevent the formation of stones.
Cranberries also have the ability to lower blood pressure.
Contraindications for the use of cranberries ? Of course they exist.
Caution must also be exercised at low blood pressure.
But since ancient times, cranberry juices and fruit drinks have been a source of vitamins and a medicine for treating children. Especially for colds and various viral infections.
How to pick and store berries
Berries should be picked after they are completely ripe. And this happens no earlier than mid-September.
Collected immature, slightly reddened, they will, of course, turn red. How tomatoes picked green turn red. The only thing is that these berries spoil quickly. And as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent they are of no value at all!
It is best to pick berries by hand, “berry by berry,” choosing fully ripe, dark red, and largest ones. But that doesn’t usually happen! Most often, special scoops called “nabirushki” are used for collection.
However, these devices do not cause much harm to the plant itself, unlike lingonberries. Thin stems and small leaves easily slip between the teeth of the scoop, and large berries fall inside.
The collected berries are sorted, removing debris, unripe and damaged fruits. They can be stored fresh in a cool, dry place.
Sometimes the berries are poured with cold water and kept soaked. As the water evaporates, you just need to add it to the container.
Berries are also frozen and stored in the freezer in food-grade plastic bags.
During my childhood, the old people called this berry “crane fruit”. Interestingly, the English name for cranberry is Craneberry– means “crane berry”. And in North America, settlers from England sometimes called it Bearberries, which translates as “bear berries.”
Of course, bears and cranes feast on cranberries, as well as wood grouse, black grouse, hazel grouse, and partridges. Birds are the main consumers of fruits; they also spread cranberry seeds.
But... Take another look at the photo of the flower. Who or what does it remind you of?
Vaccinium oxycoccos (Vaccinium palustre, Oxycoccus oxycoccos)
Taxon: Heather family (Ericaceae)
Other names: swamp cranberry, four-petalled cranberry, vaccinium, bearberry, swamp grape
English: Сraneberry, Bearberries
The Latin word oxycoccos comes from the Greek words - oxys- spicy, sour and coccus- spherical, which means “sour ball”, “sour berry”, to the taste of the fruit. The old species name comes from the Latin palustris- swamp.
The first European settlers called cranberries "Craneberry" (literally "crane berry"), as the open flowers on the stems reminded them of the neck and head of a crane. In 17th century New England, cranberries were sometimes called "Bearberries" because people often saw bears eating them.
Botanical description of cranberries
An evergreen subshrub with creeping, thin shoots up to 80 cm in length. The stems are flexible, woody, dark brown, with erect flower-bearing branches and short thread-like fluffy annual branches. The leaves are alternate, leathery, shiny, dark green, bluish underneath with a waxy coating and in places with small glandular hairs. Leaves are 5-16 mm long, 2-6 mm wide on short petioles, oblong-ovate, sharp at the apex with entire, rolled edges. Cranberry flowers are pink-red, drooping, arranged one at a time or more often collected in groups of 2-4, less often - in groups of 6 in umbrella-shaped inflorescences on last year's branches. The pedicels are long, the calyx has four sepals, the corolla is deeply quadripartite, 5-7 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide. It blooms in May-June, the fruits ripen in late August and September. The size of the berry grown in the swamp reaches 16 mm.
Another species often grows together with common cranberries - small cranberry (Vaccinium microcarpum). In Russia, small-fruited cranberry is considered as an independent species, but in international botanical databases it is often included in the synonymy of the species Vaccinium oxycoccos. All parts of this plant are smaller, the diameter of the berries is 4-6 mm.
Places of growth
Cranberries form thickets in peat bogs; they are widespread in the northern regions of the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia, Kamchatka and Sakhalin. Cranberries are very light-loving, but not demanding on mineral nutrition.
Measures are being taken to cultivate cranberries. It is propagated by cuttings and seeds.
Collection and preparation of cranberries
Ripe cranberries are used as medicinal raw materials, from which juice, syrup, fruit drinks, and sour drinks are prepared. Cranberries are harvested in the fall in three periods. In September the berry is hard, but during storage it ripens and softens; It can be stored all winter by filling it with cold water. When frost occurs, the water is drained, the cranberries are frozen and stored in barrels, boxes, baskets in the cold. Snow cranberries, collected after the snow melts in early spring, are sweeter due to reduced acidity, but do not last long.
Berries collected in late autumn are more tasty, juicy, and sour when frost sets in. They are also stored frozen: when thawed, they quickly deteriorate. The shelf life of berries is up to 9 months.
It is necessary to treat the plant with care, pick the berries only with your hands. Industrial devices - cutworms - damage young shoots, which subsequently significantly reduces yield.
Chemical composition of cranberries
Cranberries are often called swamp grapes, but this comparison is not in favor of grapes, since cranberries surpass them in the number of valuable organic compounds.
In terms of the content of biologically active substances and mineral salts, cranberries are one of the most useful wild berries.
Cranberries contain vaccinin glycoside, flavonoids, organic acids: citric (12.8%), benzoic, oxoglutaric, quinic; sugar (glucose, fructose) from 3 to 6%, pectin and dyes, vitamins C (10-22 mg/%), K1 (phylloquinone), nitrogenous and tannins, phytoncides, iodine, silver, barium, lead. In addition, they are rich in potassium and. Of the specific active ingredients, the berries contain the glycoside vaccinin (6-benzoylglucose), triterpene acids - ursolic, oleanolic.
Pharmacological properties of cranberries
Cranberries have an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antibacterial, restorative, wound-healing, refreshing, tonic effect, increase elasticity and strength of the walls of blood capillaries, improve appetite, food absorption, secretion of gastric juice and pancreatic juice, and intestinal activity.
Cranberry reduces prothrombin levels in the blood.
Use of cranberries in medicine
People in Rus' have known about the benefits of cranberries for a long time. Domostroy mentioned it back in the 16th century. Cranberry juice was known as a “special cough medicine” and was considered a good remedy for scurvy; it was used to lubricate weeping wounds and ulcers.
Cranberries are widely used for gastritis with low acidity of gastric juice, colitis, inflammation of the pancreas, obesity, and when prescribing a salt-free diet. They enhance the effect of antibiotics and other drugs for gynecological inflammatory diseases, and protect against the formation of kidney stones.
Berries with leaves improve metabolism, reduce headaches and heartburn.
Syrup, juice, and cranberry juice quench thirst, help lower temperature, have a bactericidal effect, improve sleep, the function of the endocrine glands, reduce g, fatigue, give vigor, and improve general condition.
Medicinal preparations of cranberry
Cranberry syrup, juice, fruit drink, mixed with sugar or diluted with water, drink 50-100 ml before meals for colitis, inflammation of the pancreas, hypertension, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, bladder disease, increased thirst,.
Cranberry juice cleanses purulent wounds, ulcers, burns, and accelerates their healing.
Drink 50-100 ml of cranberry juice with honey for coughs, sore throats, acute respiratory diseases, and rheumatism.
Cranberry juice mixed with beet juice (1:1), drink 50 ml 3 times a day for gastritis, colitis, vascular spasms, hypertension, atherosclerosis, obesity.
Infusion of cranberry berries and leaves: brew 200 ml of boiling water, leave 10 g of berries and leaves for 4 hours in a thermos, then strain. Drink 100 ml 3 times a day for hypertension, gastritis, colitis, metabolic disorders.
Cranberry ointment reduces pain and inflammation in skin diseases.
A drink is made from cranberry and potato juices: 200 g of peeled potatoes are grated on a fine grater, the juice is squeezed out, which is left to settle the starch for 1-2 hours. Then the juice is carefully drained, mixed with squeezed raw cranberry juice (from 50 g of cranberries) or decoction obtained by boiling cranberry pomace in water, add sugar (15 g). It is used as a dietary remedy in the form of syrups, juice, and sour drinks in feverish patients.
Contraindications
Contraindications to taking cranberry preparations are: acute inflammatory diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver, exacerbation of gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Photos and illustrations
is one of the plants of the family called lingonberries, in Latin the name of this shrub will be as follows: Vaccinium oxycoccus L. As for the name of the common cranberry family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Vacciniaceae.
Description of common cranberry
Common cranberry is an evergreen creeping shrub, endowed with thin rooting shoots, the length of which reaches eighty centimeters. The leaves of this plant are ovate and leathery, they will overwinter, and the petioles are short, the length of such leaves is eight to fifteen millimeters, and the width is three to five millimeters. The leaves of this plant are dark green on top, shiny, and covered with a waxy coating on the bottom. Common cranberry flowers are regular, small in size, drooping. Such flowers will be on rather long stalks, and the flowers are collected in groups of two to six in inflorescences, painted in dark pink tones. The calyx of this plant has four notches and is fused with the ovary. There are eight stamens in total; they are endowed with purple stamen filaments, which are pubescent both at the back and at the sides. The anthers of the common cranberry are colored yellow, they are elongated and are equipped with holes opening at the top. The column of this plant is slightly higher than the stamen. The fruit of the common cranberry is an ovoid or spherical berry, which will be juicy and sour, shiny and colored in red tones. In diameter, the length of such a fruit will be about ten millimeters. The seeds are quite small in size and they are colored greenish.Flowering of common cranberries occurs from May to June, while the fruits ripen at the end of September. Under natural conditions, this plant is found in Kamchatka, Siberia, the Carpathians, Sakhalin, as well as in all areas of the central and northern zone of the European part of Russia. For growth, this plant will prefer moss soils, transitional bogs and acidic peat soils.
Description of the medicinal properties of common cranberry
Common cranberries are endowed with very valuable healing properties, and it is recommended to use the berries of this plant for medicinal purposes. The presence of such valuable healing properties should be explained by the content of flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, pectins, catechins, as well as the following organic substances in the composition of common cranberries: ascorbic acid, quinine, ursolic acid, benzoic acid and citric acid. The berries of this plant also contain dyes, fructose, glucose, sucrose and the following microelements: zinc, iron, chromium, manganese, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, cobalt, silver and chromium.It should be noted that ursolic acid will be close in its effects to hormones. Cranberry tones, refreshes, improves digestion, reduces fever, and also increases physical and mental performance. Common cranberry is used as a diuretic, antiscorbutic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and insecticidal agent. In addition, the plant is also used to reduce the secretion of gastric and pancreatic juice, kidney diseases, sore throat, colds, diseases of the urinary tract and bladder, glaucoma, anemia, bronchitis, high blood pressure, various colds and Addison's disease. It is also recommended to use common cranberries as a very valuable prophylactic agent that will prevent the formation of kidney stones.
According to research by Chinese scientists, swamp, garden or forest cranberries not only help with inflammation of the bladder, but can also prevent the occurrence of stomach ulcers. It turned out that people who constantly drink compote or cranberry juice, or simply like dried cranberries, cranberries in sugar, are much less likely to suffer from these diseases, since the substances contained in the berry actively prevent the emergence of disease-causing bacteria.
Cranberries are evergreen creeping small shrubs from the genus Vaccinum of the Heather family (the most famous representatives of the genus are lingonberries, blueberries, blueberries). In nature, there are a huge number of varieties of this plant: more than a hundred species of this berry grow in America alone, while the development of new varieties continues.
Cranberry bushes can be seen in many countries of the northern hemisphere: in the forests of Europe, Asia, and North America. The berry feels great both in the north of Italy and near the Arctic Circle; there is a lot of it in Siberia and the Far East.
Although many people, when asked where cranberries grow, will not hesitate to name a swampy area, in reality the berry does well in different types of soil, since it is undemanding in terms of mineral nutrition. True, in the wild it still prefers damp places, despite the fact that it is a light-loving plant.
Kinds
Cranberry bushes growing in Europe and America differ significantly from each other: the European berry is smaller and full of spots. The fruits also differ in their cell structure: the American berry contains three sets of chromosomes, while the European berry has two.
Another difference is that the American berry contains air chambers that allow it to float on the surface of the water.
This greatly facilitates the collection of fruits: berries on cranberry plantations are grown in special checks. After ripening and hand-picking the best berries, they are filled with water and a special technique is launched, which, by whipping the water, causes the ripened fruits to come off and float. Then they are gradually brought to one of the edges of the check, where the clean and washed ones are scooped out into specially prepared containers.
Cranberry bushes are also divided into wild and garden, which can be grown in your own garden:
- Swamp cranberry is the most common cranberry in the eastern hemisphere; the berries of this variety are bright red. Swamp cranberry contains a huge amount of vitamin C, as well as many micro- and macroelements. People have long noticed the beneficial properties of swamp cranberries and learned to use them: dried cranberries and cranberry compote were used in the treatment of vitamin deficiency, colds, and sore throats. The juice of the berry was used to lubricate open wounds to speed up healing. For example, Indian shamans made compresses from the juice of the berry, thanks to which the poison received from a wound with a poisonous arrow was drawn out of the wounds (the benefits of cranberries in treatment were enormous).
- Wild berries are considered one of the most useful berries growing in the wild; they grow not only in wetlands, but also in peat soil.
- Garden cranberry - this species can be grown on your own plot: it feels excellent in peat-rich soil. The berries of this variety are much larger than those of the wild plant, and planted shrubs can bear fruit for about half a century.
Description
Absolutely all species are small evergreen shrubs creeping along the ground with flexible thin stems from 15 to 30 cm that are rooted in the ground. The plant lives for a long time: the age of some species exceeds a hundred years.
The mineral solutions, nutrients and trace elements necessary for the cranberry bush enter the plant through the fungus located on its roots, which is tightly connected by its threads to the root system of the bush. Mushroom threads pull the necessary solutions from the soil, after which they transfer them to the roots of the bush.
The leaves of cranberry bushes are dark green, ovate or oblong, arranged in a spiral, with one leaf coming from each node of the stem. The length of the leaves ranges from 3 to 16 mm, width – from 1 to 6 mm. Interestingly, there is wax on the bottom of the leaf, which prevents water from flooding the stomata, through which evaporation and gas exchange between the plant and nature occurs.
Cranberry bushes bloom for about eighteen days in late May - early June. The flowers of the shrub are pink or light purple, and the flower itself usually has four petals, but often has five.
Every year, several hundred hard dark red berries with a diameter of 8 to 16 mm appear on one bush. They ripen at the end of summer and are able to remain on the plant until spring without losing their qualities.
Ninety percent of cranberry berries consist of water, and they contain such a huge amount of medicinal properties that no one doubts the benefits of cranberries in our time. Among the organic compounds we can highlight:
- Vitamins A, B, PP, K1, C (interestingly, there is as much vitamin C here as in lemon, orange, grapefruit, strawberry);
- Fructose, glucose, sucrose, pectins;
- Phenol acids – reduce the risk of atherosclerosis by reducing the amount of bad cholesterol in the body;
- Potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, iodine, tin, boron, zinc, silver, etc.
- Organic acids - primarily citric, malic, oxalic, benzoic, quinic.
Application
Scientists, when they decided to determine how cranberry is useful, were surprised to find that it is one of the most medicinal berries found in the wild, and the properties of cranberries are such that it can successfully treat a sufficient number of diseases, including vitamin deficiency, colds, rheumatism, sore throat.
Recently, scientists are increasingly saying that cranberry drinks, as well as dried cranberries, are excellent for the prevention of colon cancer, prostate cancer and other malignant tumors.
It is believed that cranberry compote, cranberry juice, and dried cranberries stop the formation of cancer cells.
It is worth noting that not only fresh berries, but also frozen cranberry juice, as well as brewed compote from recently harvested cranberries, are extremely healthy and have many medicinal properties. Cranberries in sugar are also tasty, and frozen and dried cranberries are stored for a long time and do not lose their beneficial health properties at all (it is not recommended to eat dried berries in large quantities, as you can gain weight).
Frozen cranberries, if the necessary conditions are met, can be stored for about two years and the medicinal properties of cranberries do not disappear. When choosing frozen cranberries, you need to feel the packaging and make sure that the berries have not stuck together, otherwise the product has already been defrosted and, therefore, has lost most of its healing properties, so the medicinal benefits of cranberries are in doubt. When buying or removing frozen cranberries from the freezer, you must prepare them (make cranberry juice or cranberry compote). After defrosting, you can store it in a glass container for another three days or fill it with water and put it in the refrigerator (in this case it will last a long time).
Contraindications
Despite all their advantages, cranberries have contraindications. They should not be used by people with duodenal or stomach ulcers, as well as gastritis with high acidity.
People who have liver problems should use this product with caution (only after consulting with a doctor), since the berry can cause an aggravation.
You should also take into account such properties of cranberries as the ability to destroy tooth enamel. Persons with sensitive enamel or other dental problems should consume the berry carefully and not overuse it.
Common cranberry (marsh cranberry), large-fruited cranberry, small-fruited cranberry
Cranberry has two scientific Latin names that are used interchangeably. In Russian-language sources it is Oxycoccus, a generic Latin name consisting, paradoxically, of two Greek words “sour” and “berry”. The second scientific name assigned to the genus by Carl Linnaeus, who first described cranberries, is Vaccinium.
Scientists distinguish from three to five types of cranberries, these are small-fruited, large-fruited and ordinary cranberries. The common cranberry is called Vaccinium oxycoccus, the large-fruited cranberry is Vaccinium macrocarpon, and the small-fruited cranberry is Vaccinium microcarpum. Common cranberries are popularly called marsh cranberries; this name can sometimes be found in scientific sources - Oxycoccus palustris. In the world scientific literature, as a rule, they use the historical name of cranberry.
The popular names of cranberries are associated with the appearance of the plant. The flowering stems resemble the head of a crane on a long neck, which is why in English-speaking countries the cranberry was called craneberry. In Ukrainian, the name of cranberry is also associated with the crane - crane.
This name dates back to pagan times, when animals and birds were considered sacred. According to legend, one autumn, when the cranes were about to fly away to warmer climes, a young hunter snuck into the swamp and shot one bird. The crane took off, but could not fly far, and while it was flying, drops of blood fell on the marsh mosses and lichens. Veles, the patron saint of animals and nature, took pity on the bird and turned it into a well crane. And the drops of blood became berries, and remained to grow in the swamps among moss and lichen.
Description of cranberries
The life form of all types of cranberries is evergreen shrubs with creeping shoots that can take root. The length of the shoots can reach 25-35 cm. Thanks to this method of vegetative propagation, cranberries occupy large areas. Plants have a taproot system with numerous adventitious roots that develop on lying shoots.
All types of cranberries - small-fruited, large-fruited and ordinary - are mycotrophic plants that form a symbiosis with a soil fungus. The fungus receives organic substances that cranberries synthesize, and the plant, with the help of fungal hyphae, receives mineral soil components. Without mycorrhiza (interaction with the fungus), cranberries slow down and often die.
Cranberry leaves are whole, small, oblong or ovoid, arranged alternately. Leaf blade with pronounced dorso-ventral differences: dark green above and white below. An interesting feature of cranberry leaves is that they protect the stomata from water. Like all terrestrial plants, cranberry stomata, through which gas exchange occurs, are located on the underside of the leaf, while in floating aquatic plants (water lilies, Victoria regia) the stomata are located on the top. To prevent water from penetrating into the tissues of cranberry leaves growing in swamps during a change in level, they are covered from below with a thick waxy layer.
Cranberry flowers have a double perianth consisting of four sepals and four petals. There are eight stamens, arranged in two circles of four, the lower ovary consists of four sepals fused into one pistil. The color of cranberry petals varies from pink to dark pink or light purple. Long pedicels allow pollinating insects to better see flowers that are close to the ground.
Cranberries bear fruit in the second year. Its fruit is a four-locular, red berry, round or ellipsoid in shape, according to the number of carpels. The type of seed dispersal is ornitochory, reproduction by birds. Not only do they spread seeds over long distances, but after passing through the digestive tract of birds, cranberry seeds germinate better.
Small-fruited cranberries have smaller berries than common cranberries; their shape is elliptical and elongated, so they are almost never collected for consumption.
Where do cranberries grow?
Cranberry is a Holarctic species, distributed in the northern hemisphere. The common cranberry grows in Eurasia and North America. The natural habitat of large-fruited cranberries is the eastern part of the United States and Canada. But the berry was introduced to Europe, where the large-fruited cranberry acclimatized perfectly.
Small-fruited cranberries grow in Europe and Asia, reach Korea, grow in the Far East, and are found in the mountains (Carpathians, Urals). Small-fruited cranberry suffers most from habitat destruction, drainage of swamps, and development of wetlands. In some European countries, small-fruited cranberries are included in the Red Book.
In natural biocenoses, cranberries grow in swamps, in damp places, and in coniferous forests with a sphagnum lower layer. Frequent places for cranberry growth are sphagnum-sedge bogs fed by groundwater and raised bogs. Less commonly, cranberries grow on swampy shores of lakes or oxbow lakes. Common companions of cranberries are sphagnum (lichen, which I mistakenly call moss), real green mosses, various types of sedge, sedge, and dwarf birch.
On video: common cranberry
Properties of cranberries: benefits and contraindications
“There are no berries sour as cranberries” - probably many people remember these poetic lines from childhood. Fresh cranberries, picked in the fall, really have a bright, sour flavor. The presence of acids in berries determines many beneficial properties of cranberries and some contraindications.
Among the types of cranberries, the most commonly consumed are common cranberries (marsh cranberries) and large-fruited cranberries. The chemical composition of the berries of these two types is identical; the amounts of certain substances may fluctuate slightly. Slight differences in the amount of chemical components of cranberries can be observed in different varieties or places of growth. Fresh cranberries contain a lot of water, useful organic substances, vitamins, and microelements.
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Organic ingredients
Simple carbohydrates: monosaccharides - mainly glucose and fructose, disaccharides - sucrose;
Polysaccharides (high molecular weight carbohydrates) – dietary fiber and pectin;
Organic acids – citric (predominant), malic, acetic, benzoic, oxalic, oleanic, quinic, ketoglutaric;
Anthocyanins (plant glycosides);
Catechins are compounds from the flavonoid group, strong antioxidants;
Betaine;
Phenolic acids;
Proteins;
Fats (very little).
Vitamins and vitamin-like substances
Vitamin A or retinol, fat soluble;
Beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, a molecule of which in the body in the presence of fat breaks down into two molecules of vitamin A;
Vitamin B1 or thiamine is water soluble;
Riboflavin or B2 is water soluble;
Vitamin B3 – synonyms: niacin, nicotinic acid, vitamin PP;
B6, pyridoxine;
Folacin B9;
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid);
Vitamin E – tocopherol, fat-soluble;
Vitamin K is fat soluble.
Mineral components
Cranberries contain more than two dozen mineral components, which are divided into macro and microelements. Among macroelements, potassium ranks first; there is ten times more of it in berries than calcium, the second most abundant mineral component of cranberries.
Cranberries are also useful due to the presence of iron, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus in its composition. Microelements of cranberries are selenium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, iodine, boron and many others.
Contraindications for eating cranberries
Despite the invaluable benefits for cranberries, there are complete contraindications and partial ones (that is, restrictions on its use).
Due to the presence of a large amount of acids in the berries, cranberries should not be consumed by people suffering from various forms of gastritis, pancreatitis and high stomach acidity. If you have liver disease, cranberry consumption should be limited or completely avoided. It depends on the disease and its stage. For any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, you should consult a doctor before consuming cranberries.
A contraindication for consuming cranberries is individual intolerance. Cranberries may cause allergic reactions in some people.
If you have sensitive tooth enamel that reacts to acid, you can only consume cranberries in their sweet form, and if this does not help, you should discard the berries so as not to destroy thin tooth enamel.
When are cranberries harvested?
The most useful cranberries are harvested in the fall, untouched by frost. Cranberries are harvested unripe and ripen later. Cranberries can be stored for a long time in a glass jar filled with plain cold water. During the ripening period (mid-September or October), cranberries are harvested on an industrial scale. Using special technologies, the berries are washed off with water without damaging the structure of the sphagnum bogs. Cranberry processors churn the water and the berries break off and float.
This harvesting method is used for large-fruited cranberries, inside of which there are small air pockets, thanks to which the berries float on the surface.
Cranberries are harvested by hand before frost and with the onset of frost. When the berries freeze a little, they become less sour.
The third stage of cranberry harvesting after the snow melts - this berry is the sweetest, but its vitamins are partially destroyed and organic acids disintegrate.
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