Larch: how to make jam from larch cones and needles for the winter - 4 cooking options

Larch does not have such a bright coniferous aroma as spruce or pine. Its needles are tender and taste sour. Another feature of this tree is that it sheds all its green mass in the fall. All this does not negate the beneficial properties of larch. The fruits of the tree are rich in vitamins, essential microelements and healing essential oils. Jam made from tender young cones will help you diversify the standard set of winter preparations, and will also allow you to cope with seasonal ailments in the shortest possible time.

Rules for collecting larch cones

The main product for jam should be collected away from city limits and highways.This rule is very important, since young needles and green cones, like a sponge, absorb all the dirt and toxic substances.

Collection time is late May or early June. In cold regions, the time for collecting the original product may be shifted 1-2 weeks later.

Female cones may be light green or pink. The main selection criterion is softness. The cones should not be rough, but when squeezed with a fingernail, they should be deformed and pierced. At the same time, you can also collect fresh green larch needles. It can also be used to make jam. The recipe for such a delicacy will be given below.

Options for making healthy pine cone jam

Method No. 1

The collected dry larch cones are weighed. Then the entire harvest is transferred to a deep container and filled with water so that it covers the fruit 3-4 centimeters above. Add table salt to the same bowl at the rate of 1 dessert spoon per 1 liter of water. In order for the crystals to dissolve faster and the dirt to move away from the cones, the mass is thoroughly mixed. The fruits drenched in saline solution are kept cool for 2-3 hours. The dirty water is then drained, and the cones are thoroughly rinsed under running water. If desired, the fruits can be cut into pieces, but whole cones will look much prettier in the finished dish.

The next step is to sprinkle the larch cones with granulated sugar in the same volume as the number of initially weighed cones. The mass is thoroughly mixed and left for a day. During this time, the sugar will partially dissolve and the fruits will release juice.

Place the candied larch fruits into a cooking container and add 250 milliliters of clean water per 1 kilogram of cones. The jam is brought to a boil, and the burners are simmered at minimum power for 10 minutes.After this procedure, turn off the fire, cover the bowl with a clean towel on top, and leave for 3-4 hours to cool naturally. After this, cooking is continued, increasing the time to 2 hours. As a result, the cones should soften thoroughly.

The finished jam is transferred to a clean, sterile container and screwed on with lids.

Method number 2

In this recipe, the preliminary preparation of the fruit is the same. That is, the cones are initially weighed and then soaked for some time in a saline solution.

Next, the procedure for making jam changes slightly. First, the syrup is boiled from water and sugar, based on a 1:1 ratio.

The syrup is boiled until the crystals are completely dissolved for 10 minutes. After this time, the washed cones are placed in the boiling sweet liquid.

Cook the jam using the interval method in four batches. That is, initially the mass is boiled for 15 minutes, and then allowed to rest for 5 - 6 hours. Boiling is repeated 4 times. The finished hot jam is placed in jars and sealed.

Method number 3 - preparing “larch honey” from cones

This option allows you to prepare a homogeneous jam, without fruits, more like honey.

The prepared clean cones are transferred to a bowl of cold water. The liquid should completely cover the fruit. Cover the pan with a lid and put it on the fire. After the liquid boils, the heating temperature of the burner is adjusted so that the mass under the lid bubbles slightly. Cooking time can take from 1.5 to 2 hours. The criterion for readiness is a cone that can be pierced well with a fork.

The finished broth is filtered. The raw materials are simply thrown away or used to treat a sore throat by chewing the soft fruits.

For further cooking of jam, the amount of broth is measured with a measuring cup.For every liter of liquid take 1 kilogram of sugar. The products are mixed and boiled over medium heat for a quarter of an hour until the syrup thickens. It must be remembered that after cooling the mass will become a little thicker. When the jam reaches the desired consistency, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid dissolved in water to the finished dish for each liter of water initially added.

Method number 4 - jam from cones with pine needles

If the needles of this tree were also collected with larch cones, then a jam recipe made from two useful ingredients will come in handy.

The calculation of products will be based on the number of collected cones. For every kilogram of cones you will need 200 grams of pine needles, 1 liter of clean water and 1 kilogram of granulated sugar.

The cones are soaked in water with salt and washed. The needles are simply rinsed under running water.

First, cones are placed in pre-prepared hot sugar syrup. They are cooked for 50 minutes on low heat. Then tender pine needles are added to the jam. Cooking is continued for another 30 minutes. If the jam thickens too quickly during cooking, the consistency is adjusted with hot boiled water.

In addition to larch, cones of other trees can be used to make jam. Pine cone jam has excellent taste. We invite you to watch the video recipe for its preparation.

How to store and use healthy larch preparations

Store larch cone jam in the refrigerator, underground or cellar. The shelf life, subject to the preparation technology and sterility of the container, can reach 1.5 years.

You should not take larch fruit jam right away. It is best to let the healthy dessert brew for 2-3 weeks.Next, you can begin a course of home preventive measures against colds by taking a dessert spoon of jam once a day, half an hour before meals. If jam is used as a medicine, then the number of doses is increased to 3 times a day.