Bird cherry will strengthen immunity and help with infections. How to make bird cherry syrup?
The bird cherry and its characteristic black fruits are a real treasure of autumn. Bird cherry grows wild, just like elderberry, and it is worth making syrup from it, which will be helpful in treating infections.
Bird cherry is a plant common in Poland, whose fruits ripen in late summer. September is the perfect time to harvest the valuable fruits of bird cherry. It is also called stinkweed or catwort. There are two species of bird cherry in Poland: common and American. Both can be used.
What properties does bird cherry have?
Bird cherry is rich in, among others: in antioxidants and flavonoids, as well as vitamin C, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, rutin and valuable fiber. Bird cherry fruits have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and strengthening the immune system. They also have a strong diuretic effect (that’s why bird cherry syrup is better not to drink before bedtime). They are invaluable as support for kidney stones and inflammation of the urinary system. Bird cherry also has a slightly calming effect.
Bird cherry syrup. How to make?
Bird cherry syrup is made in exactly the same way as other fruit syrups. The easiest way to do this is to use a traditional juicer (in the season for preserves, juicers can be bought even in chain stores). Then it is enough to pour bird cherry fruits with sugar into the juicer – you can adopt the following proportions: half a kilo of sugar per kilo of fruit.
Bird cherry syrup can also be made without a juicer. Then pour water over the fruit cleaned from the twigs (so that the water covers the fruit), boil (after bringing to a boil, cook over low heat for about 10 minutes) and leave to cool for a few hours. After this time, decant the juice, squeezing the fruit well. Add sugar to the juice (the best ratio here is a kilogram of sugar per kilogram of fruit, but you can also reduce the amount of sugar) and boil it again. The hot syrup is enough to pour into sterilized and clean jars or bottles (you can briefly pasteurize). Bird cherry syrup is best drunk diluted with water, it can also be added to tea during the infection season.
