Better health through hawthorn- How can the red berries be prepared?

Hawthorn: Red berries for syrup and jam
When autumn starts, the fruits of the hawthorn glow red in the hedges. Few know that the berries are edible. However, the pulp raw has a floury consistency. Only processed in the compote, jelly, juice, syrup or chutney, the fruits unfold their pleasant sweet-sour flavor. They are also often combined with other fruits such as apples, quinces and elderberries.

Hawthorn is healthy! But most people do not know how to consume hawthorn. Picture: M. Schuppich-fotolia

A musm of hawthorn berries is a delicious bread covering and gives muesli, yoghurt and quark a special taste. For this, the fruits are boiled in water for eight to ten minutes, poured off, and spread through a sieve. If you like it sweeter, you can add a teaspoon of agave syrup or honey.

The plant is also known in folk medicine. Already pastor Sebastian Kneipp recommended the hawthorn for heart and circulation. So should help with hypertension and dizziness a tea from the dried flowers and leaves. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, provitamin A and the dietary fiber pectin.

The fruits ripen between August and October. When picking, you should be careful and wear gloves, because hawthorn grows very dense and has many thorns. In addition, the red berries can leave unsightly stains on clothing. Before preparation, they are removed from the stalk and washed thoroughly. However, a few fruits should remain on the bush as they provide food for more than 30 different bird species. Hawthorn is also an important source of livelihood for many species of insects and small mammals. Heike Kreutz, bzfe