Everything you need to know about the superfood berries sea buckthorns, and an easy recipe for sea buckthorn juice that does not require heating.
WHAT ARE SEA BUCKTHORNS?
Also known as sand thorn, seaberry and sallowthorn. Sea buckhorn is a shrub that produces small orange/yellow berries. They are commonly found in Russia, China. Northern Europe and Canada.
Sea buckthorn berries are edible (often not eaten raw), healthy and very nutritious. They are often used to make juice, tea, jam, puree, sauces, pies, ice cream. As well as cosmetics, moisturising body lotions, and their oils are used for treating hair and skin.
Sea Buckthorn Benefits
The berries are used in many natural remedies as they’re rich in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins C, B1, B2, B6 and E.
- Sea buckthorn can lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
- It may reduce the risk of having a heart disease.
- It may reduce blood sugar levels and therefore prevent diabetes.
- It’s good for your skin. Scientists found that oil can help renew old skin and make your skin brighter.
- It’s rich in substances that can kill cancer cells.
- It may slow down the ageing process.
Sea Buckthorn Juice
One of the easiest ways to use sea buckthorn berries in a recipe is to make juice! Making juice and tea from sea buckthorn are my favourite ways to consume these healthy berries, and those are probably the most common recipes that are known (in Russia at least).
This recipe does not require cooking the berries, which makes sure that you get the most of them as all vitamins and nutrients are preserved since there is no heat used to make the juice.
How To Make Sea Buckthorn Juice
- Wash the berries and blend them using a hand blender or a food processor. This will result in a runny puree of the berries and their seeds.
- Add a sweetener, and blend the berries for 1 more minute.
- Strain the juice using a mesh strainer (sieve), and set the pulp aside.
- Dilute the juice with water, and serve chilled.
When the juice is pressed, it might start separating into a few layers and that’s totally normal. Just stir it up with a spoon, and enjoy!
Is It Possible To Freeze Sea Buckthorn Berries?
The answer is yes! All berries can be frozen, you can either freeze the berries as whole by just washing them and freezing them in a freezer bag. Or you can make a puree by blending the berries and then freezing them in an airtight container for up to 2 years.
I’ve heard that sea buckthorn berries contain 15 times more vitamin C than oranges! They are quite sour, and are often sweetened when are used to make juice, jams, ice creams etc… They are also packed with antioxidants, and omega fatty acids, so if you haven’t had them before, look for them!
Other names…
Sea buckthorn is also known as sand thorn, seaberry and sallowthorn. In Russian, they’re called Oblepiha. In Finnish, they’re called tyrni.
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Sea Buckthorn Juice
Ingredients
- 2 lbs 1 kg sea buckthorn berries
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, or raw sugar
- 2 cups 500 ml water
Instructions
- Wash the berries and blend them using a hand blender or a food processor. This will result in a runny puree of the berries and their seeds.
- Add a sweetener, and blend the berries for 1 more minute.
- Strain the juice using a mesh strainer (sieve), and set the pulp aside.
- Dilute the juice with water, and serve chilled.
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