Wild harvested juniper berries 6-8 calibration. Dried using closed drying method with no evaporation and low temperature (30-60°), which keep natural structure of juniper and only extracts water.
Here in ExNatura&Co we source all our products (juniper berries) from the wild mountain forests of North Macedonia. The country provides us with a great terroir and a high content of volatile oils in the berries grown there. It takes on average 10 years before a juniper bush starts producing flowers and berries, taking 12-18 months to ripen, so a tree will bear both immature fruits and ready to harvest berries at the same time.
At ExNatura&Co, each berry is handpicked from the bushes by our enthusiastic experienced collectors and afterwards collected in large wooden sieves for cleaning and sorting.. The harvesting period is strictly done in the months of October, November and December since that is the most ideal time for collecting high quality berries (based on professional studies and our personal past experiences).
Berry, in botany, a simple fleshy fruit that usually has many seeds, such as the banana, grape, and tomato. As a simple fruit, a berry is derived from a single ovary of an individual flower. The middle and inner layers of the fruit wall often are not distinct from each other.
The fruit is very rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, and has a delightful tart taste that has become sought-after in the culinary world.
Golden Berries are carefully selected during the right maturation point and slowly dried at very low temperatures to achieve a chewy texture and preserve the incredible taste and nutritional content.
PRODUCT INFO
Star Gooseberry is a type of fruit. There are both sour and sweet varieties. They are often pickled, welded or preserved.
USES
Star Gooseberry is eaten fresh, and is occasionally used as flavoring for other dishes. It is candied in sugar or pickled in salt or preserves. it is used to make vinegar as well as eaten raw, soaked in salt or vinegar-salt solution.
SEASON
Star Gooseberry is available between June-August.
Premium Black berries are a delicious addition to any diet. Blackberries contain a high level of vitamin C. One serving of 100 grams (g) contains 35 percent of an individual's recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C. Black berries tastes amazing with yogurt
Description
Premium Black berries are a delicious addition to any diet.
Premium Black berries contain a high level of vitamin C. One serving of 100 grams (g) contains 35 percent of an individual's recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C.
Humans are unable to synthesize their own vitamin C, so it is essential to include it as part of a healthy diet.
Vitamin C is involved in protein synthesis and is necessary for the body to produce collagen and certain neurotransmitters. These processes are vital for many bodily functions, including wound healing.
Juniper oil is used in aromatherapy to help stimulate and strengthen the nerves and bolster the spirits in challenging situations, while helping to relieve urine retention. It is used for treating rheumatism, arthritis and gout, as well as cellulite, acne, dermatitis, blocked pores, psoriasis and weeping eczemas.
The main chemical components of juniper oil are a-pinene, camphene, b-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, a-phellandrene, a-terpinene, y-terpinene, 1,4-cineole, b-phellandrene, p-cymene, terpinen-4-ol, bornyl acetate, cayophyllene and trace amounts of limonene, camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate, borneol and nerol.
Juniper bushes can be found in eastern Europe, Bulgaria, Hungary, also in western Europe France and Spain and in north America - Canada.
This evergreen shrub grows up to 6 metres tall. It has dark green or blue needles and small flowers and berries. The berries change colour over the first few years of growth. They start off green, but after a year or two, they turn black.
Juniper is used to flavour food and drink and is the characteristic aroma in gin.
Fam: Cupressaceae
Juniper is widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere and its birthplace is obscure. It is found in Europe, North Africa, North America and northern Asia. The main commercial producers are Hungary and southern Europe, especially Italy. The berries were known to Greek, Roman and early Arab physicians as a medicinal fruit and are mentioned in the Bible. In the Renaissance, they were recommended against snake bite, and plague and pestilence. Because of its air-cleansing piney fragrance, the foliage was used as a strewing herb to freshen stale air and the Swiss burned the berries with heating fuel in winter to sanitize stale air. Gin, the alcoholic drink that gets its unique flavour from juniper berries, is named from an adaptation of the Dutch word for juniper, "geneva".
Spice Description
Initially hard and pale green, juniper berries ripen to blue-black, become fleshy and contain three sticky, hard, brown seeds. When dried, the berries remain soft but if broken open one will find the pith surrounding the seeds is easily crumbled.
Bouquet: Fragrant and flowery, combining the aromas of gin and turpentine.
Flavour:Aromatic, bittersweet and piny.
Hotness Scale: 1
Preparation and Storage
Juniper berries are at their best when they are still moist and soft to the touch, squashing fairly easily between one's fingers. It is possible to make a purée from juniper berries or to extract the flavour and aroma by macerating them in hot water, but as all parts are edible and the texture is agreeable, it is usually just as well to use the entire fruit, split or crushed. The berries are quite powerful, one heaped teaspoon of crushed fruits serving for a dish for four people. Store in a cool place in an airtight container.
Culinary Uses
Juniper berries perform a quite unique role, by contributing as much to the character of food through their 'freshening' ability, as they do by way of their specific taste profile. As well as flavouring a dish, juniper cuts the gaminess of game, reduces the fatty effect of duck and pork and perks up a bread stuffing. The strong hearty flavour of juniper goes well with strong meats, such as game. Pork chops, roast leg of lamb, veal, rabbit, venison and wild boar are all enlivened with a hint of juniper. Juniper berries blend well with other herbs and spices, especially thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram, bay leaves, allspice and onions and garlic. One application I am particularly fond of is in a simple chicken casserole, It can effectively be added to wine marinades for meats, and is used with coriander in smoking meat. It seasons pâtés and sauces and in Sweden. Goulash and Sauerkraut often feature a juniper taste, as do some home-pickled meats like salt beef, salt pork and ham. Generally juniper can well be used in any dish requiring alcohol. Fruit dishes, such as apple tart and pickled peaches, also harmonize with this flavour.
