Harvesting berries: when to collect a dogrose?

When to collect a dogrose? The national calendar says that the optimal time for collection begins on October 1 - the day of Arina Shipovnitsa. However, this calendar date does not always correspond to the most successful time. Much depends on the geographical area of growth, the phase of development of dog rose, weather, climatic conditions and even the microclimate of a specific area. Therefore, to answer the question, when to collect the dog-rose, you need to build on the conditions of a particular region. In some places and latitudes, berries begin to be harvested somewhere in the late summer.

When to collect a dogrose

The greatest amount of nutrients in fruits is contained in the ripening period. Gather berries from the end of summer and all autumn. As already mentioned, much depends on the climatic conditions of the area. However, there are nuances. You should also pay attention to the variety of dogrose. The time of ripening in different subspecies may differ. The later the time of collection, the less vitamins remain in the fruit, and the amount of sugars increases.

Signs of maturation

When is it necessary to collect a dogrose? As a rule, at the end of August the fruits turn orange or bright red. This is one of the signs that they are ripe. The greatest content of vitamins will be in solid and large fruits with protruding sepals. If the latter fit tightly to the berry, it means that the fruits are not yet fully ripe. Collect the dogrose together with cups and stems. Remove them only after drying. So the dog rose keeps more vitamins.

Environmental Safety

Where and when can I pick a dogrose? It should be understood that only plant bushes that grow in a clean area are suitable for collection and subsequent use. It is best to harvest fruits in the forest, away from the joys of civilization. Sometimes it does not seem so important to ask when to collect a dog rose, in comparison with the question of where this should not be done. Not useful, but only harm, berries, growing near roads, chemical plants and other harmful industries. It's not so important how they look. Health is more expensive. The fruits of almost any plant tend to accumulate toxins from the environment.

Drying

Berries after harvesting should be dried, otherwise they will lose their useful properties or deteriorate. Do it better in a ventilated room, spreading the fruits on paper. Briar can be dried and in the oven. The berries are stored in sealed containers. Before drying, the harvest must be sorted out and discarded illiquid fruits. You do not need to wash them. You can dry fruits in their entirety or cut them in half. It should be understood that the faster dried berries, the less will be the loss of vitamins and other nutrients. The oven is heated to +40 ° C and the baking tray with berries is kept for about an hour. Then the temperature is raised to +60 ° C and dried for an additional 8-9 hours.

There is another way. First, the dog rose must be allowed to stand for 10 minutes at a temperature of +100 ° C, and then reduce the temperature to +70 ° C. To ensure that the fruits are dried qualitatively, constant air circulation is necessary. To do this, in the oven you need to turn on convection. If it is not provided, you can just slightly open the door.