'They are sour said the fox about the rowanberries, he couldn't reach them'.
The rowanberry tree grows in forests, gardens and parks. Orange- or redcoloured red berries grow in large clusters. They are hard, and they ripen between August and October. They consist three times as much vitamin as the orange.
The berries are edible, but very tart in flavour. Freezing causes the bittertart berries to turn sweeter, one may also put them in a freezer for 12 hours before processing them. NB: The berries contain a damaging substance which at worst can be harmful to the kidneys, - so it is advisable to heat-treat or freeze them before use.
Jelly:
The berries make an excellent jelly because of the high amount of pectin. Rowanberry jelly with cognac is the traditional accompaniment to venison and is also excellent with game and fowl. The berries can be used to make purés and juices, or they can be dehydrated and ground into powder to be mixed in porridges or bread doughs.
Medicine:
In folkmedicine rowanberry was used as a means against kidney-stones and scurvy.
Making snaps:
Use ripe rowanberries after frost. Put the berries in a glass or jar, 2/3 berries, fill up with alcohol. Drawing time ab. 6 weeks, now the essence has a fine red colour, after filtration the snaps is ready and can be thinned as you like but it grows better in storing.
Added honey and vanillla makes it a liqueur.
photo: grethe bachmann
