Sea Berries
Sea Buckthorn berries grow in plentiful bunches along the
branches of the Hippophae rhamnoides plant. Ripe berries can vary in colour
from yellow to deep orange or red. The small Sea Buckthorn berry has a thin
skin and is very fragile. Within the berry are small inedible seeds, from which
oil can be extracted. They are edible when fresh but have an acidic flavour.
Sea Buckthorn berries contain malic acid, the same type of acid that gives an
apple its tart flavour. Fresh Sea Buckthorn berries are available in the fall;
frozen berries are available year-round.
Sea Buckthorn berries grows on deciduous shrubs, mostly
in Central Asia and Europe. Used for more than twelve centuries, sea buckthorn
is very popular in China and is also widely used in India. The shrubs have
dense and stiff branches, with large thorns, and very small orange berries that
are soft and juicy. The berries are astringent, sour and oily.
These berries are one of the most widely grown,
northern-hardy fruiting plants in the world. The berries grow on a thorny
shrub, botanically known as Hippophae rhamnoides, from the Greek word for
“shining horse,” after Greeks took note of the shinier coats on the horses that
fed on Sea Buckthorn berries and leaves. ‘Rhamnoides’ means “buckthorn-like”
because Sea Buckthorn isn’t a true ‘buckthorn’ and belongs to the order
Elaeagnaceae. The small edible berries are often called ‘Sea berries’ or
Swallow berries for the faint yellow dye they impart on cloth.
These berries are very popular in Eastern Europe, Russia
and China, Sea Berry is a new and very valuable plant for North American
gardeners. It is prized for its exceptional ornamental value, tasty and
healthful fruit, ability to grow in and improve poor soils, and its value as
cover and food for wildlife. A fine ornamental shrub with narrow and graceful,
grayish-green foliage, it is particularly striking when covered with
bright-orange fruit, which cover the branches and can persist well into winter.
Sea Berry is unique in its ability to produce crops in the most inhospitable
areas. The fruit is very high in Vitamin C (about 7 times more than lemons),
Vitamin A, and E, and has a pleasant acidic flavour which, when sweetened,
makes delicious juice. During the Cold War, East Germany used Sea Berry as a
healthful substitute for orange juice.
These deciduous shrubs that typically range from 0.5 to 6
m in height with equivalent spread. The staminate trees are more erect than the
spreading pistillate trees. It naturally tends to sucker forming thickets if
not properly maintained. They can survive temperatures as low as - 40°C, and
are both drought and salt tolerant. Sea buckthorns require full sunlight for
good growth and cannot tolerate shady conditions near larger trees. The
branches are dense, stiff, and very thorny with both terminal and axillary twig
spines. The linear or lanceolate shaped leaves, which are 3 to 8 cm long and
less than 7 mm wide, are dark grey-green on the upper surface and a distinct
pale, silvery-grey on the lower surface. Sea buckthorn is dioecious, with
separate male and female plants.
Hippophae rhamnoides, the common sea buckthorn, is the
most widespread of the species in the genus, with the ranges of its eight
subspecies extending from the Atlantic coasts of Europe across to northwestern
Mongolia and northwestern China. In western Europe, it is largely confined to
sea coasts where salt spray off the sea prevents other larger plants from
outcompeting it. In central Asia, it is more widespread in dry semi-desert
sites where other plants cannot survive the dry conditions. In central Europe and Asia, it also occurs as
a sub-alpine shrub above the tree line in mountains, and other sunny areas such
as river banks where it has been used to stabilize erosion.
Flowers emerge prior to the leaves, are localized to the
2nd year-old wood, and occur in small racemes in the leaf axils along the
entire length of the branch. Pollination of the female flowers occurs in
mid-May, and is entirely dependent on wind to spread pollen from the male
flowers. Fruit ripening occurs about 100 days after pollination. Sea buckthorn
fruit can vary in both shape and colour, but are typically globose to
egg-shaped berries ranging from yellow to bright orange or red in colour. The
combination of fruit shape and size, together with the contrast between the
colour of the fruit and leaves, contributes to the ornamental value of this
plant.
Since only female plants bear fruit, sea buckthorn is
often propagated from cuttings to ensure the sex of the resulting plants. Some growers even go as far as propagating
female plants from cuttings, and then grafting a single male branch onto each
female bush for pollination. This
ensures that there’s a male plant available nearby for pollination, but none of
the planting space is taken up by an unproductive male plant.
To propagate sea berries from hardwood cuttings, take
cuttings 6” from last years growth while the plant is dormant (late fall to
early spring). Soak the cuttings in
water covering about 2/3 of their length, changing the water every day to
prevent stagnation. After about a week,
roots should begin to form. Once the
roots are about an inch long the cuttings can be planted indoors in pots for
about 2 months until the plants are fully rooted and ready to be transplanted
outdoors.
Sea Buckthorn berries are most often harvested for their
juice, which is very acidic on its own but is usually mixed with other
ingredients to tone down the tartness. When crushed, pressed or boiled and
strained, the juice can be made into jelly, syrups or marinades. Sea Buckthorn
syrup is used in cake recipes in Britain, as an additional flavour to soak into
various cake layers and is used in a variety of other applications. In the
Balkans, Sea Buckthorn juice is incorporated into a fish sauce. In Russia,
Buckthorn liquor is considered a top shelf item. The hardy berries can be
cooked down and fermented into wine, which takes on an orange hue.
These berries can be readily harvested by hand, requiring
about the same amount of effort as harvesting raspberries. Although the
thorniness of the sea buckthorn bushes can be a problem, young plants may be
relatively thorn free. Some thornless varieties are currently available, and
future breeding efforts should increase their numbers. As the number of trees
in the orchard increases, so does the work required for harvesting the berries.
Figures from China indicate that up to 1500 person hours per hectare are
required for hand harvesting. Hand harvesting at the Wingham area orchard
suggests the time to hand harvest per hectare may be significantly higher than
1500 hours, especially when trying to harvest intact berries. The fruit are
strongly attached, and are not easily stripped from the branches. Experienced
pickers were able to harvest intact fruit at rates of 1-1.5 kg per hour. The
difficulty of removing the fruit from the tree diminishes as the season
progresses. Unfortunately, fruit quality also decreases over this same period,
so optimum times for harvest will need to be identified for individual growing
areas. Successful commercial operation of a sea buckthorn orchard will
ultimately require the development and implementation of some type of mechanical
harvester. Several types have been developed, including a vibratory shaker
invented in Saskatchewan.
As with any crop grown for nutraceutical, medicinal or
culinary use, post-harvest handling of sea buckthorn berries should conform to
approved good agricultural practices standards. After cleaning, the berries
should be processed as soon as possible, but may be either stored at low
temperature (4 to 6°C), or flash frozen if immediate processing is not
feasible. The shelf life of berries stored at low temperature can be up to 2
weeks. Berries maintain their shape when thawed after freezing. The fruit
harvested from the Wingham orchard is currently being used in both fresh and
frozen products which are sold at a farmers market near Huntsville. The fruit is
processed into a variety of products, including jelly, juice extracts, nectar
salsa and bread made from the pulp and seeds following juice extraction. Young
leaves have been dried and ground for use as a tea.
Nutritional Value: Sea Buckthorn berries are highly
nutritional and have many alternative and natural medicinal uses. The leaves
alone contain 15% protein and the berries are rich in vitamins C and E, B1 and
B2, folic acid and contain other healthy antioxidants. The oil extracted from
the seeds has been used to treat injuries and skin conditions. The versatile
berries are higher than both fish and macadamia nuts in Omega 7 fatty acids.
Fermentation of sea buckthorn juice reduces sourness and
thus in general enhances sensory properties. Besides juice, sea buckthorn fruit
can be used to make pies, jams, lotions, teas, fruit wines and liquors. The
juice or pulp has other potential applications in foods, beverages or cosmetics
products. Fruit drinks were among the earliest sea buckthorn products developed
in China. Sea buckthorn-based juice is popular in Germany and Scandinavian
countries. It provides a nutritious beverage, rich in vitamin C and
carotenoids.
Leaves and flowers are utilized for arthritis, ulcers,
gout and skin rashes and irritations. Tea made from the leaves contains
vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and fatty acids. The tea is
typically used for lowering blood pressure and serum cholesterol, prevention
and treatment of diseases of the blood vessel, and for increasing immunity.
Cardiovascular benefits Buckthorn is a supplemental source of vitamins C, A,
and E, beta-carotene, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. One recent study
suggests that Sea Buckthorn seed oil may be effective for assisting in weight
loss. Chinese researchers have completed a study suggesting that Sea Buckthorn
oil extract can lower cholesterol, reduce angina and improve heart function in
patients with cardiac disease. Soothes skin and improves sight Sea buckthorn
berries are used for preventing skin infections, improving sight, and slowing
the aging process. These berries promotes
colon health. Contributes to proper brain and nervous system functioning.
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