Sea buckthorn is a bush that typically grows by the sea, and which thrives well in very calcareous soil. The small orange berries sit densely on the bush's thorny branches and are hard to pick. The best thing to do is therefore to cut off the branches and freeze them, and then pick off the berries. A vitamin bombSea buckthornis often called a super berry because of its high content of vitamins, fatty acids and carotenoids. If you eat raw sea buckthorn, you get vitamins A, several B vitamins, E, K and C and omega 3, 6, 7 and 9. It is said that just one small sea buckthorn berry contains just as much vitamin C as one whole orange. Sea buckthorn berriesSea buckthorn berries can be split into skin, juice and seed. The berry has no real fleshy substance as such, and is more of a juice enclosed in a thin skin. The juice falls into 3 parts: firstly , the fruit juice oil. The fruit juice in the centre holds most of the flavour. The juice is fairly clear with a pH value of between 2.6 and 4.2. The bottom juice layer contains some sediment from the skin, which will have passed through the press. Growth among the sand dunesSea buckthorn is a pioneer plant, which is belived to have first emerged following the last ice age. It is likely to have begun inland in the wide expanses of countryside, but over time other plants have pushed it towards the coast, where it can grow undisturbed with plenty of sun. Along the coastal sand dunes is also where you will find the wild sea buckthorn bushes today. Sea buckthorn has its own nitrogen-containing stumps on its roots, and thereby has its own 'packed lunch'. The bush thrives well in nutrient-depleted soil, such as sandy soil. We grow our bushes in clay soil and we don't have to add nutrients. The bushes do this themselves. |