Top 10 Sea Buckthorn Recipes - Vital Fair Living (2024)

Did you know that Sea Buckthorn berries are a power house of antioxidants and vitamins especially Vit C and Vit A ?Sea Buckthorn is a miracle plant that gives us one of the best types of berries in the world. These berries are too good to be wasted with just jellies, so I have compiled together top 10 Sea Buckthorn Recipes in this post. I will also be giving you tips on harvesting them easily.

Sea Buckthorn berries are also called as Sand thorn or sallow thorn. The German word is Sanddorn.These common shrubs have dense and stiff branches and are very thorny. The leaves on these shrubs are a distinct pale silvery-green color. Last year I have already posted an easy to make Sea Buckthorn Jelly Recipe. I also mentioned the process to harvest these thorny berries and linked more information on Sea Buckthorn berries /Hippophae .

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Tips on Harvesting

The best time for harvesting Sea Buckthorn berries is just before the first freeze. Typically the berries get ripe by mid of September. So lets say by end of September till early October would be typical harvest time in Switzerland.

The berries grow in a very tight clumps thereby making it difficult to pick. They also lack an abscission layer, meaning the berry does not detach from the stem when it is ripe. In fact, it pretty much has a death grip on the tree. So how can you harvest the berries?

You can take a pair of sharp pruning shears and snip the berries out of the tree. Try to do this somewhat sparingly because the shrub has to recover for the next season. If we cut a lot of the branches, the following year the yield will not be so good. Some gardeners even go so far as to say to harvest every second year.

So lets leave some for the birds shall we.

Another way to harvest would be to let the berries freeze and then shake the shrubs and collect the berries. That would be tedious in my garden, we have difficulty to get to the shrubs as it is.

A third way would be to freeze those cut branches and then pull out the berries. Our friend tried this and he wouldn’t advice this because your fingers do get frozen.

This year I figured out and easy method to remove those berries without having to pick them individually. We used a fork to pick out the ripe berries. Click on the short clip below to see how we did it.

Without further ado lets dive into those recipes.

How to pick the Sea Buckthorn berries easily Video

Top 10 Sea Buckthorn Berry Recipes

1. Freeze

Wash the berries and dry them on a cloth and pick the best sturdy ripe berries and freeze the berries. These berries can be used for smoothies and also juiced during the winter months. They give an extra boost of Vitamin C needed especially in winter to prevent colds and flu.

2. Juicing

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We used a juicer to extract the juice from the washed berries because the berries will just be crushed easily to extract the juices. Plus by using a juicer the pulps are easily separated without much effort. Since we cannot consume all the juice in one go, I froze the juice into silicone molds to use at a later date. We can also throw these cubes, dilute it with a little water, add some honey and drink them. Because, the taste is quite tart, I needed a sweetener. If you don’t mind the tart taste you can drink it straight away. These cubes can also be added into smoothies.

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How to Juice Sea Buckthorn Berries if you have no Juicer

Wash the berries and blend them using a hand blender or a food processor. This will result in a runny puree of the berries and their seeds.

Add a sweetener, and blend the berries for 1 more minute.

Strain the juice using a strainer, and set the pulp aside. Don’t throw away the pulp, we will get to it later.

Dilute the juice with water. It is best to dilute the juice if you don’t want it very tart. Another reason is to protect the enamel of our teeth.

Freeze the juice if you have excess and cannot consume in one go.

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3. Purée-ing the berries

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Can you purèe these berries ? Yes, that would be another option. Purée them to achieve a fine consistency. Pour the purée into molds and freeze them. In addition to having smaller cube, you have portion control and its easier to defrost them when needed. Once frozen, remove from the molds and transfer to freezer bags.

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4. Sea Buckthorn Tea

Sea Buckthorn teas are known to aid weight loss, although I wouldn’t lay medical claims on this. A tea containing sea buckthorn leaves is also a good source of vitamins, antioxidants, protein building blocks (amino acids), fatty acids and minerals; for improving blood pressure and lowering cholesterol; preventing and controlling blood vessel diseases; and boosting immunity. If you can air dry the berries, you can make tea with it.

Sea buckthorn tea recipe

  • 2 Tbsps dry sea buckthorn berries with some leaves
  • 1 cup water

Add the berries and dried leaves and water into a pot. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let the berries and leaves infuse for 10 minutes. Add some lemon juice and sweetener to it. This is optional.

5. Sea Buckthorn Muffin Recipe

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This is another tasty recipe in this series of Top 10 Sea Buckthorn Recipes. I cannot claim it as my own. I got it from Sea Buckthorn recipes.

Ingredients

1 cup (250 ml) unbleached flour

2 tsp (5 ml) baking powder

½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

½ cup (125 ml) sea buckthorn berries, fresh or frozen, washed and destemmed

1 table spoon. Egg Replacer or ( 1Egg beaten)

¼ cup (63 ml) butter, melted

½ cup (125 ml) milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 380°F (180°C). Place parchment liners in a 12 cup muffin pan.

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add sea buckthorn berries and mix to coat.

In a separate small bowl, mix together egg (or if using the egg replacer follow the instructions), butter, and milk.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir just until combined. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Note: I used an egg replacer called Veg-egg for this Since I am a vegetarian and eat no eggs.

Because sea buckthorn berries are used whole in this recipe, be prepared for a few crunchy seeds. You can use berry purée if you wish to avoid the seeds.

6. Sea Buckthorn-Rosemary infused Vinegar

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We are already into the 6th recipe from our top 10 Sea Buckthorn recipes, which can be added to our Christmas present baskets. This is so easy to make and because we don’t have to alter the berries with heat we don’t lose those vitamins.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Sea Buckthorn berries
  • Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Few sprigs Rosemary
  • Sterilized glass jars without metal lids.

Method:

Rinse the berries, remove any excess water by passing through the sieve and then dry them overnight on kitchen towels. If moisture remains in the berries, it will cause bacteria to destroy the vinegar you are infusing the berries with.

Place the berries into a sterilized glass jar with no metallic lid because this will rust when it comes in contact with the vinegar. I used a clip glass jar as shown in the picture.

Crush the herbs and add into the jar.

Heat the vinegar on medium heat gently and remove just before it starts boiling and let it cool slightly. Pour the warm vinegar into the jar and place the lid on.

Leave the vinegar undisturbed in a dark cupboard or your cellar for about 3-4 weeks to let the flavor mature. Strain the vinegar and pour into bottles.

7. Sea Buckthorn Jam recipe

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In order to shorten this post please refer to my post from last year. Sea Buckthorn Berry Jam.

For the Jam this year, we used the juicer to extract the juice.

Ingredients:

1 Liter of Sea Buckthorn Juice

1.5 Kg of Jam Sugar

Cook the jam for about 15 minutes. Boil vigorously for about 10 minutes then reduce heat to a rolling boil, stir often to avoid the jelly catching on to the bottom of the pan.

Keep a plate in the freezer to chill and after a few minutes of boiling. Spoon a small amount of the jam mixture and as soon as it sets while tilting, then its time to remove from fire and bottle into sterilized jars.

Due to the fact that the berries have lots of pectin, the jam will set easily.

8. Variation of the Jam- Sea Buckthorn with Cinnamon

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Follow the same recipe as above, just add 3 teaspoons of freshly ground cinnamon.

Other variations can be to add apple to the jam.

9. Scandinavian Sea Buckthorn Vinegar

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This Vinegar will again make an ideal Christmas present. I got this recipe from this site Scandinavian Sea Buckthorn vinegar recipe

Ingredients:

200 g fresh Sea buckthorn berries

500 ml white wine vinegar

250 g Caster Sugar

2 Liter Sterilized glass jar with glass lid. ( because a metallic lid will rust when it comes in contact with the vinegar)

Method

Rinse the berries in cold water two or three times. Leave the washed berries to drain in a colander.

If you are using frozen berries, you don’t need to rinse them.

Mix the vinegar and the sugar in a saucepan with 200 ml of water and heat till the sugar dissolves. Cool this mixture completely.

Place the berries in the 2 liter sterilized jar and pour the sweet vinegar.

Seal the jar and leave it undisturbed for 4 weeks.

Pour the berries into a jelly bag over a bowl and leave them to drain overnight.

Bottle, seal and store.

10. Sea Buckthorn Bath Powder Recipe

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Top 10 Sea Buckthorn Recipes - Vital Fair Living (12)

Now, I will conclude with the last of the top 10 Sea Buckthorn recipes as a cosmetic.

Let us discuss the various skin care benefits of this oil in greater detail in the coming section.

Fantastic Skin Care Benefits of Sea Buckthorn Oil

Sea buckthorn oil is well-known for its various health benefits, it is especially useful as a skin care product. Because its 100% natural, this oil is free from the side-effects of synthetic products and can be safely used even on sensitive skin.

Some of the benefits of using sea buckthorn oil in regular skin care are:

Sea buckthorn oil acts as a natural moisturizer, anti-aging , natural sun protector and for eczema relief to name a few amongst other benefits. Because of all these added benefits, Sea Buckthorn oil is used widely in cosmetics like face creams, body lotions, shampoos etc.

Now lets dive into the recipe.

Recipe for Bath Powder

I love making my own bath powders and using them instead of shower gels, although I use only organic and clean cosmetics.

Remember we collected the fruit pulp while juicing the berries for the various recipes earlier. Well, I air dried all the peels at 45 deg using hot air function in my oven. And whenever it was possible under the sun (Nothing like adding some natural Vit D). Here is how you make it.

Ingredients

2 cups of dried Sea Buckthorn berry pulp

1 cup of rolled oats

20 drops of essential oils ( I used Orange essential oil)

Method

Blitz the dried peels together with the oats to a fine powder.

Transfer to a bowl, and add 20 drops of essential oils and then mix well.

Store in air tight jars and use as needed.

Because this post has gone long enough I will stop with this. I have tried to collect as many recipes as I could to compile into this post. Let me know if there are any other ways to use up these wonder berries. I would love to hear from you and thanks for reading.

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Top 10 Sea Buckthorn Recipes - Vital Fair Living (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to take sea buckthorn? ›

When taken by mouth: Sea buckthorn fruit is commonly consumed as food. Sea buckthorn fruit is used in jams, pies, drinks, and other foods. The oil extract of sea buckthorn fruit and seed is possibly safe when used for up to 90 days.

What not to take with sea buckthorn? ›

While there is no strong evidence of interactions with sea buckthorn, some research suggests it may interact with certain medications. This includes blood thinners and blood-sugar-lowering medications. Sea buckthorn may reduce blood clotting, which can lead to increased bleeding.

What does sea buckthorn pair well with? ›

When first searching to compliment the flavour of Sea buckthorn, look to earthy, tropical, and naturally sweet ingredients, such as; apple, mango, melon, pineapple, banana, turmeric, or caramel. Chocolate is always a fantastic combo for sea buckthorn.

What does sea buckthorn do for your stomach? ›

Seabuckthorn is also loaded with fibre that helps prevent constipation, and stomach ailments, and boosts the gut system. Drinking Seabuckthorn Juice daily can also be beneficial for healthy hair growth and skin.

What are the disadvantages of seabuckthorn? ›

Very few side effects from sea buckthorn have been reported. In some people who had high blood pressure, swelling, headache, dizziness and palpitations were noted. When used on the skin to treat burns, it sometimes caused a rash. Risks.

How much sea buckthorn should I take a day? ›

Empirical healers have recommended approximately 20 g/day of fruit. In clinical trials, dosages of 5 to 45 g of freeze-dried sea buckthorn berries, puree, and seed or pulp oil have been used; sea buckthorn juice has been administered in volumes up to 300 mL daily over 8 weeks. Antimicrobial: 28 g/day for 90 days.

What does sea buckthorn do for hair? ›

Sea buckthorn oil in haircare

Sea buckthorn oils (fruit and seed) are good for all hair types because they bring strength and shine to the hair shaft and restore elasticity. Linoleic acid (and the resulting GLA) can help regulate scalp oil and boost blood circulation to promote hair growth (i,iii).

Does sea buckthorn raise blood pressure? ›

Sea buckthorn is a natural source of vitamins and several other bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which have been claimed to lower cholesterol, platelet aggregation, blood pressure and blood sugar.

What does sea buckthorn do to the body? ›

Moreover, sea buckthorn has many health benefits, such as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, dermatological, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities.

Does sea buckthorn increase estrogen? ›

Isorhamnetin, another sea buckthorn component, can stimulate ovarian cell proliferation and estrogen release (52, 70), and suppress estrogen-dependent ovarian cancer development (70, 73).

What are the culinary uses of sea buckthorn? ›

In Asia alone, 200 foods are made from sea-buckthorns: jams, compotes, jellies, sorbets, condiments, etc. These are eaten with cheeses, meat and fish and, today are increasingly at the avant-garde of gastronomic creativity.

What are the cons of buckthorn? ›

But buckthorn berries are not a good food source. They're low in protein and high in carbohydrates and produce a severe laxative effect in some animals. For smaller birds, the laxative effect can even be strong enough to result in death.

Can you lose weight with sea buckthorn? ›

Does Sea Buckthorn help with weight loss? Some studies have shown that sea buckthorn berries may help to increase metabolism and burn fat; additionally working to prevent the new storage of fat. However, these studies have been small and limited with more research required.

How long does seabuckthorn take to work? ›

Over 92% found that Omega 7 SBA24 worked in 6 weeks or less. That's high praise indeed for a natural product!

Is sea buckthorn good for kidneys? ›

Sea buckthorn berries, seeds, and leaves contain many bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, fatty acids, vitamins, and phytosterols. Some of these compounds have been shown to have renal protective effects, meaning they can help prevent or reduce kidney damage caused by various factors.

What is the best form of sea buckthorn? ›

Sea buckthorn oil is perhaps the most popular sea buckthorn product mainly because of its concentrated amounts of healthy sea buckthorn oils (i.e., omega fatty acids) and antioxidants. The oil usually comes from either the seeds or the pulp of the fruit.

What is the best way to treat buckthorn? ›

Herbicides containing glyphosate or triclopyr are recommended for buckthorn control. Apply the herbicide on the stump with a paintbrush, dauber, or low-volume sprayer by covering an inch in from the edge of the outer bark. The center of the stump does not need to be treated.

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