In the harvest year, the mighty, long-term, evergreen Siberian cedar brings more than 10 kg of nuts. About 3 kg of aromatic oil can be obtained from 3 kg of peeled fruits. This unique, valuable natural product is used in cooking, cosmetology, and traditional medicine recipes.
Composition of Cedar Oil
Pine nuts contain many useful vitamins, amino acids, micro and macro elements. So, they are rich in valuable vitamins A, B, C, E, D, P and fatty acids - oleic, linoleic, stearic and palmitic. The fruits are characterized by a high concentration of easily digestible proteins - albumin, gluterin, globulin and prolamine. Moreover, they, in contrast to those contained in meat products, are absorbed almost completely.
Among the most important trace elements contained in the product, it is worth noting iron, phosphorus, iodine, calcium, potassium, cobalt, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, nickel, silver, zinc.
Essential amino acids also set its useful properties:
- lysine - increases the body's defenses, improves physical endurance and ability to mental activity;
- methionine - helps liver function, lowers cholesterol, improves the healing process of inflammatory processes, together with oleic acid helps blood vessels work;
- tryptophan - promotes the production of melatonin, which is responsible for normal sleep.
How to produce
To prepare the product, the collected cones are cleaned of the base and husks in a peeling and winnowing machine. After which the nuts are dried for about 10 hours in a drying unit. Then they are cleaned in a pneumatic separator and separated by size in a fractionator.
According to the regulations, high-quality cedar oil should have a taste and smell with a slight nutty flavor. Foreign tastes, including bitterness, are not allowed. The product should have a golden yellow color and high transparency. Only a slight turbidity or mesh over the sediment is possible.
The separation of the kernels from the shell takes place in a peeling-abrasive machine, after which an additional device is used to remove the inner film. The cleaned kernels are washed, dried, and sorted by color and quality with a special photo separator, after which they are ready for main production.
Cedar oil is made cold or thermally. Cold is more expensive, but allows you to save a maximum of nutrients. Spin is performed in the press, after which the resulting product is filtered or settled.Important! There is more Vitamin F in cedar oil than in fish oil. This irreplaceable substance is involved in the metabolic process and helps to eliminate toxic substances and heavy metals from the body.
Some manufacturers insist on using only a wooden press, as the product may deteriorate from contact with metal. However, this theory is not confirmed, especially since most industrial presses are metal.
The thermal production method consists in washing the peeled nuts with hot water, followed by hot pressing. Such a product is cheaper and, as a rule, is used only for culinary purposes.
Important! The resulting cake in the production process is an excellent flavoring additive for baking. And the shell becomes the basis for the manufacture of therapeutic agents - tinctures and balms.
How to cook at home
If desired, oil can be made at home. To do this, you must:
- Fresh pine nuts pour water.
- Throw out the pop-up empty fruits.
- Dry nuts (preferably in the sun).
- Check the maturity of the kernels by putting them on a paper towel and pressing down (an oil mark should remain on the paper).
- Peel ripe fruits with a wooden mallet or other improvised means.
- Grind the kernels, preferably topping in a mortar.
Then you can use one of the recipes below.
What is needed
In addition to fresh and high-quality pine nuts, you need to stock up on wooden hammers, a mortar and a pestle. A clean glass container for the finished product will also come in handy.
A special press is also needed. It can be made independently from a wooden bar. To do this, cut two bars measuring 25 × 25 cm. On one side along the perimeter, cut a hollow-recess.
Did you know? Cedar leaves emit volatile substances that many insects cannot tolerate. Therefore, mosquitoes or ticks are never found under these trees.
The fabric with the cores is placed on the resulting central square. The whole block is mounted on top, and a jack for the machine is fixed on the sides. When the bars are squeezed, the pressed oil flows into the side recesses, from where it is poured into the tank.
Instructions
So, how to make cedar oil at home:
- Cold pressed. Wrap chopped peeled cedar fruits in a clean linen cloth and place under a press. The resulting final product is poured into a container.
- Thermal. Heat the nuts in a water bath, add hot water, filter and squeeze. Drain and repeat the liquid a few more times. Defend the resulting mass, drain the oil.
- Oil infusion. Pour the chopped nuts with any vegetable oil and send to a dark place for a period of at least 3 weeks. Shake the container periodically while standing. Filter the resulting liquid. So you can do combined healing and nutritious oil.
These simple enough ways and prepare aromatic and healthy cedar oil at home. In the absence of allergies and moderation in use, it will certainly bring great benefits. And all thanks to the rich vitamin and mineral composition of cedar fruits.
