How to dry raspberries at home

Drying is the most useful way to prepare berries and fruits for the winter. It allows you to save up to 70-90% of useful substances, since it does not involve heat or cold processing. Dried fruits take up little space, which makes them easy to store.

This method is also suitable for harvesting raspberries. The berry contains many useful substances. In winter, it enhances immunity, replenishes the vitamin and mineral balance and helps to cope with colds. How to properly dry raspberries - read on.

Are raspberries dried for the winter

Raspberries can and should be dried for the winter. This method of harvesting berries is considered the most useful. Unlike freezing and cooking, it is allowed to preserve most of the nutrients.

Dried raspberry loses most of the moisture. This makes it impossible for putrefactive bacteria to multiply in it. At the same time, when dry berries are soaked, their original form is almost completely restored.

Dried raspberry fruits are added to the dough, used to make teas and compotes, moistened in warm water and eaten in this form after reconstitution, used for filling meat rolls. Berries are also used in folk medicine.

Raspberry flour is used to make scrubs and masks. Its particles gently cleanse the skin for a healthy glow.

Raspberry picking

Dry for the winter only properly harvested fruits are recommended. Then they will retain their shape during the dehydration process and will not lose most of the nutrients.

When picking berries, adhere to the following rules:

1. Raspberries should not be overripe and sticky. Such berries have already lost most of their vitamins and do not keep their shape. Before drying raspberries, fruits that are just ripe or have already acquired a red tint, but have not yet fully ripened, are suitable.
2. The berries are harvested in warm, dry weather. This is done during the day when the sun is active. On rainy days, the fruits are saturated with moisture and dry worse. You should not buy berries for drying if it rained on the day of purchase.
3. The berries should be free of damage, mold, holes and other traces of infection or insects.

The berries are removed from the bush, carefully separating them from the stalk. Then they are put in a dry dish so that they do not wrinkle.

Advice! Do not pick wild raspberries that grow near highways or near industrial plants. It contains heavy metals and other harmful substances that do not disappear when dried.

Preparation of raw materials

Before you dry the raspberries, you need to prepare them. For this, the berries are sorted. All mashed and overripe fruits are removed (if desired, they are dried separately and ground into flour)... Fruits with signs of disease and pests are thrown away.

Raspberries are cleaned of debris, stalks, leaves and insects. Don't use dirty berries. However, it is not recommended to wash raspberries - they are saturated with moisture and dries much longer.

Some housewives still wash the berries. In this case, they are quickly rinsed under running water and thrown into a colander, allowing them to drain. Then they are laid out in 1 layer, blotted with a napkin and left until the moisture is completely dry. Periodically, the berries are turned over and blotted again with a napkin.

Advice! The berries begin to dry immediately after collection or purchase. Not recommended before drying store raspberries in the refrigerator.

Methods for drying berries for the winter

You don't need to own a special dehydrator to dry raspberries.There are many other equally effective ways.

On open air

Drying raspberries outdoors is the longest option. When using it, the berries will be ready only after a week. But it is the natural way that allows you to save 90% nutrients... Indeed, in this case, the product is not affected by elevated temperatures.

When drying outdoors, it is important to consider several nuances:

• raspberries are not placed in the open sun, since beneficial compounds are destroyed when exposed to ultraviolet radiation;
• berries protect from precipitation and high humidity;
• it is important to choose a clean place so that dust does not settle on the raspberries;
• if you do not participate in the drying process, the berries will dry only on one side.

Conveniently hang dry raspberries. In this case, it is evenly blown with air from all sides and does not need to be turned over.

The preparation process for drying in this case looks like this:

1. Raspberries are strung on a thread, piercing with a needle. A small distance is left between the berries.
2. The ends of the thread are tied. You should get a ring that is convenient to hang.
3. A bunch of berries is hung in a well-ventilated, dry, dark place.

Fruit dried in this way is convenient to store directly on the string. The dryer can be hung in the kitchen or folded into a fabric bag.

The second option for drying berries involves laying them out on a litter. In this case, they will have to be turned over.

How to dry raspberries in the fresh air:

1. The berries are stacked in one layer on pallets or a piece of cloth. They are covered with gauze on top to protect them from insects.
2. The pallet with berries is transferred to fresh air. It is desirable that the selected location be in the shade or under a canopy.
3. The berries are checked and turned every day. So they dry evenly from all sides.
4. In damp weather and during precipitation, drying is brought into the house. Otherwise, it will deteriorate.

Advice! You can dry berries not only on the street. Raspberries are also prepared on the balcony, in the attic, in the summer kitchen, and in other ventilated areas.

Dried raspberries in the oven

Oven-dried raspberries cook faster than in the sun. But the degree of its usefulness depends on the drying temperature. The higher the indicators, the less useful elements will be saved.

The duration of drying berries in the oven varies between 6-8 hours, depending on the temperature. Some housewives dry the product in the oven for 3-4, and then dry it in the sun.

How to dry raspberries at home for the winter in the oven:

1. The baking sheet is covered with parchment paper or a special silicone mat.
2. Raspberries are laid out on a baking sheet so that there is a little free space between the berries - so they do not stick to each other.
3. The oven is turned on and the temperature is set to 40-60 ° C. At a temperature of 40 ° C, more useful elements will remain, but at 60 ° C, the berries will cook faster.
4. It is also recommended to turn on convection mode. If it is not there, then the oven is slightly opened.
5. Every 20 minutes, the berries are stirred and turned over. This will help them dry out from all sides.

After the berries are ready, the oven is opened slightly, allowing it to cool completely. After that, the berries are harvested.

Advice! It is convenient to dry raspberries on several baking sheets at once. If there are not enough baking sheets, the berries are hung on strings tied to the wire rack.

In the microwave

Microwave drying is the fastest way. The time for cooking berries in such a device is only 5-10 minutes.

The method also has disadvantages:

• less vitamins are retained due to heat treatment;
• due to pressure, the berries are deformed and do not have the most attractive appearance;
• small portions of the product are placed in the microwave.

It is most convenient to dry slightly unripe berries. They retain their shape better.

Drying raspberries in the microwave:

1. Place a piece of cloth (not dyed) or parchment paper on the dish in the microwave. The berries are laid out on the litter in one layer, at a short distance from each other.The product is covered with gauze on top - if they burst, you will not have to wash the device for a long time.
2. The microwave is turned on for 3 minutes at 200 W.
3. After 3 minutes, the berries are checked. If they are not dry, turn them over and add another 3 minutes.
4. If this time is not enough, then add another 3 minutes.

Advice! If the set includes a grate with legs, then the berries on threads can be hung on it and put on a dish at the same time.

In the airfryer

Convection oven is a device designed for cooking hot meals. Its work is based on the circulation of hot air inside a glass bulb with a lid.

You can dry vegetables, berries and fruits in the airfryer. It is also suitable for drying raspberries. This device successfully replaces an electric dryer.

How to dry raspberries in an airfryer:

1. Gauze is placed in 2-3 layers on the grill of the airfryer (it resembles a grill from a microwave oven). If there is no grate in the kit, you can take a suitable size from the microwave.
2. Raspberries are placed in one layer on a grid covered with gauze. It is not necessary to leave free space between the berries.
3. Arogril is closed and turned on. Set the temperature to 40-60 ° C.
4. Periodically, the device is opened and the berries are checked.

Typically, drying in an airfryer takes about the same time as drying in an electric dryer.

Note! It is recommended to rinse raspberries with ice water when drying raspberries in an airfryer or electric dryer. Before putting it into the device, it is allowed to drain and dried on napkins.

In a dehydrator

A dehydrator is a device designed to remove moisture from food. It is commonly referred to as an electric vegetable dryer. It is a useful device that helps in the preparation of vegetables, fruits and even meat.

The duration of drying raspberries in the dryer is about a day. At the same time, the optimal temperature is set, which allows you to preserve most of the nutrients.

How to dry raspberries in an electric dryer:

1. The berries are laid out on a special wire rack. It is not necessary to keep the distance between them. If the device has several levels, then fill them all.
2. The temperature is set to 40 ° C. If you set 60 ° C, then there will be less nutrients in the product, but it will cook faster.
3. Every hour the dryer is opened slightly and the berries are checked. It is not necessary to turn them over, since the device has a convection mode.

Some housewives prefer to turn off the dryer every 2 hours, letting it cool down, believing that more nutrients are stored this way. However, this is not required.

How to dry raspberries in the sun

If you dry the berries in direct sunlight, then certain beneficial compounds will be destroyed. Despite this, the method is still actively used, as it speeds up the cooking process.

Drying in the sun lasts 3 to 5 days. Such fruits are suitable for dishes, the preparation of which involves heat treatment: baked goods, compotes, since there will still be little benefit in the berries.

How to dry raspberries in the sun:

1. Cover the trays or trays with a clean cloth. Raspberries are laid on the fabric in one layer.
2. Pallets with raspberries are placed on the roof of the house. The berries are turned over 2 times a day.
3. At night, raspberries are brought into the house. It is also removed on cloudy and rainy days.

Checking readiness and correct storage

To keep raspberries for a long time, it is important to dry them properly. The degree of product readiness is determined by the following criteria:

1. Colour. When properly dried, raspberries have a burgundy hue. If it is black, then it is overdried.
2. Dryness. When you press the fruit, no juice should be released. It should break easily into grains. If the raspberry crumbles into dust when pressed, then it is overdried.
3. Taste. The sweet and sour taste should be preserved. The lack of aroma and taste indicates that the berries are burnt.

In the sun and fresh air, raspberries cannot dry out. This problem occurs when cooking with electrical appliances.

Store raspberries in jars or cloth bags in a dry place protected from sunlight.To prevent drying from moldy, the container is only half filled.

If raspberry fruits were dried on a string, then they are stored on it. The berries are either folded in whole bunches in a jar or hung in a dry, dark place.

Dry raspberries have a shelf life of 2 years. The longer it lies, the less vitamins it contains.

Conclusion

Dried raspberries are a healthy and tasty product. It contains vitamins, minerals, essential oils, acids, pectins. The use has a positive effect on the state of immunity, metabolism, endocrine system, heart and blood vessels. Therefore, it is recommended to harvest this product for the winter.

To dry berries, you do not need to have a special dryer. There are several ways to prepare food. You can dry raspberries even without any electrical appliances.