How to dry raspberry berries and leaves at home

Most housewives harvest raspberries for the winter in the form of jam, by freezing or drying. But heat treatment leads to the loss of most nutrients, and frozen foods take up a lot of space. It is dried raspberries that are easy to store and retain more vitamins than in the two previous cases.

It is not necessary to have a special device to dry berries. There are different drying methods. Some of them can be applied without even having electricity. How to dry raspberries at home, read on.

Are dried raspberries good for you?

Dried raspberry much more useful frozen berries or jam. It is believed that in this form, the product retains from 70% to 90% of useful substances, because during the cooking process it is not subjected to heat or cold processing. Long-term storage is ensured by a very low moisture content, which prevents the growth of bacteria.

100 g of dried raspberries have 241 kcal. The high calorie content is due to the presence of glucose, sucrose and fructose in the berries. This amount of product accounts for:

• 4.2 g of proteins;
• 2.6 g of fat;
• 43.4 g of carbohydrates.

The dried berry is rich useful elements... It contains:

• vitamins of group B, C, A, alpha-tocopherol;
• minerals: molybdenum, copper, potassium, calcium, cobalt, magnesium;
• salicylic, malic, tartaric, citric, nicotinic acids;
• essential oils;
• pectins;
• tannins.

Due to its rich composition, raspberries have a number of beneficial properties. Among them:

1. Cleansing the body from toxins, harmful cholesterol. This improves the condition of the cardiovascular system.
2. Improving metabolism, activation of enzymes. By incorporating dry raspberries into your diet, it is easier to lose weight and not gain it again.
3. Improving the absorption of nutrients. This effect will help to cope with vitamin deficiency.
4. Strengthening the vascular walls and increasing their elasticity. This property reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, hypertensive crises.
5. Elimination of inflammation and antimicrobial effect. Berries help to cope with colds and inflammatory diseases.
6. Improving bowel function.
7. Strengthening the immune system.
8. Strengthening the heart muscle.
9. Prevention of destructive processes in the musculoskeletal system.

Not only berries are useful, but also leaves, shoots, and also plant inflorescences.

Pay attention! Raspberry berries help to cope with the effects of alcohol intoxication.

Rules for collecting and preparing berries

To dry raspberries, it is important to learn how to properly prepare the raw materials. Otherwise, the berries will deteriorate or contain harmful substances.

For drying, berries are harvested that have already acquired a sweetness and a red tint, but are not overripe. In some cases, it is more convenient to use an unripe crop.

Raspberries are removed from the bush, carefully separating them from the stalk. Store-bought berries are also suitable. In this case, you will have to sort through them, removing the crumpled copies.

Harvesting is done only in dry weather. This should be done at lunchtime, when the sun is especially active.

It is impossible to wash raw materials intended for drying. Otherwise, the berries will be saturated with moisture, will dry for a long time or simply deteriorate.

The collected raspberries are sorted out, clearing of small debris, stalks, leaves and beetles. Specimens with any damage and dark spots are removed.

Important! Raspberries for drying are bought only in dry weather.

Drying methods

There are 5 ways to dry raspberries:

• in an electric dryer;
• naturally;
• in the oven;
• in the microwave;
• a combination of natural and artificial fashion.

It is important to learn how to identify dry berries. If you take them in your hands and squeeze, there will be no juice left on your fingers. Finished raspberries have a darker, almost burgundy color. In this case, it is important that it does not crumble in your hands. This indicates that the product is overdried.

Natural way

The natural method involves drying raspberries without using any appliances. This option is considered the most useful, since the berries dry out under the influence of fresh air, without high temperatures.

The advantages of this method are the preservation of nutrients and the absence of the need for any special devices. However, the process takes 5 days to a week.

How to dry raspberries naturally:

1. A sheet, film or newspaper is laid on the prepared place. Special pallets or trays are often used. The berries are carefully laid out on the litter in one layer. From above, the raw material is covered with gauze to protect it from insects.
2. Berries on a litter are placed in a well-ventilated, dry place. It is important that it is in shade. Otherwise, few vitamins will remain in the finished product.
3. At least once a day, the berries are stirred and turned over so that they dry evenly from all sides. During the drying process, raspberries must be free from moisture, debris and dust.
4. In cloudy weather and rainy days, the product is brought into the room.

Raspberries can be dried at home, in the garden in a shaded area or in the attic. The main thing is that the place is well ventilated.

The second method requires more preparation time. But during the drying process, you don't have to pay attention to the product:

1. Raspberries are strung on a thread and distributed so that there is free space near each berry.
2. The ends of the thread are tied to form a ring.
3. Raspberry “beads” are hung in a dry, well-ventilated, shaded place.
4. When drying is complete, the raspberries are removed and stored on a thread.

With this method, the berries are evenly dried and ventilated from all sides. This speeds up the process and does not require human intervention.

note! With natural drying, the berries are smooth and beautiful, do not crack or deform.

In the microwave

This method provides the fastest preparation of the product. The drying process of one portion takes no more than 5 minutes.

When dried in the microwave, raspberries are exposed to high temperatures. This somewhat reduces its usefulness. Also, due to the high pressure, some berries burst, which makes the appearance of the product less attractive.

Council. To prevent raspberries from bursting in the microwave, choose unripe berries.

Drying raspberries in the microwave is easy. The main thing is to follow the instructions:

1. The microwave plate is covered with gauze. Spread raspberries on it in one layer, leaving a free distance between the berries.
2. The berries are covered with gauze. Set the power to 200 W and turn on the device for 5 minutes.
3. Every minute the microwave is opened, the berries are turned over and checked for readiness. If the berries are not ready in 5 minutes, add another 2 minutes.

When the berries are dry, they are taken out of the microwave and allowed to cool. Thanks to the gauze pad, they will not stick to the box.

In the oven

In this case, the preparation time is 4-6 hours.

Despite the fact that raspberries cooked in the oven are not as healthy as dried in the usual way, with the right temperature, most of the vitamins in it are retained. In the oven, the berries are deformed, but not as much as in the microwave.

How to dry raspberries in the oven:

1. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread raspberries on it in one layer.
2. Put in a cold oven.After that, set the temperature to 60 ° C degrees.
3. After an hour, the temperature is reduced to 40 ° C. After another half hour, it is raised again to 60 ° C. This is the case throughout the entire drying cycle.
4. To dry the berries evenly, they are periodically mixed and turned over. It is important to ensure that the raspberries are constantly laid out in 1 layer.
5. The oven is opened every 10 minutes for 3-5 minutes. This step is not necessary if the oven has a convection mode.

In the dryer

When using an electric dryer, most of the nutrients are retained. The device has a low power and consumes a small amount of electricity.

Drying time in a special device is 24 hours. This time varies depending on what temperature the hostess sets.

How to dry berries in an electric dryer:

1. Spread raspberries in one layer on special grates. There should be a small distance between the berries.
2. The dryer is set at 40-60 ° C. The higher the temperature, the faster the berries will dry, but will be less healthy.
3. In order for the raspberries to dry evenly, it is recommended to turn off the device several times during the drying period, waiting for it to cool completely, and then turn it on again.

Combined method

The combined method combines drying in an electric dryer and drying in natural conditions. This allows you to preserve the maximum amount of vitamins, reducing the preparation time of the product.

Combined drying:

1. Place the berries on a pallet or other substrate in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place and cover with a layer of gauze.
2. Within 3 days, the raw material is periodically turned over. In damp weather and during precipitation, it is removed indoors.
3. After 3 days, the raspberries are transferred to an electric dryer in one layer. The distance between the berries is optional.
4. The temperature of the appliance is set at 40 ° C. Raspberries are dried until tender. This process usually takes 3-5 hours.

Drying raspberry leaves and shoots for tea

All aerial parts of raspberries are healthy and tasty. Housewives harvest not only berries, but also young branches, leaves and inflorescences.

Such products are used for tea drinking, as a substitute for black and green tea. They are used in folk medicine for the preparation of medicinal decoctions for colds and baths for diseases of female organs. The greens of the plant are also used in cosmetology.

Like berries, raspberry buds and leaves are dried for the winter. It is important to know some of the nuances of this procedure.

Preparation of raw materials

The best quality is the raw material collected in June or July, during the flowering of the bush.

Leaves are harvested together with the stalk during the day, when the sun is most active in dry weather.

Good greens have a rich color and regular shape. It should be free of spots, damage, bulges and other signs of disease.

The collected leaves are sorted out, removing all damaged or wilted specimens. Then they are wiped with a dry, clean cotton cloth to remove dust and debris.

Note! Leaves are not washed before drying.

Drying methods

Raspberry leaves dried in two ways: natural and artificial. The first option is the most popular, since it is easy to execute and retains more useful elements.

How to dry raspberry leaves at home for tea in a natural way:

1. Leaves are poured onto a cloth or newspaper. The layer should not be too thick.
2. Then placed in a warm, dry and dark place. It is important that it is ventilated, but free of drafts. Otherwise, the leaves will fly apart.
3. For even drying, they are stirred 2-3 times a day.

Duration of harvesting in this way is from 3 to 5 days. To speed up the process, the leaves are tied into a bunch by cuttings and hung in a suitable place by a string.

With the artificial method, the preparatory work will have to devote a lot of time. But the taste of the tea will be more intense, and the preparation itself will take less time:

1. Each sheet is rolled with fingers into a tube. You should get tight and thin strips that do not unwind on their own.
2. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper. Blanks from raspberry leaves are poured onto it.
3. The temperature is set at 40-50 ° C. The leaves are stirred periodically, and the oven is opened a little every hour.

Depending on the temperature, the duration of drying the leaves in this way is from 1 to 3 hours.

Storage rules

So that dried raspberries do not lose their beneficial properties, they must be properly stored:

1. Raspberry leaves and berries are stored in fabric bags or special (not metal) containers. In this case, the container must be half full. Otherwise, the workpiece cakes and deteriorates.
2. Store the dried product in a dry place. In humid climates, it will become moldy.
3. It is important to protect the product from direct sunlight. Such an effect deprives it of most of its beneficial properties.
4. Dried raspberries last up to 2 years. The shelf life of dried greens is 3 years.

Conclusion

One of the most convenient ways to harvest raspberries for the winter is to dry them. Dry berry does not take up much space, retains a large amount of nutrients. It is used for making drinks, added to various dishes, cosmetics and medicinal preparations.

Drying raspberries is easy. In this way, not only berries are harvested, but also other parts of the plant - leaves, young shoots, inflorescences. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions and not exceed the specified temperature.