How to properly dry raspberries at home

Drying is the healthiest way to prepare berries and fruits for the winter. It allows you to preserve 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 convenient for storage.

This method is also suitable for harvesting raspberries. The berry contains many useful substances. In winter, it boosts immunity, replenishes vitamin and mineral balance and helps 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 boiling, it allows you to preserve most of the nutrients.

Dried raspberries loses most of its moisture. This makes it impossible for putrefactive bacteria to multiply in it. Moreover, when dry berries are soaked, their original shape is almost completely restored.

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

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

Picking raspberries

Dry for winter Only correctly collected 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 or sticky. Such berries have already lost most of their vitamins and do not hold 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 become saturated with moisture and dry worse. You should not buy berries for drying if it rained on the day of purchase or the day before.
3. There should be no damage, mold, holes or other signs of infection or insect damage on the berries.

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

Advice! You should not collect wild raspberries growing near highways or near industrial enterprises. It contains heavy metals and other harmful substances that do not disappear when dried.

Preparation of raw materials

Before you dry raspberries, you need to prepare them. To do this, the berries are sorted. All bruised and overripe fruits are removed (if desired, they are dried separately and ground into flour). Fruits showing signs of disease and pest damage are discarded.

Raspberries are cleaned of debris, stalks, leaves and insects. Dirty berries are not used. However, it is not recommended to wash raspberries - they become saturated with moisture and take much longer to dry.

Some housewives still wash the berries. In this case, they are quickly rinsed under running water and placed in a colander, allowing to drain. Then lay out in 1 layer, blot with a napkin and leave until the moisture dries completely. Periodically, turn the berries over and blot them again with a napkin.

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

Methods for drying berries for the winter

To dry raspberries, you don’t have to own a special dehydrator. There are many other, no less 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 method that allows you to save 90% useful substances. 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, as beneficial compounds are destroyed when exposed to ultraviolet radiation;
• berries protect from precipitation and high air 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.

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

The process of preparing for drying in this case looks like this:

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

Fruits dried in this way can be conveniently stored directly on the string. The drying rack can be hung in the kitchen or placed in a fabric bag.

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

How to dry raspberries outdoors:

1. The berries are placed in one layer on pallets or a piece of cloth. They are covered with gauze on top to protect them from insects.
2. The tray with berries is transferred to fresh air.It is advisable that the chosen location be in the shade or under a canopy.
3. Every day the berries are checked and turned over. This way they dry evenly on all sides.
4. In damp weather and during precipitation, the drying material is brought into the house. Otherwise it will spoil.

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

Dried raspberries cook faster in the oven than in the sun. But the degree of its usefulness depends on the drying temperature. The higher the indicators, the fewer useful elements will be retained.

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. Place the raspberries on a baking sheet so that there is a little free space between the berries - this way they will not stick to each other.
3. Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 40-60°C. At a temperature of 40°C, more useful elements will be preserved, but at 60°C the berries will cook faster.
4. It is also recommended to turn on the convection mode. If it is not there, then open the oven a little.
5. Every 20 minutes the berries are stirred and turned over. This will help them dry on all sides.

After the berries are ready, open the oven slightly, allowing it to cool completely. After this, the berries are collected.

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 a wire rack.

In the microwave

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

The method also has disadvantages:

• due to heat treatment, fewer vitamins are retained;
• 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 keep their shape better.

Drying raspberries in the microwave:

1. Place a piece of cloth (not dyed) or parchment paper on a microwave dish. The berries are laid out on the litter in one layer, at a short distance from each other. Cover the top of the product with gauze - if they burst, you won’t 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 wire rack with legs, then the berries on strings can be hung on it and placed on the dish at the same time.

In a convection oven

An air grill is a device designed for preparing hot dishes. Its operation is based on the circulation of hot air inside a glass flask with a lid.

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

How to dry raspberries in an air fryer:

1. Place gauze in 2-3 layers on the air fryer grill (it resembles a microwave oven grill). If the set does not include a grill, you can take one that fits the size of a microwave oven.
2. Place raspberries in one layer on a grid covered with gauze. It is not necessary to leave free space between the berries.
3. The arogrill is closed and turned on. Set the temperature to 40-60°C.
4. Periodically, the device is opened and the berries are checked.

As a rule, drying in an air fryer takes about the same time as drying in an electric dryer.

Note! It is recommended that when drying raspberries in a convection oven or electric dryer, rinse them with ice water. 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 usually called an electric vegetable dryer. This is a useful device that helps in preparing 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, allowing you to preserve most of the nutrients.

How to dry raspberries in an electric dryer:

1. The berries are laid out on a special grid. It is not necessary to maintain a distance between them. If the device has several levels, then fill them all.
2. Set the temperature to 40°C. If you set it to 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, allowing it to cool, believing that this way more nutrients are preserved. However, this is not necessary.

How to dry raspberries in the sun

Drying berries in direct sunlight will destroy certain beneficial compounds. Despite this, the method is still actively used, as it speeds up the cooking process.

Drying in the sun lasts from 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 trays or baking sheets with a clean cloth. Raspberries are placed 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 proper 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. Color. Properly dried raspberries have a burgundy hue. If it is black, it means it is overdried.
2. Dryness. When you press on the fruit, no juice should come out. It should easily break into grains. If the raspberries crumble into dust when pressed, it means they are overdried.
3. Taste. The sweetish-sour taste should remain. 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 in electrical appliances.

Store raspberries in jars or fabric bags in a dry place, protected from sunlight. To prevent drying from becoming moldy, fill the container only halfway.

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

The shelf life of dry raspberries is 2 years. The longer it sits, the less vitamins it contains.

Conclusion

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

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