How to dry grapes in the oven. Useful tips: how to dry grapes

Gardeners are thinking about how to save it, how to dry grapes at home. Grapes are dried mainly in the sun. Dried grapes obtained from small berries, without seeds, are called sultana, and from large berries and with seeds - raisins. For drying, any grape variety harvested in full ripeness is suitable. It is better to take sweet berries, that is, with a high sugar content and a small amount of seeds,

Getting dried grapes

For obtaining dried grapes select whole clusters or parts thereof, removing rotten and damaged berries from the brushes. Then they are laid out on trays or sieves in one layer at the rate of 12-14 kg per 1 m 2. Small berries are usually dried in the sun for 8-10 days, and large ones for 12-14 days.. During this period, the berries dry well, acquire a brown color, but they still need to be turned over and dried. After turning the grapes continue to dry on the site for another 10-12 days. A very long drying time is due to the fact that the berries are covered with a wax coating on top and this greatly slows down the evaporation of moisture from them.

Drying grapes with the treatment of berries with a solution of baking soda

To speed up the drying process, the grapes should be treated with a weak solution of hot alkali. At home, the berries are treated with baking soda. During treatment with alkali, the wax coating is removed from the berries and many small cracks form on them, due to which the grapes dry out 2-2.5 times faster. Drying grapes with the treatment of berries with a solution of baking soda carried out as follows. Sorted bunches of grapes are placed in small baskets with a capacity of 2-3 kg, which are immersed for 4-5 seconds in a boiling solution of baking soda with a strength of not more than 0.5% (5 g per 1 liter of water). Baskets with grapes taken out of the solution are immediately immersed 3-4 times in clean cold water to remove alkali. The grapes treated with baking soda are dried, as well as untreated. The duration of drying in the sun for small grapes is 6-8 days, and for varieties with large berries 10-12 days. After about 3-4 days, the dried grapes are turned over to the other side and dried until fully cooked. Drying is considered complete if the berries, when squeezed with fingers, do not release juice, and when squeezed in the hand, they do not stick together and easily crumble. After drying, the berries are manually separated from the twigs, impurities are removed, winnowed and placed in boxes for sweating, that is, moisture equalization in the entire mass of dried grapes. Sweating continues for 10-12 days. After that, dried grapes are poured into bags and stored in a dry place in a normal room. Knowing how to dry grapes at home, the gardener can get a valuable food product and save the grown crop.

Raisins are a fairly common product. It is obtained as a result of heat treatment of grapes. It can be used in the manufacture of various dishes and pastries. Also, its independent use will bring a lot of pleasure and benefit.

Such dried grapes are very useful, as they contain up to eight ten percent of vitamins and one hundred percent of useful elements that are necessary for the normal functioning of the human body.

Benefits of eating raisins:

• Eliminate diseases associated with the intestines and lungs.
• Supports the central nervous system, nourishes it with essential substances.
• Effective in diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
• Improves the course of anemia.
• Improves kidney and liver function.
• Gives more strength and energy for the whole day, reduces the feeling of fatigue.
• Helps maintain a stable level of vision.

Undoubtedly, grapes are very useful, so why not take care of your own health and dry them at home?

What do you need to dry grapes yourself?

First of all, you need the grapes themselves. Regardless of how you plan to dry it, it needs to be properly handled and selected.

For drying, it is necessary to choose whole grapes of a large size. It is very good if the grapes are sweet and pitted.

It is best to use white, black or pink grapes. Suitable grape varieties such as "Kishmish", "Kodryanka", "Rizamat" and others.

How can you dry raisins at home?

It is customary to distinguish several ways of drying grapes to get the most delicious raisins. These include classic (when the grapes are dried in the sun), Central Asian (drying takes place in a dark place), alkaline and drying in an electric dryer.

After reviewing in more detail with each of the options, you can easily decide what suits you best.

1. Drying by alkaline method.

In order to get tasty raisins as a result, in this case you will need clean water, about a liter, ten grams of ordinary lime and twenty grams of potash. All ingredients are placed in one bowl and heated over low heat.

As the contents begin to boil, grapes are lowered into it and kept there for about ten minutes. Then they take it out and wash it very well under running water.

For such a drying process, it is necessary to choose a suitable place that will be regularly ventilated. Branches of grapes will need to be placed over some kind of container so that ready-made fruits can fall off after processing.

2. Classic sun drying.

For this method, all that needs to be done is to thoroughly clean the grapes from any dirt and dust. After that, the grapes are carefully placed on a large baking sheet (or other surface that you have available), and put it directly into the sunlight. The grapes will need to be turned over or simply shaken by hand once every few days.

3. Drying in the Central Asian way.

In Asia, it is customary to dry raisins only in a protected place from sunlight. This method has long been formed and taken root in these countries. To do this, small rooms are built of clay, in which windows are made through which air enters. It is there that the grapes are then placed.

The main advantage of this method is that the grapes manage to save all the useful components, as well as have a pleasant aroma.

A prerequisite is the pollination of the room with sulfur. This should be done for about an hour.

4. Raisins with electric dryer.

The most simple and not difficult way. It is suitable for those who do not want to spend a lot of their own time and look for suitable premises and places for this process.

It doesn't take a lot of grapes to fill an electric dryer. And the method of its operation will be clear to everyone.

It is best to use infrared dryers for drying grapes. Even if they cost much more than usual, but when dried, they do not destroy the beneficial properties that the grapes had before.

It is desirable that the trays on which the grapes will be dried be made of metal. This will allow you to operate the machine for a longer time and as a result get delicious raisins.

Of course, by drying the grapes with your own hands, you can control the whole process and do what you think is right. In this case, you will not need to worry about the quality of the product and whether it will harm your health. Having learned how to properly cope with this task, you can delight yourself with healthy and tasty raisins all year round.

Good luck and bon appetit!

Raisins are an extremely useful product, our ancestors knew about it. However, dried grapes sold on the market are most often chemically treated to maintain a good presentation and extend the shelf life. Therefore, if the harvest pleased, then you can dry the berries yourself. How to dry grapes at home, learn from this article.

Drying under the sun

This is the most natural and easiest way to dry berries and fruits. Immediately after harvest, the fruits are removed from the brushes, laid out on a wire rack and naturally dried in the sun. This process usually takes about two weeks depending on weather conditions. Ready raisins should have no more than 20% moisture, the berries should turn brown and become covered with a waxy coating. As a base, you can use wooden boards, cling film, plywood or cardboard.

Shadow drying

If the grapes are dried in the shade, then the natural color of the grapes will be preserved and its appearance will be more attractive. In addition, in raisins prepared in this way, the amount of preserved nutrients is many times greater. It will be necessary to dry the fruits directly on the brushes, for this it is hung out under awnings or in the attic. The process will take about 4-5 months.

Drying with boiling water and alkaline solution

This is a quick way to dry grapes for raisins. The washed berries taken from the branches are poured over with boiling water, in which soda is diluted. A bucket of water needs 40 grams of baking soda. First, the fruits are doused with boiling water, and then with cold water. The berries are laid out in one layer, after 3-4 days they will already dry a little, they need to be turned over. This option allows you to reduce the cooking process to 8-10 days.

Drying in the oven

You can also dry the grapes using a conventional oven. You will need two regular baking sheets for baking dough. Scatter the berries in one layer and put in the oven, the temperature is 55-60 C °. Leave the door a little ajar. This is necessary in order to get rid of excess moisture. Periodically, the berries on the baking sheets are mixed, and the baking sheets themselves are rearranged, changing the upper and lower positions. Cook until they turn into raisins.

Drying in an electric dryer

Drying grapes in an electric dryer is a very convenient method. The only drawback is that it is impossible to dry varieties with fruits that have a thin skin in an electric dryer; only thick-skinned grapes are suitable. Ripe berries separated from the brushes are washed with running water and put into the trays of the electric dryer. Drying will take 8-10 hours, periodically the device must be turned off. When choosing this method of drying grapes, it is better to give preference to varieties that have medium-sized fruits. For large-fruited varieties, it is better to choose other drying methods.

• Dried seedless grapes are good for baking, and use raisins with seeds to make compote.
• Before storing raisins, it is better to place them in glass jars to even out the moisture level.
• Linen bags are suitable for storage, in which raisins do not lose their beneficial properties for up to one year.
• Before drying the grapes, be sure to remove all unripe and spoiled fruits.
• If raisins are made from sour fruits, then they can be stored in a glass jar, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
• Choose the best way for you to dry the grapes and enjoy the results of your own work.

Raisins are an extremely popular product because they have many positive qualities. Those summer residents who have a vineyard on their site can try to prepare homemade raisins for the future, since such a procedure is not at all difficult to carry out. At the current time, there are many different methods for harvesting such. The finished tasty product can be used for making compotes, baking, etc. How to dry grapes at home, we will learn further in the article.

Which grapes are suitable for drying

Most often, grapes are used for drying, which do not have seeds inside the berries. The berries themselves can be both small and large, dark or light. Due to the fact that the dry product retains the taste characteristics of a particular type of grape, raisins can be herbaceous-tart, nutmeg or sweet and sour.
Most often, the following grape varieties are used for harvesting raisins:

• Nimrang;
• Muscat;
• Sultani;
• Katta-Kurgan;
• black, pink, white.

Did you know? The first preparations of raisins for the purpose of selling them began to be carried out around 200-300 BC. e. Historians cannot say for sure whether the Armenians or the Phoenicians did it. But it is known that in Greece later they began to grow special grapes for this purpose with small berries that did not have seeds, but at the same time had a strong and pleasant aroma. The variety was called "cinnamon" in honor of the area where it was grown - Corinth.

In order to get high-quality and tasty homemade raisins that can retain their beneficial properties for a long time, you need to properly prepare fresh grapes for harvesting.
First of all, you should review and remove all unsuitable material, remove berries that have damage, dents, cracks, etc. It is also desirable to separate small and larger berries. The latter can be cut in half for easy drying.

Drying step by step

At the current time, there are several of the most popular methods for harvesting raisins at home. It is very important to select only mature berries, since unripe berries will produce a poor quality product.
It is recommended to follow these rules:

• grape harvest for the manufacture of raisins should be carried out exclusively in dry, sunny weather. Fruits that are excessively saturated with moisture will cause the product to dry noticeably longer, which will reduce its quality;
• it is recommended not to water the vine for 8–10 days before the planned harvest. In this way, it will be possible to reduce the overall moisture content of the fruit;
• it is not necessary to wash the crop. You need to pick the berries with your hands and shake off the debris and cobwebs, if any. The only exception will be wet soda treatment, which is carried out in order to speed up the drying of the grapes.

Did you know?Despite the popularity of raisins in the Mediterranean countries, they were little known in central Europe. This useful product began to be brought to Europe only in the 11th century. This was done by the knights who bought it during campaigns.

In the sun

The simplest and cheapest method of making raisins is to dry the grapes in the sun. True, this method is only suitable for regions with sunny weather conditions.
Also, if a cold snap or rain is predicted by the ripening period of the grape harvest, then natural drying will not work.

1. It is necessary to sort out the grapes by hand, removing debris along the way, and then put the berries in an even layer in a tray with a mesh bottom. Such a bottom will provide good ventilation. If there is no such tray, then you can use a regular baking sheet instead.
2. Trays with grape berries should be exposed to the sun.
3. After the grapes are a little tied, you should carefully turn it over to the other side.
4. The product as a whole needs to be dried for 2-4 weeks. The exact time depends on weather conditions and humidity.
5. Raisins harvested using this technology are dry and hard, but they can be stored for a long time without becoming moldy.

In the shadow

You can also dry the grapes in the shade. In terms of quality characteristics, such a product will differ from that prepared by the previous method. The raisins will come out moist and softer.
For drying, it will be necessary to provide a dry room that is well ventilated, for example, an attic. The process of such drying is noticeably longer and can take about 2-3 months.

1. In a dry room, thin ropes should be pulled. You can, for example, use cords for linen. The grapes will dry in bunches.
2. Bunches should be hung on ropes, fixing them with clothespins. Brushes can also be tied with a strong thread in two pieces, after which you can simply throw them over the rope.

In the oven

You can also dry the grapes in the oven, but the implementation of this method is not very convenient, as it takes up to 30 hours. And this method entails the consumption of gas or electricity. But, if this is the only available solution for harvesting grapes, then it is relatively easy to implement.
You will need: 1 kg of grapes, soda (1 teaspoon with a slide), 1 liter of water.

1. It is recommended first of all to soak the grape berries in a soda solution for 10 minutes, then rinse them and dry them. You can skip this step, but the soda solution will help reduce the drying time of the fruit.
2. Dried berries should be laid out on baking sheets, which are previously recommended to be covered with parchment.
3. Next, the product is installed in the oven. It is permissible to put several baking sheets at the same time.
4. The oven should be heated to 90 degrees. The first stage of drying lasts about 5 hours. It is recommended that you open the oven door a little so that the moisture can escape.
5. Then you need to get the baking sheets and gently mix the grapes. So the moisture will evaporate evenly.
6. The trays are returned to the oven. The temperature should already be reduced to 70 degrees and the berries should be dried until tender.
7. The finished product must be removed from the oven and exposed to fresh air together with the baking sheets. Since the berries have decreased in volume, they can be collected on one sheet. Raisins should be well ventilated, for this he will need several hours. When finished, it should be put away for storage.

In an electric dryer

You can significantly simplify the process of harvesting raisins at home with the help of an electric dryer. The process of drying grapes in an electric dryer does not require special attention. You just need to load the required amount of grapes into the trays, turn on the device and wait for the result.

It is worth noting that both unwashed grape berries and those that were previously soaked in a soda solution can be put into an electric dryer. Soaked fruits are known to cook noticeably faster.

Dried grapes are considered not only a favorite delicacy, but also a valuable food product. It has a long shelf life, it is used not only for consumption in its natural form, but also in the preparation of many dishes.

Dried grapes contain from 65 to 77% sugars, mainly glucose (30-48%) and fructose (30-40%). In addition to sugars, it contains organic acids (from 1.2 to 2%), mainly malic, tannins and trace elements. The energy value of dried grapes is between 3250 and 3400 calories. From grape varieties with seeds raisin, from seedless - sultana.

Get quality dried grapes at home is not difficult at all. For drying, it is better to use table or kishmish grape varieties, which are characterized by a high accumulation of sugars.

You can dry grapes in the shade and in the sun; recently, greenhouses not occupied by vegetables are often used for drying. For drying, it is necessary to collect only fully ripe grapes, which have gained a sufficient amount of sugars, not sour. In the collected clusters, it is imperative to remove spoiled berries.

The most common ways of drying grapes: in natural conditions in the sun or in the shade, or in special drying chambers.

In backyard viticulture, the first option is the most acceptable.

Clusters of table or sultana grape varieties prepared for drying are blanched before drying. To do this, they are dipped for 3-5 seconds in a solution (0.5%) of baking soda, heated to 95-97°C. After such processing, many tiny cracks form on the skin of the berries, through which moisture then evaporates. After blanching, the grapes are washed with clean water and after it drains, they are laid out for drying on pallets (for their manufacture it is better to use metal mesh that is not susceptible to corrosion with small holes). During drying, the bunches must be turned over periodically, the drying berries will fall off the ridges themselves. The process of drying berries, depending on the air temperature, can last from 3-4 to 20 days or more. Better quality is obtained dried grapes under sheds in conditions of good ventilation.

You can get high-quality dried grapes during sun drying without pre-treatment of the berries with a soda solution. To carry out such drying, cut bunches are laid out on pallets in one row. If the clusters are very large, they are divided into parts. Periodically, clusters on pallets are turned over and dried until tender.

It is very practical to use greenhouses for solar drying of grapes. especially plastic in which seedlings and early vegetables are grown. Usually, by the beginning of the grape harvest (August-September), such greenhouses are not used for growing vegetables in them. In greenhouses, the air temperature is higher and its humidity is lower, there are no problems with precipitation, so the grapes dried in them are obtained faster and of better quality.

On the grape bushes from which it is planned to harvest for drying, 15-20 days before harvesting, the leaves are thinned out, the shoots are minted and their watering is stopped so that the sugar content of the berries does not decrease. Grapes intended for drying are harvested only in dry weather, after the dew has dried.

Of the common varieties and hybrid forms of grapes for making raisins, the best are those that are prone to natural raisining and ripen early: Delight, Laura (Flora), Kodryanka, Pleven, Transfiguration, Long-awaited and some others. For the preparation of sultanas, the early ripening sultana varieties Rusbol, Rusbol Muscat, Korinka Russian, Shayan, Yalta seedless and others are very good.