How to dry chokeberry at home

Chokeberry is a small densely branched deciduous shrub of the Rosaceae family. The fruits of chokeberry ripen in August - September. As a rule, they are dark brown or black-purple in color, with a slight waxy coating and dark ruby flesh.

Since chokeberry is a medicinal plant, its fruits can be used for medicinal purposes both fresh and dried.

To dry chokeberry for short-term storage (six months), cut rowan umbrellas are strung on a thick thread, fishing line or wire and hung in a dry room with good ventilation. This way the berries can hang all winter. At the same time, microbes will not grow in them, and they will not undergo fermentation.

To dry berries for long-term storage (a year or more), after harvesting, rowan berries are separated from the stalks, sorted, washed and dried on a towel. After this, the berries are laid out on trays or on a shallow rack in a layer of 2–3 cm and dried in the sun in the fresh air. True, for long-term storage you can dry rowan berries in the oven. First, they are dried for 20 - 30 minutes at a temperature of 40 - 45 degrees, then the temperature is increased to 60 degrees and drying continues until the berries, when squeezed with your fingers, stop releasing juice.

It is important to remember that dried berries should not change color to reddish or brown. A change in the color of the berries indicates that the temperature regime has been disturbed and the berries have almost completely lost their vitamins.

Benefit

1. The fruits of dried chokeberry are used to treat sclerosis, hypertension, decreased blood clotting, hemorrhagic diathesis, capillary toxicosis, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, allergies, glomerulonephritis, thyrotoxicosis (included in medicinal preparations).
2. In addition to all of the above, dried chokeberry fruits are used for severe bleeding, vitamin deficiency and radiation damage to certain areas of the skin.

3. Dried chokeberry berries are valuable medicinal raw materials. It was revealed that in 3 tbsp. spoons (50 g of dry fruits) of chokeberry contain a daily dose of vitamin P.

Harm

Chokeberry should not be used for hypotension, gastric and duodenal ulcers, hyperacid gastritis (with increased acidity of gastric juice), chronic constipation, hemorrhoids with a tendency to thrombosis, increased blood clotting, and thrombophlebitis.
Before using drugs or products from the fruits of chokeberry, you should definitely consult your doctor. Chokeberry can hardly be called a tasty berry, but in terms of its beneficial qualities it is significantly superior to a huge number of other products, which is why it has gained such popularity.

Compotes, jams, and certain types of wine are prepared from chokeberry; it is widely used in medicine. Many people prefer to eat this berry in dried form, because in cold winter, chokeberry helps to normalize the functioning of the circulatory and food systems, reduce the manifestation of certain diseases and strengthen the immune system. But in order for the berry to be truly useful, you need to know how to dry it correctly in order to preserve all the vitamins.

First you need to decide for how long the berries are harvested. So, if you plan to store chokeberry for only one winter, then you should use the simple drying method; if the housewife wants to store the product for more than a year, you should use the drying method intended for long-term storage. However, in the first case, chokeberry will retain a much larger amount of vitamins, although it will be stored for a shorter period. Using the second method, losing a little more vitamins, you can preserve the fruits for two years.

Method number 2

Remove the berries from the stalks and rinse them thoroughly under running cool water. After this, place them on a sieve and wait until the water drains. Further drying can be done using an oven or dryer.

If you have a dryer, you should place the berries in it, set the temperature to 60°C and dry until the water has almost completely evaporated from the berries. However, it is important not to overdry the rowan; this condition will be indicated by a reddish or brown tint of the berries.

To dry chokeberries in the oven, place the berries in an oven preheated to 40°C for 30 minutes. After the time has passed, increase the temperature a little and continue drying until the moisture in the berries evaporates.

Place dried rowan in a storage container, for example, a plastic container or glass jar with a lid.

By following these simple steps, you can have a truly healing berry on hand all year round.

Chokeberry, chokeberry, and popularly simply chokeberry are one of the most useful fruit crops grown in our gardens. Preparations made from it are not only tasty, but also extremely healthy, the main thing is to prepare them correctly.

Chokeberry

–
one of the most useful fruit crops.
Homeland – North America. In our country, chokeberry was first used as a spectacular ornamental plant. Only in the early 50s did they begin to grow this crop as a fruit crop. Aronia berries began to be eaten not only fresh, but also dried, frozen and canned.

Thread drying

So, what else do extraordinary experts in drying chokeberries advise readers? Yeah, tie the shields into bundles and hang them up. Without washing or anything like that. Use in winter, etc.

I wonder if they know that it is much easier to wash fresh smooth chokeberries than dried, wrinkled ones? And that individual berries dry much faster than those tied in bunches? They also did not say where to hang such blanks so that they dry. And it's October. What to do?

Remember your childhood. Everyone probably made beads from ordinary rowan. Well, the female half of the country for sure. That's what we'll do. The chokeberry was prepared (washed without fail!) and dried to remove any remaining moisture. Now you will need a needle and strong thread. You shouldn’t take a long one, then you yourself will get confused in it and get angry. The optimal length is from 50 cm to 1 meter.

We prepared and started making rowan beads. At the same time, you can ask the children to help, maybe they will like it. So what if they have other interests. Helping my mother as much as I can—that’s what I understand as interest. Not about that now.

Skewered? Now hang it up. You can do it on yourself, of course, but it’s better in the attic, in a dry shed, on a loggia, in a hot pantry. Just don’t, there are such storage rooms. In the corner apartments of the old Khrushchev buildings they are all hot, and half the country lives in such houses.

What to do if none of these premises are available? Well, there certainly is a kitchen. Hang it there. Yes, higher up, the heat gathers under the ceiling. Just don’t place chokeberry beads on the wall. The wallpaper will be painted, the workpiece will result in unforeseen repairs.

Interesting: So that the Jam in the Jar Doesn't Get Moldy

Useful properties of chokeberry

In terms of the amount of substances it contains useful for the human body, chokeberry is not inferior to it, and even surpasses it in taste.
Aronia berries

-
a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients.
The chokeberry fruit contains beta-carotene and vitamins such as: B1, B2, B6, E, P, C and K. In addition, chokeberry berries are rich in glucose, fructose, sucrose, pectin and tannins substances, as well as macro- and microelements, such as boron, fluorine, iron, molybdenum, copper and manganese.

Chokeberry berries and leaves are used in folk medicine for:

normalization of intestinal function and lowering cholesterol levels in the blood;
removal of certain radioactive substances and heavy metals from the human body;
improves liver function and as an excellent choleretic agent;
increasing immunity;
normalization of blood pressure.

Important:
like many other plants used in folk medicine, chokeberry has contraindications for use.
Its use is not recommended
for:

thrombophlebitis and increased blood clotting;
ischemic disease;
gastritis;
stomach and duodenal ulcers;
varicose veins.

Storing fresh chokeberries

When fresh, chokeberry retains all its beneficial properties.
The only thing that may upset you is that it can be stored for a relatively short time. True, it is still possible to slightly increase this period. To do this, chokeberries are collected in a certain way - without picking the fruits from the cluster. That is, they do not pick each berry individually, but cut off the whole bunch at the base. The bunches of berries are laid out in a single layer in cardboard or wooden boxes and stored in a cool room or hung on a pre-stretched rope.

Storing dried chokeberries

Chokeberry berries also retain vitamins and nutrients, but for this they must be properly dried.
Aronia berries are picked from the bunches, washed, drained and dried in an oven or dryer.

Drying berries in the oven

The fruits are laid out on a baking sheet previously covered with parchment, placed in the oven and kept for 30 minutes.
at a temperature of +40°C. Then the temperature is increased to +60°C and drying continues until ready. Important

: chokeberry berries should not be overdried, so constantly make sure that they do not acquire a reddish (or brownish) tint during processing. It is this color that will indicate that the berries are overdried.

Drying berries in a dryer

Aronia berries are laid out in an even layer, the temperature and drying duration are set (according to the instructions for the device).
Dried chokeberries are placed in a bottle or any other convenient plastic (glass) container that does not allow moisture to pass through and stored in a dry room that is often ventilated.

Another way to dry berries in bulk

Rowan berries are separated from the branches, stalks, leaves and other debris are removed.

Storing frozen chokeberries

Chokeberry berries are packaged in small containers (pre-washed and completely dry), calculating the volume for the portion that is planned to be consumed at a time.
The containers are placed in the freezer, in the quick freezing compartment. This is done so that during the freezing process, the sugar contained in the chokeberry berries does not turn into starch.

Not only aromatic teas, but also compotes are prepared from frozen chokeberry berries, and they are also added to various flour products. Before use, rowan fruits are thawed at room temperature and pureed in a blender.

In addition to storing chokeberry in fresh, dried and frozen form, you can prepare a lot of tasty and very healthy delicacies from it: excellent juices and compotes, unusual jams, various fruit drinks and syrups.

sugar – 1.5 kg;
water – 500 ml.

Recipe:

The berries are picked from the bunches, washed under running water and allowed to drain.
Blanch for 5 minutes. in boiling water, after which it is immediately immersed in cold water for 30 seconds and allowed to drain again.
A syrup is prepared from water and sugar, poured over the berries, brought to a boil, and boiled for about 5 minutes. and, removing from heat, leave for 10-12 hours to soak.
Then put it on low heat and cook until done, which is determined by the syrup: scoop a little into a spoon and drop a drop onto a plate. If the syrup does not spread, the jam is ready.
It is poured hot into sterilized jars, rolled up and stored.

To prepare you will need:

chokeberry (berries) – 0.5 kg;
apples – 0.5 kg;
sugar – 1.2 kg;
water – 300 ml.

Recipe:

The apples are washed, peeled and seeded, and chopped using a blender.
Chokeberry is washed and washed for 3-5 minutes. Blanch in boiling water.
Syrup is prepared from water and sugar.
Add applesauce to the rowan berries and, pour syrup over everything, leave to infuse for 3-5 hours.
After the specified time, put the jam on low heat, let it boil and, after boiling for 5 minutes, leave again for 3-5 hours. If the rowan berries have not softened, repeat the procedure again.
The finished jam is poured hot into pre-sterilized jars and sealed.

To prepare you will need:

chokeberry berries – 1 kg;
lemon (large) – 1 piece;
sugar – 1.4 kg.

Recipe:

Wash the rowan berries, let the water drain, mix with half the sugar and leave for 10-12 hours.
Pour into a saucepan with a thick bottom and cook for 10 minutes. (after boiling) over low heat. If the berries release very little juice during cooking, you can add 100 ml of boiled water to them.
The lemon is washed and peeled. The zest is grated on a fine grater, the pulp is cut into small cubes and all this, along with the remaining sugar, is added to the boiled rowan berries. Cook over low heat for another 15 minutes. after boiling.
Remove from heat, let cool completely and cook again, this time until done.
Hot, they are packaged in sterilized jars, rolled up and stored.

Secrets of delicious chokeberry jam

Chokeberry berries are somewhat dry, so before preparing the jam, they need to be “softened”: 3-5 minutes. blanch in boiling water, then plunge into cold water for a few seconds;

so that chokeberry jam acquires an even more piquant taste, you can add a little cinnamon to it;

From the secrets of delicious chokeberry jam. Photo from the site med-explorer.ru

The water in which the berries were blanched can be used to prepare compotes, because some of the beneficial substances have passed into it. Just add sugar, apples (or any other fruit, or assorted berries and fruits) to this water and boil.

To prepare you will need:

chokeberry (berries) – about 300 g per 3 liter jar;
water and sugar - at the rate of 0.5 kg of sugar for every liter of water.

Recipe:

Chokeberry berries are washed and poured into sterile jars, filling them to a third of the volume.
Add sugar to the water (in a 2:1 ratio), put it on low heat, and boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
The prepared hot syrup is poured over the berries in a jar and, after sterilizing them, they are rolled up. The duration of sterilization of jars with compote depends on their volume: 0.5 l - 15 minutes, 1 l - 25 minutes, 3 l - 50 minutes.
The rolled up jars are turned upside down, wrapped in a blanket (plaid, thick blanket), under which they are left to cool completely.

Tip:
Chokeberry compote will turn out even more piquant if you add orange to it.

Chokeberry preserves and jams

Preserves and jams are, of course, the most popular options for winter preparations. Their recipes are very varied

both in composition and complexity of preparation. Chokeberry berries have a very thick skin and are somewhat dry. Before cooking, they need to be softened a little so that the sugar syrup penetrates more easily into the berries. To do this, immerse the berries in boiling water for 5 minutes, then in cold water. After this, they are transferred to a colander, excess moisture is allowed to drain, and the jam is started to be made.

Mashed berries with sugar

The simplest recipe for a delicious chokeberry dessert for the winter is berries pureed with sugar.

. To prepare this delicacy, you will need 1 kg of berries and 500–700 g of sugar. The amount of sugar can be changed to taste.

The berries need to be washed, sorted and separated from the branches.

, dry on a towel. Then they are mixed with sugar and ground in a blender or meat grinder. The berry puree is placed in sterilized jars, covered with lids and stored in the refrigerator.

Chokeberry jam with sugar

There are several simple recipes

Chokeberry jam with nuts, lemon and apples

Nuts, lemon and apple will add additional flavor to the jam and enrich it with vitamins and nutrients. This jam will be useful for people recovering health after serious illnesses. It's not too difficult to prepare. The recipe is quite simple.

Rowan berries are poured with boiling water and left overnight. The next day, sugar syrup is prepared from the resulting infusion and sugar. When it boils, berries, chopped apples and crushed nuts are placed in it. The mixture is cooked in three batches

10 minutes each. During the last approach you need to add lemon. Before this, it is cleaned, scalded and cut into pieces or ground in a meat grinder. Be sure to remove the seeds, otherwise the jam will taste bitter. The container with the prepared jam is covered with a towel or cloth, and on top - with a pan or basin. Thanks to this technique, an air cushion is created and the berries soften. When the jam is infused, it is placed in sterilized jars and sealed.

Ingredients:

Chokeberry - 1 kilogram.
Peeled walnuts - 300 grams.
Apples (Antonovka) - 300 grams.
Sugar - one and a half kilograms.
Lemon is one thing.

Aronia jam with quince

Quince jam turns out to be very rich in both taste and vitamin composition. The recipe for chokeberry and quince jam is quite simple. First of all you need

bring the quince to half-cooking - it is much harder than rowan berries. To do this, it is filled with water and boiled. You can also steam rowan berries. Then they are mixed with sugar, boiled for about 10 minutes and softened quince are added. After this, the jam is boiled until ready and placed in sterile jars. You can also strain the finished jam through a sieve. At the very end, the jars of jam need to be pasteurized for 20 minutes and rolled up.

Ingredients:

Chokeberry - 1 kg
Quince - 400 grams.
Sugar - one and a half kilograms.
Water - 400 milliliters.

Chokeberry jam recipe

Although chokeberry berries are sour and quite tart, they can be used to make very tasty and healthy jam. To prepare it you need

Steam clean berries in a pan of hot water. When the rowan has softened, grind it through a sieve or grind it in a blender/meat grinder to make a puree. After pouring it into an enamel bowl, add sugar and mix. Then the jam is boiled until ready (in one go), placed hot in prepared jars and pasteurized for about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

Chokeberry - one kilogram.
Sugar - one and a half kilograms.
Water - 300 milliliters.

You can add peeled and pureed apples to the jam; they will give it a special aroma and add benefits.

Compote of chokeberries and apples

To prepare you will need:

chokeberry (berries) – 6 tbsp. spoon;
apples (small) – 12 pcs.;
sugar – 800 g;
water – 4.5 l.

Recipe:

Apples and chokeberries are washed and placed in equal portions into two sterile 3-liter jars.
Sugar syrup is prepared from water and sugar, brought to a boil and, after pouring rowan berries with apples, immediately roll up the jars.
The containers with compote are turned upside down, covered with a blanket on top, which is removed only after the jars have cooled completely.
You can store apple and chokeberry compote at room temperature.

Important:
The amount of ingredients in this recipe is based on two 3-liter jars.

To prepare you will need:

chokeberry (berries) – 1 kg;
sugar – 700-800 g.

Recipe:

The berries are washed, drained and crushed using a meat grinder or blender.
The resulting puree is mixed with sugar.
The finished “live” jam is packaged in clean, sterilized jars and closed with lids.
Store in the refrigerator or cool room.

Chokeberry syrup

To prepare you will need:

chokeberry (berries) – 1 kg;
sugar – 700 g;
water – 800 ml;
citric acid – 15 g;
cherry leaves - about 50 g.

Recipe:

Wash the cherry leaves and leave for 2 minutes. boil in water.
After the specified time, you need to remove them, add the washed rowan berries to the water, bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
Add citric acid, mix well and leave to infuse for a day.
Then carefully strain the mixture so that the resulting sediment remains in the saucepan.
Add sugar to the filtered liquid (you can use several layers of gauze) and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil.
Pour the finished syrup hot into pre-sterilized jars and roll up.

Chokeberry syrup is used to prepare various drinks and jellies, and also as an unusually appetizing addition to ice cream and pancakes.
From chokeberry, as you have seen, you can prepare many healthy and incredibly tasty preparations. I have no doubt that you also have the secrets of preparing various chokeberry delicacies! I would be very grateful if you reveal them in the comments.

Chokeberry and red-fruited rowan are a frequent visitor to personal plots, forests and groves.

But if housewives still know how to “cooperate” with chokeberry, making compotes from it, adding it to pies and cakes, then many do not know how to dry chokeberry at home, and even stock up on chokeberry. It’s worth choosing a couple of recipes for yourself, because rowan berries, even if slightly covered with frost, are very useful for children and adults.

Sweet candied chokeberries with sugar

Healthy “sweets” made from rowan fruits will delight both children and adults. To prepare them you need to take 1.5 kg. berries and 1 kg. sugar, 1 tsp. citric acid and 2 tbsp. water. Advice. The syrup remaining after preparing candied fruits should not be poured out. It can be used for any compotes with various components, for infusions, fruit drinks and jelly.

Cooking steps:

You need to boil the sugar syrup. Place chokeberry berries and citric acid directly into it. Cook – 20 minutes.
When the syrup has completely cooled, the chokeberry should be placed in a colander and dried. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar or roll in granulated sugar.
In order for the berries to dry completely, it is better to place them on a flat surface, such as a table or baking sheet, and keep them there for 3-4 days. The appetizing delicacy, vaguely reminiscent of raisins, is completely ready! If it is not eaten within a few days, then it is better to store the candy in a glass or wooden container.

Delicious chokeberry berries in any form will enrich your diet and bring not only admiration for the culinary art of the hostess and the taste of the dish, but also benefits for the body.

How to properly dry rowan at home

To dry the fruits of forest and garden beauties, you don’t have to work hard. It is enough to turn on the oven, rinse and peel the berries from the stalks, lightly blot with a towel, place on a baking sheet and send to dry.

Is it possible to dry chokeberries in the oven? Of course yes! You need not only chokeberry, but also its “sister” with red fruits. Drying chokeberries in an electric dryer will also not cause any trouble.

But first, a few rules for collecting and preparing berries:

1. Rowan can be collected in September-October, but it can also be collected after the first frost.

2. Harvesting occurs in a cluster manner, that is, the berries and twigs are removed, but after frost the berries are separated from the clusters without problems.

3. The fruits are harvested on a quiet and sunny day; it is better if the bushes were blown by the wind a couple of days before - this way there will be less cobwebs and moisture.

4. Fruits collected in September are good for drying, but are almost unsuitable for compotes - they are slightly bitter. But November fruits, caught by frost, are already good for jam and compotes.

The most delicious is chokeberry. Preparations for the winter: drying and cooking do not take much time, and the berries can be combined with apples and other fruits.

The red fruit “does not like” to be combined, as it gives all dishes a slightly tart taste. And now more about how to dry fruits.

When to collect chokeberry in different regions

Due to the fact that chokeberry is a frost-resistant plant, and also because of its similarity to ordinary rowan, the opinion has spread that the berries of this plant should be collected after the first frost. And that only after this they acquire a sweet taste.

This is an erroneous opinion that arose more likely in the northern regions, where the ripening period of berries can often coincide with the first frost. Chokeberry ripening begins in August. The berries become dark and can be easily picked, but the taste still leaves much to be desired. During the ripening process, the content of binder in the berries decreases. And already in September their taste becomes sweeter.

Therefore, if the chokeberry crop was planned to be stored fresh, used to make liqueur, preserved along with other fruits or in compotes, then it should be collected at this particular time. Solo compotes from chokeberry are usually not made. But the combination with apples or pears gives a very tasty and beautiful result.

The berries fully ripen around mid-autumn. At this time, they are collected for making jam or jam, juice or wine, as well as for fresh consumption. Berries collected at this time are not suitable for long-term storage, so they are dried or frozen.

Why can't I freeze berries that were picked earlier? After defrosting, the fruits become more sour. Therefore, you can only freeze absolutely fresh berries that have acquired a sweet taste.

All main recommendations regarding the timing of the chokeberry harvest are based on the Moscow region and the Central region. Since this particular climate is most suitable for this plant. In order to determine the condition of the berries, you just need to try them. And further actions depend only on how you are going to process and store the crop.

Depending on this, chokeberries are harvested in the Moscow region in September or October. From a climate point of view, the middle zone is considered the same region as the Moscow region. But since this region is very vast, the harvest dates may differ along the northern and southern borders. It all depends on the weather conditions of the current summer and autumn.

For northern regions, it must be taken into account that berries caught in frost are not suitable for long-term storage. They are only suitable for heat treatment. In the southern regions, spring comes earlier, which means that the growing season of all plants begins earlier.

Therefore, fully ripe chokeberries can be harvested in September. In the Leningrad region, Siberia and other colder regions, berries ripen in the second half of October, weather conditions permitting. If the first frosts arrive by this time, then chokeberries should be collected and processed in a state of technical ripeness.

Drying chokeberry

The process is carried out either naturally in the sun or in the oven. If this is drying the brushes, then you can hang them on a string and leave them in a ventilated room (kitchen) for a long time. There will be no inconvenience, especially when the wire or fishing line is stretched under the ceiling. But you can always remove the brush and put it in tea or compote.

It’s a good idea to dry chokeberries in electric and gas dryers. The temperature setting is average, up to +70 C. It is no longer necessary to go higher, otherwise the fruits will dry out and begin to crumble. But if this happens, feel free to put the berries in a coffee grinder, it will be excellent flour, which is good to add to baked goods.

How to dry rowan in the oven

How to dry chokeberry in an electric oven at home:

1. Rinse and dry the berries.

2. Turn on the oven to warm up to 60 C.

3. Place dry berries on a baking sheet and place in the oven.

4. Dry for about 6 hours until the fruits no longer stick together when lightly squeezed in the palm of your hand.

The question of how to properly dry rowan at home in the oven has been sorted out. Red fruits are dried in the same way, but there is also the option of withering. To do this, pre-sorted berries are washed, sprinkled with sugar, and set to release the juice. After 20 hours, the juice is drained, sugar is added again and left for another day. Then mix all the syrup, boil, boil the berries in it for about 10 minutes, strain and place the hot fruits on parchment. Place in the oven to dry for half an hour at a temperature of 60 C. The drying procedure is repeated twice, then the berries are cooled and you can eat!

How to dry chokeberries in clusters

Chokeberry received the name “chokeberry” due to the fact that the berries grow in clusters similar to rowan berries. This property is used if you need to dry the chokeberry in clusters.

Preparation begins at harvest time. The bunches are carefully cut whole with scissors. The cut berries are tied into bunches of several clusters and hung in the shade under a canopy so that the breeze blows across the bunches.

The second option is to stretch a thin string under a canopy and hang the bunches on top of it. In this case, there is no need to secure them, but there is a risk that the stalks, which hold the entire bunch, will fall off after drying. Yes, and achieving balance in this case is difficult.

The chokeberry is left under a canopy until it dries. After this, the chokeberry is separated from the stalks and placed in storage.

How to dry rowan in an electric dryer

Drying chokeberry at home allows the use of an electric dryer. To do this, place the prepared berries on a baking sheet in one layer, turn on the unit at 60 C and dry the fruits for about 4 hours.

The popularity of this beautiful and healthy berry is undeservedly low. Meanwhile, it is well known and recommended to be prepared by herbalists and herbalists. It is thanks to the work of breeders that chokeberry, or chokeberry, grows in gardens. It blooms beautifully, pleases the eye with heavy clusters of black berries, bears fruit abundantly and is not afraid of frost. Drying the collected chokeberry berries at home is not difficult, you just need to protect them from birds and collect them in time.

Selection and preparation of fruits before drying

The best time to cut chokeberry clusters is early autumn. Best after the first frost. Such fruits are fully ripe and have accumulated all the beneficial properties.
If you plan to dry the berries in the fresh air and warm sun, then you should collect them in late summer or early autumn, when the weather is a good help.
For better preservation of dried fruits, chokeberries are harvested only in dry weather, when the dew has subsided.
The collected brushes are disassembled into individual berries, and spoiled ones and those pecked by birds are removed.
Be sure to wash it before drying and let it dry on a cloth.
If you decide to dry the rowan in clusters, hanging it, for example, in the attic, then you should not wash the bunches.

How to use dried chokeberry

Throughout the long winter, you can cook compotes and jelly from dried fruits, treat yourself and loved ones with fruit tea. Powder from dried fruits is added to baked goods to give the baked goods a special taste.

But the main use of dried chokeberry fruits is to fight diseases:

Dried berries steamed in boiling water will help get rid of headaches.
Brewed fruits will help cope with dizziness.
You can steam the dried fruits, grind them with sugar and take them in courses for heart ailments and sclerosis.
An infusion of dried chokeberry fruits will also help with constipation.
Hypertensive patients need dried berries all year round.
If the secretory function of the stomach is impaired, you can simply chew a few dry fruits before eating.
Rowan can restore the lack of iodine and vitamin C in the body. This property is useful for thyroid diseases.
Diabetics should take a decoction of dried berries, which will lower blood pressure and normalize digestion.
Any chokeberry fruit, both fresh and dried, removes bad cholesterol, helps maintain the desired level of hemoglobin and works as an antitumor agent.

How to properly dry chokeberry

The methods for drying chokeberries at home are, by and large, the same as for other berries and fruits. It can be dried in air, in an oven or in an electric dryer.

Drying chokeberries in the oven

The peeled rowan fruits, after draining the water, are laid out on parchment and placed on a baking sheet. Sometimes some housewives dip them in boiling water for a few minutes before placing them on a baking sheet.
Heat the oven not too hot, to about 40 degrees, and dry it for the first half hour. If you immediately place it in a hot cabinet, the inside of the berries will remain raw.
Then the temperature is raised to 60 degrees and dried until the berries are completely dry. The baking sheet must be shaken periodically to turn the berries over and prevent them from burning.

Important addition. If it is difficult to maintain the recommended temperature in your oven, then dry with the oven door slightly open and watch the time - it will be shorter.

Air drying

For air-drying, the berries must be collected in late summer or early autumn. Then the warm sun will help you dry them outside. There are three ways to do this.

The first method is on a baking sheet:

Disassembled and washed rowan berries should be laid out on a baking sheet or any other suitable flat surface in one layer.
Place the sheets with berries in a sunny place, away from roads and machine dust.
During the day, rowan berries need to be turned over occasionally to dry evenly.
At night, the berries must be removed indoors.

The second method is on a thread:

We do not lay out the berries on sheets, but string them on a strong thread using a needle. You should get such beautiful beads. The bottom should not be made very long so that it does not get tangled.
You can hang such beads on the veranda or in the sun, on a tree.
At night, decorations made from rowan beads should be brought into the house.

It is important that well and properly dried chokeberry does not release juice if you press it with your finger.

The third method is drying chokeberries in clusters:

Before drying, each bunch must be thoroughly inspected and spoiled or pecked berries must be removed. There is no need to rinse the brushes.
Prepared bunches of berries should be hung in the drying room. The main thing is that the chosen place is ventilated and not too hot.
As with the previous methods, if you dry rowan in the open air, at night and in the event of impending rain, you need to put it indoors.
Such rowan can only be preserved until the New Year holidays.

Drying rowan berries in an electric dryer

If you are lucky and have such an electric assistant in your kitchen, then the most difficult thing is to prepare the fruits for drying - disassemble them, rinse them in running water and dry them on a piece of cloth.

Important - try not to spoil your work and not to dry out the rowan. Properly dried rowan fruits become cherry-red, and if you squeeze several berries in your fist, they do not stick together.

If you make a mistake and your fruits become lighter during drying, you should not throw them away. They, of course, have partially lost their beneficial properties, but they will be useful to you in the winter as a tasty sweet preparation.

Properly dried berries will increase your immunity, help cope with infections during the off-season and perfectly cleanse the blood. You definitely need to prepare dried chokeberry, which also works as a good healer, for the whole winter!

How to dry rowan naturally

If you are not in a hurry to dry the berries, then you can use simple but longer methods. For example, chokeberry berries can be placed on trays in a single layer and placed outdoors so that they are warmed by the sun. At night, the berries should be brought indoors to protect them from dampness and periodically turn them over during the drying process.

If the air outside is not clean - there is a lot of dust, exhaust gases or other pollutants, then you can string tassels of berries on threads and hang them indoors (for example, in the attic or pantry). The place should be ventilated and provide access to sunlight. Gradually the rowan will dry completely.

To get more benefits,

collect rowan after the onset of frost;
remove all spoiled berries and rinse the remaining ones thoroughly;
During drying, monitor the color of the fruit - the appearance of reddish or brown shades indicates an incorrect process temperature.

The berries are stored in a glass (or plastic) container, the lid of which must be screwed on.

Drying chokeberries is easy. If properly prepared, it can be stored for about eight months. Thanks to this, you can receive natural vitamins all winter.

Chokeberry is not as popular as other berries. And its tart and bitter taste is to blame for this. If it is collected, it is most often for medicinal purposes.

Rowan is a good vitamin supplement. Vitamins P, K, tocopherol, rutin, riboflavin were found in it. And there is more vitamin C in fruits than in lemon or orange. Therefore, chokeberry is effective for colds, in the form of a diaphoretic.
Rowan is also rich in iron. Moreover, it contains three times more of this microelement than apples.
It also contains essential oils, tannins, iodine, malic, tartaric, sorbic, and succinic acids.
Thanks to pectins, it suppresses gas formation in the intestines.
Chokeberry is a preventative against scurvy.
Rowan fruits are used as a diuretic, mild laxative, choleretic and hemostatic agent.
Rowan is an excellent addition to compotes, compotes, jelly, and fruit tea. It is added in powder form to confectionery products.

Chokeberry is prepared for future use - frozen, canned, dried.

In order for the berry to reveal its medicinal properties and taste, it must be picked from a tree or bush in time.

The fact is that mountain ash ripens in August - September. But at this time, its berries, or rather, its “apples,” are bitter. Therefore, they are harvested in late autumn, preferably after the first frost. Then the rowan fruits acquire a pleasant sourness with a slight bitterness.

Berries are removed from the bush in clusters, cutting with a knife or pruning shears.

Dry rowan berries in the attic, in the oven, in the oven or in the dryer. The fruits are dried both in bunches and in bulk. Most often, rowan berries are dried in clusters if they are harvested for a short time, for example, until the new year.

Rowan bunches are examined for spoiled berries. Rowan berries that are going to be dried in shields are not washed.

Then the bunches are thrown over a rope, fishing line or wire and dried in this suspended state. The room in which the bunches are stored should be well ventilated and cool.

In this form, the berries remain fresh for a long time and then dry out. They are used as needed.

The berries are sorted, spoiled, dried out, rotten, or pecked by birds are removed.

Then remove the stalks, leaves and other debris.

The berries are washed in cold running water and dried well, laid out on a towel or left in sieves.

After this, they are transferred to baking sheets covered with parchment and placed in a low-heat oven. Initially, the temperature should not exceed 40°C. To avoid steaming the berries, the oven must be ventilated. During this time, the berries will wilt.

Then the temperature is raised slightly (to about 60°C) and drying continues, periodically stirring the berries.

Drying time depends on the juiciness of the berries and the capabilities of the drying machine.

If you have an electric dryer, then it produces higher quality raw materials, since in this case the drying process takes place according to a predetermined program.

You cannot dry rowan fruits at high temperatures, otherwise they will turn black on the outside and remain raw on the inside. And in the end they will turn out rancid.

You can check the readiness of the raw materials by squeezing the berries in your fist. Dried berries should not release moisture or stain your hands, but they should not crumble into dust. The color hardly changes.

Rowan berries are separated from the branches, stalks, leaves and other debris are removed.

Sorted, removing spoiled ones.

Place the prepared berries in a colander and lower them into a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes.

Place the berries on a towel and dry them from moisture.

Then the berries are placed on a baking sheet covered with parchment and sent to the oven or oven. Dry at a temperature of 60-70°C with constant air circulation. The berries need to be stirred frequently. This method is also suitable for drying.

Dried rowan is well cooled in air and then packed in paper bags. In this form, rowan can be stored for a whole year.

Well-dried berries can be ground in a meat grinder or blender.

If you need to make powder from rowan berries, harvested in bunches, then it is recommended to brown the berries in an oven heated to 150°C and then cool.

Ground rowan berries are stored in glass or plastic containers with a screw cap.

Dried rowan is stored in a dry, cool, dark place until next year.

Dried red rowan is a guaranteed opportunity to benefit from dried berries all year round. After all, the many beneficial properties of red rowan explain the variety of ways to prepare it. Drying the berries reduces the possibility of spoiling the product, preserves its beneficial properties as much as possible, and is the most convenient way to store rowan.

Red rowan is usually dried in two ways - natural (indoors) and forced (in an electric dryer or oven).

When choosing the first option, remember that the room in which the red rowan will dry should be well ventilated.

With the second option, if you use a dryer, then everything is very simple. Just follow the instructions that come with it.

If you decide to dry the berries in the oven, then when drying you need to set the temperature from 40 to 60 degrees and monitor the uniformity of drying, constantly stirring the rowan fruits. Drying needs to be done in several stages. After 5-6 hours in the oven, the berries need to be allowed to cool for 12-20 hours. Then, if necessary, continue drying in the oven again, lowering the temperature by 5-10 degrees each time.

It is good to store dried red rowan berries in fabric bags, jars or boxes. From such a simple preparation for the winter you can make healthy desserts, brew tea, add to compotes or decoctions. Thus, knowing how to dry correctly, you can benefit from red rowan berries all year round.

If many berries (for example, raspberries) are a well-known remedy used in the treatment of colds, then the use of some others (the same rowan) is much less common. At the same time, the benefits of consuming properly preserved rowan fruits are quite high, and in a number of indicators they may even exceed widespread types of berries. It has also been proven that by regularly consuming rowan, you can remove belly fat at home.

It is necessary to clarify that red and yellow rowan fruits are mainly used for drying. The technology of how to dry chokeberry is much more complicated; it requires precise adherence to temperature conditions and drying conditions, otherwise most of the beneficial substances contained in these fruits are lost.

The main condition for proper drying of rowan is its timely collection. These berries should be picked only after they are fully ripe, in early October. It is advisable to remove berries from the tree in clusters, without separating the berries from the branches.

Considering the time of harvest, it is difficult to dry rowan under natural conditions, since in the fall there will not be the required level of temperature and intensity of sunlight. Given this fact, it is best to dry rowan in the oven.

Considering that the berries are quite small, it is better to dry them with seeds, since it is almost impossible to peel rowan from them.

It is advisable to first rinse the berries under running water and let them dry.

To dry rowan in the oven, the fruits are placed in clusters on a baking sheet.

Typically the process is carried out in two stages. First, the berries are slightly dried at a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees for 10-15 minutes, after which the temperature is raised to the main temperature.

For normal drying of these berries in the oven, it is advisable to maintain the temperature at 70-75 degrees. Once the berries are dry, they will easily separate from the branches.

The exact drying time is not specified. During the drying process, it is necessary to control the condition of the berries so as not to overdry the product. Signs that rowan has been dried correctly are the preservation of the original color of the berries, their firmness and elasticity. Also, properly dried berries should not crumble into powder when squeezed (which indicates overly dried fruits) and should not stain your hands (which indicates insufficient drying).

After drying is completed, it is necessary to sort out the berries, remove burnt and undried fruits.

It is not advisable to store dried berries in airtight containers. Usually, fabric bags are used for their storage, and less often, glass jars that do not have an airtight lid.

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