Currants, whether they are black, white or red, are delicious and useful berry.
Thanks to the possession healing properties it belongs to medicinal plants.
But currants are popular not only for their useful qualities, but also for their bright rich taste and the aroma that made these berries and its leaves one of the staples in the traditional Russian tea-drinking ceremony, and also opened up many opportunities for experimentation in cooking.

Usually, currants are harvested various preservation: preserves, jams, jellies, compotes. But due to heat treatment, the berries lose almost everything beneficial features... So drying currants is The best way preservation of vitamins.

Dried currants: useful properties

Dried berries are not inferior in their useful qualities fresh. Dried currants have anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, immuno-strengthening properties. Freshly brewed tea made from dried berries and currant leaves is drunk when colds and in case of problems with the respiratory system.

Currant takes a leading position among other berries in terms of content nutrients... This and folic acid, and vitamins of group B, C, P, E, K, and zinc, iron, manganese, copper.

To prevent chronic diseases, dried currants are used for problems of cardio-vascular system, the work of the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract... Thanks to the boiled dried fruits, you can also cleanse the body of toxins and toxins. Also, the use of currants reduces the risk of oncological diseases and Alzheimer's disease.

How to dry currants: selection, preparation, storage

You need to dry the currants freshly harvested. The fact is that the longer the berry lies, the more likely it is that pathogens will start in it. intestinal diseases, it will become moldy and rot will form on it.

Fresh currant for drying, it should be elastic, not broken, without visible cracks, its smell is pungent, but pleasant, corresponding to the smell of a berry. The color of the currant should be uniform, without impurities: if black, then dark blue; if red, it is bright, without greenish tints.

The collected currants are sorted out, removed from the branches, leaves and other possible debris are removed. Whole berries without signs of spoilage, placed in small portions in a colander and rinsed, and then carefully transferred to a towel spread on the table so that it dries out.

Before you start drying currants, it is important to make sure that the berries are ripe, whole, clean and dry.

Keep dried berries follows in bags of natural fabric in a dark, not humid place for no more than 3 years. Also, dried currants can be stored in a glass dry clean container, the neck of which is better not tightly clogged with a lid, but covered with gauze fixed with a regular rubber band. But in this case, there is a risk that the berries will suffocate and begin to grow moldy, so from time to time you should shake the jar and check the condition of the berries.

How to dry currants in the fresh air

This method of drying berries, although the most laborious and not very convenient, is natural. The room in which the process will take place must be well ventilated. It is unacceptable for direct sunlight to hit the berries, the sun destroys the beneficial properties of currants.

Place clean paper or cloth on the table. Do not use old newspapers to dry. Spread the currants on the prepared surface in the morning so that the fruits do not come into contact with each other, leave for the whole day. At night, you can bring the berries into the room, but in the morning they will need to be distributed again in the same place. The currants are dried in this way for two to three weeks. Ready, dried berries become deep black with blue, if the currant is black, or burgundy red, if the berry is red, they shine and do not stick together.

How to dry currants at home

In the oven. This method, due to its lightness and speed, is the most common. Spread the berries on a dry baking sheet. Place them in an oven preheated to 40 degrees for one hour. After expose temperature regime at 60 degrees, dry the currants for about 3 more hours. If after the allotted time the berries have darkened and do not stick, then drying can be finished.

In the airfryer. Put the currants on a pallet, set the temperature to 60 degrees in the "Blow" mode. To evaporate moisture from the berries, leave the lid of the airfryer ajar. Currants are dried for about 2 hours, which is an undoubted advantage of this method. However, it also has a drawback: it will not be possible to dry a lot of currants in this device in one go, only about one kilogram can fit into the pallet.

How to dry currant leaves

Gather currant leaves follows in non-rainy sunny weather. Choose large leaves, without any signs of deterioration, swelling, pest damage. It is better not to touch the leaves that grow at the top of the shoot, otherwise in next year these branches may not be as productive. Tear leaves without berries and petioles, only the leaf plate itself.

Spread the collected leaves in a thin layer on a newspaper in a well-ventilated area. Depending on the air humidity, room temperature, drying can take from three days to one week. Ready leaves dry, but at the same time not brittle or crumbly. You can achieve this effect if they are not exposed to direct sunlight.

Fold the dried currant leaves in a canvas bag or glass container. Use them for brewing aromatic tea or for making preserves.

How to use dried currants

Dried currants can be brewed and served as healthy delicacy for tea, compotes and fruit drinks are also prepared from it. Drinks from dried berries are no worse than from fresh ones. Their taste and color are the same rich, unique aroma, and no less benefit.

Dried berries also make great baked goods. Use currants as a filling for pies, pies, tarts. Put in the dough when cooking manniks, muffins, muffins. Add to cakes and pastries. When baking dried currant becomes soft, but does not release juices, thanks to which the baked goods do not get wet and are surprisingly tasty.

You can decorate with dried currants and various confectionery: creams, yoghurts, ice creams. The berry enhances the taste of sweetness, making it even more appetizing and beautiful. In addition, unlike fresh berries, dried currants do not allow dairy products to curdle.

However, not only in desserts they put dried fruit... From currants, you can cook incredibly tasty and fragrant marinades and sauces for meat. Some people add a few berries to salads and even soups, making them not only unusual and interesting, but also more useful.

And lovers strong drinks can enjoy great taste homemade wines, liqueurs and liqueurs based on dried currants.

Recommended daily rate dried currants is about 50 grams per day, so there are reasons for culinary experiments you have enough. This universal product, able to emphasize and add zest to any dish.

Dried currants: indications and contraindications

In general, dried currants have no contraindications, except for an allergic reaction to vitamin C and individual intolerance. It is enough for adults to eat a handful of berries a day to strengthen the immune system, for children, usually to maintain general health and in case of indigestion, compote is cooked on the basis of fresh or dried currants. Also, dried currants are recommended to be introduced into the diet for people who are weakened after illness or have undergone surgery.

If you do not have the time and energy to preserve berries, and the freezer is already filled to capacity with containers and bags of herbs and vegetables, then the simplest remedy is to dry the berries. This method is simple and convenient in that the dried fruits take up much less volume than fresh berries... For example, from 5 kg of berries, 1 kg of dried fruits is obtained.

Stages of drying currants

1. To begin with, carefully sort the berries, remove all crushed and diseased fruits. Rinse well with water.
2. Spread out on a soft towel that absorbs water well and pat dry the berries.
3. Line a baking sheet parchment paper, lay out the berries in an even layer. Do not crush the fruits, each berry should dry well, not only from above, but also from the side.
4. Simmer the berries in the oven with the door open at a low temperature of 50-60 degrees. Drying time, depending on the juiciness of the berries, is 2-4 hours. If the berry does not release juice when squeezing it with your fingers, it means that it is dry enough.
5. Store dry berries tightly closed banks, glass or tin, or in bags made of canvas or dense natural fabric in a dark, dry and ventilated place. Protect from pests.

How to properly dry currants: some useful tips

Where to dry berries

If you want to dry currants in the summer sun, do not forget that in this case vitamins are destroyed much faster. It will be more useful to dry the berries in the oven.

What is the best way to dry berries

Lining the baking sheet with parchment every time is not worth it. Usually, for drying berries and fruits, vegetables and mushrooms, metal nets with fine meshes are used, which are wrapped with a cloth so that hot air affected the entire surface of the fruit.

Which currant is better to dry

As a rule, black currants are dried more often than red or white currants, as they are much tastier and juicier. However, if you have a rich berry crop, then dry all the berries. In winter, it is very good to cook compote from them.

Simple and delicious recipes for harvesting currants

If you still think that drying berries at home is a rather difficult and tedious process, then you can quickly close the compote without sterilization. Or sterilize the berries without sugar, by analogy with the recipe for cherry compote. The pasteurization time (low boil) for half-liter jars is 8 minutes, for liter jars - 14 minutes. If you want to sterilize with a uniform boil, then the time will be 4 and 6 minutes, respectively.

Currant - this juicy and fragrant berry, has not only excellent taste, but also a lot of vitamins and mineral substances... Unfortunately, its ripening period is so short that we do not have time to enjoy the berry taste to its fullest. They have long been trying to prepare it for the winter. The most common method is berry canning. But, during heat treatment, currants lose most of their beneficial properties. Therefore, drying black currants is the most effective method, which will preserve not only the taste, but also the beneficial properties of the currant.

Correct drying black currant at home depends on the observance of several rules, in particular, when to pick berries, how to prepare them for the drying process and how to choose a drying method. Not only berries are dried, but also currant leaves, from which it is possible to cold winter evenings brew aromatic and delicious tea.

There are several methods for drying currants: in the microwave, in the oven, in an electric dryer, in the air.

1. You need to pick currant berries only on a sunny day, after the morning dew has disappeared from them.
2. Select only ripe and whole berries for drying.
3. Before the drying process, the berries should be thoroughly rinsed and damaged fruits should be selected.

Now that the currant berries are ready for the drying process, professionals recommend pouring them onto kitchen towels and gently pat dry with a paper towel.

Drying in the microwave

With help microwave oven, you can significantly save the time of the drying process of berries and, as a result, get beautiful and dry currant fruits. This method is good if you need to dry quickly a small amount of berries.

Put the prepared berries in one layer on a cotton napkin, pre-installed on a plate.

Cover the berries with another napkin on top. Drying black currants in the microwave means setting the power to 200 W. Then you need to turn on the microwave for 5 minutes. Open the microwave door and check the berries for readiness. If you have large berries, you will need to repeat the drying procedure. But now, you need to check the readiness of the currants every 30 seconds and stir the berries. This will ensure even drying.

Drying in the oven

To speed up the process of drying currants in the oven, it is advisable to dry the initially sorted and washed berries in the open air, but not in direct sunlight.

If this is not possible, then you can immediately start the process in the oven.

Line a baking sheet with 2 layers of parchment paper or food foil and carefully lay out the berries in one layer.

Preheat the oven to 45 ° C and place the baking sheet in the oven for 1 hour. During this time, the currant berries should wilt a little.

Let the berries cool and send them back to the oven. This time the temperature in the chamber should be 70 ° C.

Drying black currants in the oven generally takes no more than 3 hours, depending on the size of the berries.

Drying in an electric dryer

Drying currants in an electric dryer significantly speeds up the process, and as a result gives well-dried berries that housewives can use all winter for baking, making puddings, ice cream, etc.

First you need to turn on the electric dryer, setting the temperature to 50-55 ° C.

Put correctly prepared berries in one layer on the drier trays and after 10 minutes place them in the electric drier.

Now for the detailed drying steps.

• after 7 hours, the berries will acquire a burgundy brown color,
• after 16 hours, their color will change to dark red,
• 24 hours after the start of drying, the currants will begin to shrivel.
• the drying process will end in 50 hours from the moment the pallets are loaded into the electric dryer.

Important! Drying times may vary for your dryer; it is best to experiment with it.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the video instruction that will help you properly dry black currants in an electric dryer at home.

Drying berries in the air

The good old method of drying in the sun is still used by some housewives today. But in order for your dried fruits to be able to preserve the maximum vitamins and nutrients in themselves, experts recommend using mixed way- a few days in the sun, and then in the oven.

To get the drying process right, you need to prepare wooden trays. Line the parchment paper and lay the berries in an even layer.

Take the pallets out to the balcony or attic and cover the berries with a layer of cheesecloth.

Stir the berries on a pallet occasionally.

Once the berries are well dried, complete the process in the oven, preheating it to 55 ° C. After 5 hours, your berries will be ready for storage for the whole winter.

Storage of dried currants

You can store dry currant berries in bags made of dense fabric, or in glass containers, tightly closed with lids.

Blackcurrant berries should be picked in sunny and dry weather before drying. Harvested crop it is necessary to sort: weed out small and unripe fruits, leaving only ripe, large, rich black colors. Then wash, dry and spread the berries on trays in a thin, even layer. If the tray is made of metal, then first you need to lay a layer of paper (for baking).

Methods for drying black currant

On a tray, dry the berries in the open air (a ventilated balcony and the attic of a house are suitable) for two days. During this time, the fruits wither. In no case should you dry the berries on open sun, because all valuable substances will disintegrate, and especially vitamin C, which is so rich in black currants. After withering, place the currants in the oven and dry them at a temperature no higher than 50 degrees. This method of drying is called combined.

You can dry the currants and immediately in the oven. To do this, first keep it at a temperature of 50-60 degrees, and then gradually increase the temperature to 80 degrees. On the the final stage drying, you need to be especially careful by lowering the temperature again: moisture from the berries evaporates slowly, because of this, the fruits can burn. To prevent the berries from steaming, you should keep the oven door slightly ajar.

Special home drying units will also help to dry currants.

A microwave oven will do the job as well. Small portions berries must be laid out on a dish between layers of cotton fabric and dried for 2 minutes at 200W.

How to store dried currants

If all stages of drying are performed correctly, then the berries squeezed in the palm of your hand should not release juice. In this finished state, they must be placed in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. It is recommended to store such a container in a dry place, away from direct sunlight when room temperature.

How to use dried berries

The berries are dried, laid out in jars and waiting in the wings. What can you do with them when that hour has come? One option is to just eat it, replenishing a little bit of vitamins every day. The second option is to add to tea. After all, even black currant leaves are able to give tea unique taste and the aroma, and even the berries - even more so. If the hostess of the house loves to bake, then the berries will go to any sweet pie... You just need to pre-soak them in clean water... Dry currant berries are useful not only for people, but also for pets in the form of tea or powder.

Harvesting black currants for the winter, you can not be afraid of seasonal colds, because your body will be protected by vitamin C, which is contained in this berry. It can be frozen, canned, but the easiest way is to dry black currants for the winter using an oven or electric dryer. To do this, you need a minimum of time - about 1-2 hours for drying in the oven, 3-5 hours for drying in an electric dryer and about 3-4 days if you decide to dry the berries at room temperature.

Dried currants are stored for about 1 year in a hermetically sealed container, which will not let moisture inside the berries. From them you can prepare fruit drinks and teas, compotes.

Ingredients

• 300 g black currant berries

Drying black currants in the oven

1. For dried berries to taste sweet, choose only ripe blackcurrants for drying. Rinse the berries in water, remove the tails if desired - if their appearance spoils your appetite. Spread out a paper towel and sprinkle the washed berries onto it to remove excess moisture. You can also cover the berries with another paper napkin on top and lightly blot them.

2. Then cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the washed berries on it, trying to distribute them on the baking sheet so that they do not come into contact with each other. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 60 degrees for 1-2 hours and dry the berries by slightly opening the appliance door. The air will circulate and the black currant will not cook, but will dry out. If you are going to dry the berries in an electric dryer, then distribute them on several trays and turn on the equipment at 50C. It will take you about 5-6 hours to finish drying, depending on the size of the berries.

3. Let the finished dried black currant cool at room temperature and only then pour it into the containers in which you are going to store it, otherwise condensation will form on the walls of the containers - it can cause the development of mold.

4. Take out dried berries as they are consumed: in tea, fruit drink, etc. such dried fruits are especially tasty in a mix of several varieties of dried berries and fruits with tea.

Note to the hostess

1. It is strictly forbidden to pack dried berries in plastic and metal containers: these materials in 15 days will destroy the result of the culinary work. Glass jar- acceptable, but also not quite suitable container. It is good if large cardboard glasses were found at home - such as those from drinks sold in street cafes, or from under a half-kilogram ice cream. Covers should be made of thick paper. In their absence, the container must be tightened with a piece of cambric, nylon or multilayer gauze. Wrapping film (i.e. cellophane) and foil will not work.

2. Medium and small-fruited currants will dry out faster and more evenly than large-fruited. Such varieties as Dobrynya, Nina are undesirable to choose - they are good for conservation. Titania is a little sour. Sweet fruits are preferable: a high concentration of monosaccharides is a guarantee of reliable preservation of berries.

3. Currants, prepared according to the given recipe, will replace raisins in cheesecakes, buns and muffins, improve the taste rye kvass(will give it sharpness), homemade tinctures and liqueurs. They put her in Birch juice so that it ferments and becomes like carbonated. Vitamin value such a drink is extremely high and it refreshes perfectly.