ᐉ How to dry hawthorn fruits at home

Benefits of hawthorn

The fruits have excellent taste and are famous for their healing properties. Fresh berries can be used at the end of summer, autumn and before the first frost . When dried, flowers and fruits can be stored for quite a long time, while retaining the beneficial qualities of fresh berries. Therefore, the issue of drying and saving hawthorn at home is especially relevant.

Hawthorn is not uncommon in summer cottages and gardens. During flowering it is very beautiful and fragrant. In nature, it is often found in parks and forest areas.

Rules for preparing for the winter

Preparing a plant for the winter will not be difficult, but you need to remember that flowers and fruits grown far away are suitable for collecting:

from roads and railways;
from industrial enterprises;
from landfills.

Drying flowers

Hawthorn blooms in spring, in May. The flowering period is short, so it is important not to miss the right time to collect. It is not recommended to collect in rainy weather or in the morning when dew has fallen. Flowers must be dry, free from mold and insect damage. Inflorescences must be picked carefully or cut off from the stalks.

Tear the petals from the buds and place them on a layer of parchment or place them on a dry cloth . The drying place should be shaded, without direct sunlight, with constant air movement. To protect the petals from insects, cover them with gauze or a thin cloth. Turn over periodically during the drying process.

Dried petals must be collected in glass containers, wooden containers or fabric bags. Dried flowers can be used within two years, observing storage conditions.

Methods for drying fruits

The fruits are harvested for drying when they are fully ripe and deep red in color. Collection begins in early September and continues until the end of autumn. The most suitable for harvesting are the fruits of Blood Red (Siberian) and Common (Smoothed) hawthorn.

It is recommended to pick berries in dry , warm, sunny weather. Fruits picked in rainy weather or in the morning when there is dew will take a long time to dry and may rot. The harvest is not harvested one berry at a time, but the whole bunch is carefully picked - the fruits along with the scutes.

After picking, the berries are not washed, but carefully sorted. Remove the stems, discard darkened, unripe fruits and those damaged by birds and insects. Then start drying. There are several ways to dry hawthorn and preserve it for the winter at home, so that it does not lose its beneficial properties throughout the cold period:

on air;
in the oven;
in an electric dryer.

Air drying

Arrange the sorted berries in one layer on trays covered with thin paper or a clean dry cloth, or place the fruits on a net. Then choose a place for drying. It should be well ventilated, protected from moisture and direct sunlight.

During the drying process, the fruits need to be turned over from time to time to dry evenly and spoiled fruits must be removed. Drying continues until the hawthorn is completely dry . Dry berries contain no moisture and have a bright red-brown color.

Drying in the oven

The prepared fruits are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet. The baking sheet is placed on the middle level of the oven. The drying temperature in the oven is set in advance (60 degrees). The oven should be preheated to this temperature. The specified temperature regime is maintained until the end of drying. The oven door is left ajar so that the berries can dry rather than steam.

How to dry hawthorn at home in the oven. How to dry berries in the oven

You can dry hawthorn fruits at home in the oven, which is not difficult.

It is necessary to place the prepared berries on a baking sheet and place them in the oven.

The heating temperature should be 40 degrees. You need to stir and shake more often, but so that the hawthorn lies evenly on the surface of the baking sheet in the oven. This drying process takes approximately 4 hours. For the last hour, the temperature should be raised to 60.

Advice! The main thing is not to overdry the hawthorn berries, because the air in an electric oven is dry, so the beneficial properties may be lost.

The process of harvesting hawthorn flowers occurs during its flowering period - May-June. The main difficulty in harvesting is associated with the short flowering period of the shrub (only 2-3 days) and the need to collect in dry weather. Flowers collected after rain or dew take a long time to dry and are subject to rapid rotting. In addition, the harvested inflorescences must not be damaged by rot or insects.

Hawthorn flowers are collected in May-June

During collection, the inflorescences are carefully cut with scissors or picked by hand, folded without compacting them into a basket, after shaking off the insects attracted by the rich aroma of the flowering bush.

To dry hawthorn flowers at home, they should be laid out in one layer on cloth or paper in a ventilated and shaded place, covered with gauze to prevent insects, and turned over from time to time.

The drying process will go faster if you use a special electric dryer, setting the temperature to 40°C.

It is better to store flowers in a glass or wooden container

Dried raw materials should be stored in paper, fabric or wooden packaging and used within 1 year.

Hawthorn berries are collected for drying when they have fully gained color - no earlier than the beginning of September. Drying is carried out in the following sequence:

pick hawthorn - it’s more convenient to do this right away with brushes;
sort through, removing stalks, spoiled and unripe berries;
rinse off dust and dry on a towel;
place them on a baking sheet;
place in a preheated oven - t° 50-70°C;

In addition to berries, you can also dry leaves and flowers in the oven. To do this, the prepared and sorted raw materials must be laid out in a layer on a baking sheet and placed in the oven, completely dried. Recommended t° for drying is 40°C, duration is about 2-4 hours.

For storage, dried leaves and flowers are placed in paper packaging and put in a closet.

Using dried berries

Dried berries are added to tea, coffee, and compotes. Vitamin decoctions and tinctures are prepared from the dried fruits, which can be taken both hot and cold.

Dry fruits can be ground in a coffee grinder and added to flour. This mixture is used for baking bread and pies. The finished baked goods will have a light berry taste and will also be rich in beneficial microelements.

Hawthorn is good as a sedative for stress and nervous overload. Helps with eating disorders as it has astringent properties. But when consuming, you should remember that these berries lower blood pressure and can disrupt your heart rhythm. In order not to harm your health, consultation and approval of a doctor is necessary before taking it.

Properly collected and dried hawthorn retains its beneficial and healing properties throughout the winter. It will help strengthen the immune system and restore physical strength after colds and flu. Therefore, it is worth spending a little effort and time preparing and drying this wonderful berry.

Mister dried hawthorn: storage and use

Storage Types

Before you figure out how to brew dried hawthorn, you need to find out how and for what period it can be stored without losing its beneficial properties.

Glass jars with nylon or metal lids.
Ceramic vessels.
Canvas bags.
Paper bags.
Wooden boxes.

The usual shelf life of such drying is 24 months. Avoid damp places, otherwise the hawthorn will become damp and may become moldy. Provide good ventilation. It is permissible to place the fruits in a plastic bag and send them to deep freeze. But some useful compounds will be destroyed. But the shelf life of the product will last up to 36 months.

Use

How to brew dried hawthorn in a thermos to strengthen the body, against insomnia and in other cases? Let's look at a simple recipe for one liter of liquid.

Scald the thermos with boiling water, as well as the berries (30-35 grams).
Place the fruits in a thermos and pour boiling water over them.
Let the hawthorn tea “breathe” for 5 minutes, that is, do not cover it with a lid.
After this, seal the thermos tightly and leave it for at least 2.5-3 hours.

It is important to ensure steaming time. Therefore, many people make healing tea in the evening and enjoy the drink in the morning. Steamed fruits can be added to various dishes or desserts, fruit and vegetable salads, even to soups and porridges.

Since ancient times in Rus', folk healers have used hawthorn for medicinal purposes. It gives health to the heart, dilates blood vessels and capillaries, and “knows how” to regulate blood clotting. Tea made from the fruit relieves stress and fights depression, eliminates nervous fatigue, without residual drowsiness and sluggishness, and can restore disturbed night sleep. That’s why it was so important to find out whether hawthorn can be dried. After all, in this way you can get a universal cure for many problems, both physical and psychological.

What time to harvest hawthorn and do you need to wash it?

The most suitable period for collecting hawthorn is when it ripens, because it is at this time that it begins to absorb a lot of vitamins. Ripening begins around the end of September. But it is necessary to collect before the first frost, otherwise the damaged fruit will not be suitable for further storage. A fully ripe berry appears bright red.

At the time of harvesting hawthorn, the weather should be dry. There is no need to wash the fruits before drying; just wipe them with a clean and soft cloth, sort them out and sift them through a colander.

How to dry hawthorn in an electric oven?

You can dry hawthorn fruits at home in the oven, which is not difficult.

It is necessary to place the prepared berries on a baking sheet and place them in the oven.

Advice! The main thing is not to overdry the hawthorn berries, because the air in an electric oven is dry, so the beneficial properties may be lost.

Subtleties of craftsmanship: how to dry hawthorn at home

There are several ways to dry hawthorn for the winter. Each of them is special, although the resulting product is similar.

The lower the drying temperature, the more nutrients will be retained in the fruit. Therefore, natural drying in the open air is considered the most desirable. Make sure that the fruits are not exposed to direct sunlight. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, beta-carotene and many other “benefits” are destroyed.

On air

Drying time : 4-6 days.

Large sieves, trays, trays, racks or oven trays, and overturned wooden boxes are suitable for drying.

Wait for dry weather until the temperature drops below 18-20°C.
Cover the surfaces with any paper. Taking newspapers with black print for these purposes is not a good idea. Residues of toxic lead from printing plates remain on their surface, which will subsequently transfer to the berries.
Pour in the berries and spread with your hands. They should lie in one layer.
Place the trays in a shady but well-ventilated area. Many people prefer drying in the attic. City residents of high-rise buildings will have to limit themselves to a balcony.
Stir the berries once or several times a day. In the evening, before the dew falls, the trays are brought into the room, and taken back in the morning.

The readiness of the fruit is easy to determine. During drying, the berries acquire a darker, brownish tint and wrinkle. Take a few in your palm and squeeze. If they are soft, then continue drying, but if they begin to break, then drying is ready.

In an electric or gas oven

Drying time : 3-5 hours.

Regardless of what type of equipment you use, the process remains the same. The only difference is the gap in the door. In gas stoves you need to leave up to 10-18 centimeters, and in electric stoves 4-6 will be enough. In models with convection, the door does not need to be opened.

Cover the baking sheets with paper so that the released sugars and fructose do not cause the berries to stick to the metal. You can use parchment for baking.
Spread the berries in one layer.
Preheat the oven to 58-65°C and place baking sheets with fruits there.
Heat with the door tightly closed for 30-40 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 40-48°C, open the door slightly and finish drying until ready.

If the berries crumble too much, then you have dried out the product.

In a convection oven

Drying time : 1-3 hours.

How to dry hawthorn in a gas oven and for how long?

To dry hawthorn in a gas oven, you need to spread it evenly on a baking sheet and place it in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees. At the time of drying, you need to open the oven door slightly so that excess moisture disappears. You need to stir the berries more often, ensuring they are evenly positioned. It is recommended to dry for several hours.

To check readiness, you should collect several fruits in your hand and squeeze them. If they crumble when unclenched, that means it’s enough; if they stick together, you should continue drying.

At what temperature should you dry hawthorn in the oven and for how long. How to dry hawthorn

Hawthorn is not only an amazingly tasty, refreshing berry. It is also an indispensable assistant for angina attacks and cardiac neuroses. And for colds, stomach upsets, anemia, diabetes and a number of other diseases, a decoction of dried hawthorn berries will help. Eat hawthorn from time to time, and you will not have to resort to medicine often, because this is the case when food itself is the best medicine!

How to dry hawthorn

Do you want to preserve all the vitamins of this miracle berry? Then we suggest you dry the hawthorn. We will now tell you how to do this correctly.

How to dry hawthorn correctly

Hawthorn (berries)

The most important thing is that the berries must be dry, that is, they should not be picked after rain or early in the morning when the dew has not yet disappeared. Also, you should not wash them, but only clean them of leaves and spoiled berries. Then you need to choose a dry and well-ventilated place where there is no direct sunlight and spread the berries there on clean paper or a dry towel in one even layer and not too thick. From time to time, observe the drying process and sort out the berries. If black-brown dots appear here and there on the berries and they begin to rot, remove them so that they do not spoil the neighboring fruits. In two or three weeks, your hawthorn will already be dried and all that remains is to put it in a glass container with a tight lid. Keep in mind that moths are very fond of dried fruits and willingly lay eggs in them, so if you put the berries in plastic bags, they will quickly become unusable, since the moth easily gnaws through the bags. Dried hawthorn should be stored in a dark place, such as a closet.

The correct way to dry hawthorn

How to dry hawthorn in the oven

There is another way of drying - in the oven at a low temperature (no higher than 50-70 degrees), or in special devices for dried fruits, which can now be bought in household appliances stores. But the first method, although it takes more time, is still more gentle in terms of the vitamins contained in the berries and making them so useful. And, moreover, it does not require extra energy costs. And finally, from hawthorn berries you can prepare a lot of tasty and healthy things for the winter - compotes, jams, juices, syrups, preserves, etc. There are many fairly simple recipes for homemade hawthorn preparations, which also do not take much time and money. But it’s worth trying them to stock up on this not only appetizing, but also extremely healthy berry for the whole year until next fall. After all, it is very wise to always have some kind of hawthorn preparation on hand.

Drying hawthorn in an electric dryer

The process of this method can take a long time. But the advantages are that you can regulate this procedure and temperature. To begin with, the fruits are laid out on a tray, which should be located in the center of the electric dryer. The temperature should be 60 degrees, but after two hours it should be reduced to 40-50 degrees. And towards the end it is worth returning to the previous temperature again.

In an electric dryer, hawthorn is dried for approximately 5 to 8 hours, but no more. There are no modes, so you just need to choose the right temperature. The readiness of hawthorn is determined in the same way as in a gas oven.

Is it possible to dry fruits in the sun?

Hawthorn berries can also be dried in the sun. How to dry hawthorn this way? It is necessary to cover a tray with paper and place the fruits on it in a thin layer. The time of this process is approximately 4-5 days. It is advisable to stir more often. By evening, while the dew has not yet fallen, the hawthorn should be removed indoors. The paper needs to be changed daily.

The result of the finished dried hawthorn is that the color of the fruit changes to red-brown - this indicates that the process was successful.

When and how to collect hawthorn

Most often, large, smooth, intact berries that have a rich black, orange, red or burgundy color are taken for personal use. You need to do this:

at the end of August - beginning of September (or a month later, depending on weather conditions);
before frosts begin to strike at night, otherwise the “apples” will lose their appearance and most of the beneficial substances from their composition;
in the afternoon or in the morning, when it is dry, clear, and windless.

Clean, fully ripe bunches should be picked after the dew with the stalks has evaporated; they will subsequently be easy to remove. Do not damage the branches of the house bush. Flowers are stored in May-June, some time after they have opened, cut off with whole umbrellas (dried, not wet), with stems.

Unopened buds should be left untouched: they slowly lose moisture, after which they become unkempt brown. Plant materials of this color are usually of poor quality.

Smooth, healthy, fairly large leaves - no more than a third from any branch - must be carefully torn off before the berries set. In early spring, if you have the skills, you can trim branches of woody shoots no older than 4 years, separate the bark - it can also be dried. Everything collected is transported, without compacting, in open buckets, wooden, birch bark, wicker baskets, baskets. Synthetic containers - plastic bags, plastic containers - block air access. Fruits and flowers can fail in quality: they become wrinkled, lose moisture along with useful biocomponents (condensation will be released). There is no point in drying them.

It is better to look for bushes suitable for collecting away from populated areas and noisy roads. There is an increased likelihood that raw materials, where toxic substances from the environment easily accumulate, will turn out to be environmentally friendly, and medicinal drugs based on them will not cause harm. The plants themselves must also be completely healthy - no mold, cobwebs, or signs of parasites.

How to prepare fruits, leaves and flowers for drying

First, they need to be sifted in a colander, sorted out, and the garbage thrown away, including twigs and fallen stalks. Damaged, spoiled, eaten by insects or birds, unripe, rotten components should be no more than 3% of the total amount.

It is not recommended to rinse or disinfect berries with boiling water: the external integrity and internal structure will be damaged. The maximum is to wipe with a napkin, quickly wash under cool running water, pat dry with a towel.

Can be sorted by color. It is recommended to remove pits only if they are required for specific preparations where pulp is not used. Grind the bark, divide the inflorescences into parts, removing the buds.

When hawthorn is harvested for drying: collection and preparation of fruits

Selection of raw materials for drying

The best method to extract all the benefits from a plant is to independently prepare raw materials.
In many people's gardens, hawthorn grows as a hedge. Its fruits are suitable for drying only if the bushes do not grow near the road. You can harvest in parks, forests, forest belts, and squares. Make sure that they are not placed near landfills or industrial enterprises. Plants accumulate harmful toxic substances and are therefore harmful to the body.

Several dozen varieties of shrubs grow on Russian territory. The natural question is when to collect hawthorn and how to dry it. Most varieties ripen at the end of August or beginning of September. The berries acquire that unique, rich scarlet hue. You can continue collecting until the first frost, until the cold destroys the beneficial compounds.

Smoothed (ordinary).
Paul Scarlett.
Blood red (Siberian).
Semi-soft.
Single-pistil.
Bicolor.
Green-fleshed (black).

For collection, choose dry, sunny days without high humidity. The fruits are not picked as a whole bunch, but one berry at a time. Make sure that the bush is not damaged by pests, they can ruin your entire drying.

Preparing fruits for drying

Picked hawthorn should not be stored for a long time, because... it can quickly become moldy. Therefore, it must be processed no later than 12 hours after collection.

Sort through the berries, discarding debris, remaining branches and leaves. Carefully remove the stalks and sepals.
Sort spoiled, darkened, rotten, unripe fruits.
Rinse the hawthorn under running water. This will eliminate any remaining dust and remove the natural protective film from the surface.

Some people say that there is no need to wash hawthorn. But then you will have to process it before cooking, pour boiling water over it and let it sit for at least an hour. This threatens the leaching of useful substances.

The fruits will be dried intact, so no further manipulations will be required. To drain excess moisture after washing, simply place the berries on paper or regular towels. If necessary, blot the top with napkins. After drying, each kilogram of berries will leave 250 grams of the finished product.

Features of drying hawthorn

There are many methods, they are equally effective. Which one to choose, how long it will take, where and how to put the raw materials depends on the specific conditions. From a medical point of view, the minimum benefit comes from working with leaves, while the maximum benefit comes from working with the berries of garden shrubs. Properly prepared in an electric oven or with another approach, they can lie all winter, saving almost the same amount of microelements, flavonoids, vitamins that they contained at the time of collection.

Outdoors

If the weather is good, stable + 18-25°C, sunny, cloudless, hawthorn raw materials are given:

spread in a thin layer on fabric, metal, constantly replaced paper flooring (grids, trays, baking sheets, sieves);
dry, stirring lightly from time to time, otherwise it will cake and freeze;
bring it under the roof at night, protecting it from dew;
protect with gauze from insects flying towards the aroma.

Drying Features

Flowers and leaves

Not only hawthorn fruits are used for medicinal purposes . The flowers and leaves of the bush also have healing properties. Flowers are harvested in early June, leaves at the end of May and June.

When collecting leaves, it is important to select only fresh, healthy and young leaves. They are rich in nutrients and vitamins. the root of the shrub is used for medicinal purposes . It is dug up in late autumn.

Hawthorn flowers contain flavonoids that improve blood circulation. As well as caffeic acid, amino acids and nutrients that are involved in the composition of body proteins.

Please note that high humidity is the main enemy for harvesting flowers. Flowers should be harvested only in dry and warm weather. The process is complicated by the short flowering period (2-3 days). It is better to do this in the morning after the dew has disappeared from the grass.

Only fully opened flowers are suitable. The flowers are cut off along with a small part of the stem. How to dry? The collected flowers are scattered in a thin layer on paper or newspaper in a well-ventilated and dry room.

After drying, you can store the flowers in special bags made of thick cotton fabric or paper bags. You can use wooden boxes with newspaper spread on the bottom. The shelf life of the blanks is up to 12 months .

Fruit

How to dry a healthy fruit for the winter? For proper drying, it is very important to follow the necessary recommendations at all stages of work. It is necessary to harvest correctly. It is recommended to do this in warm and dry weather. Hawthorn berries must be collected not one at a time, but in a whole bunch.

It is necessary to properly prepare the hawthorn for drying: thoroughly rinse and sort the berries. Next, you can choose the most convenient drying method and strictly adhere to the recommendations for each method.

From our materials you will learn about the secrets of drying hawthorn in an electric dryer, microwave, air fryer, and also in the oven.