Dried blackthorn (blackthorn) for the winter: benefits, recipe, application

Turn is a wild-growing shrub, the fruits of which have a sour-tart taste. Berries, like all parts of the plant, have healing properties. But because of the specific taste in fresh form, they are practically not consumed. However, on the basis of wild plum fruits, they make jam, jam and juice for the winter. And you can also dry the turn for the future. This method of harvesting allows you to save the crop for a long time and always have useful berries on hand. But in order for the dried turn to retain most of the vitamins and minerals, the procedure must be carried out correctly.

The calorie content of the dried product is 54 kcal

Medicinal properties and contraindications of dried thorns

Dried sloe has a rich chemical composition, which is the reason for its medicinal properties. It contains a complex of vitamins, mineral components, tannins, organic acids, dietary fiber and starch. Also, this blank contains a lot of monosaccharides, amino acids and essential oils.

Healing properties of the product:

• restores microflora;
• eliminates increased flatulence;
• helps with nausea;
• has a sedative effect;
• increases the elasticity of blood vessels;
• strengthens the immune system;
• normalizes the work of the liver, kidneys;
• prevents the development of prostate adenoma;
• reduces pain during menstruation;
• accelerates metabolic processes;
• promotes sputum discharge;
• helps with inflammation of the oral cavity;
• reduces the level of bad cholesterol.

Despite the benefits of dried blackthorn berries, in some cases they can be harmful to health.

Main contraindications:

• gastritis;
• ulcer;
• increased acidity of the stomach;
• individual intolerance.

Selecting and preparing the turn for drying

For harvesting, you need to use ripe blackthorn berries. They are distinguished by a rich purple hue and have a bluish coating. The berries ripen on the bush in September, but at the same time they keep well on the branches and do not crumble. Harvesting should be carried out after the first frost, as tannins are partially destroyed at low temperatures. This leads to the fact that the berries become sweeter, and their astringency decreases.

For drying, you need to choose whole elastic fruits without signs of damage and mechanical damage. The berries must first be sorted out and all the stalks removed. Then they should be thoroughly washed, put in a colander and left for half an hour to drain the remaining water.

The turn can be dried with or without bones. In the second option, the shelf life of the finished product is significantly increased. Before drying, the fruits must be further prepared. To do this, they should be poured with boiling water for 3 minutes, and then removed and dried slightly.

Blanching helps soften the sloes. If they are dried as a whole, then in this case small cracks appear on the peel, which greatly accelerates the evaporation of moisture from them. And if you need to get the bones, then blanching greatly simplifies this procedure.

The yield of dried turn is 25% of natural raw materials

How to dry thorns at home

You can dry blackthorn fruits at home in the open air, in the oven and in an electric dryer. Each of these methods has its own characteristics that you need to pay attention to.

Drying sloes outdoors

For this type of drying, you should prepare a large deep baking sheet and pour the fruits on it in one layer. Pull the gauze over the top and fix it so that flies and wasps do not sit down. Set the baking sheet so that it receives the sun’s rays throughout the day. At night, the workpiece is recommended to be brought into the room so that the fruits do not become damp.

You need to dry the berries in the sun for 4-5 days, depending on their size. During this time, they must be periodically turned over so that moisture evenly evaporates from them. Then transfer the workpiece to the shade and dry for another 3-4 days.

Dried berries should be firm and elastic to the touch. To obtain a dried turn, the duration of the workpiece in the fresh air must be halved.

Dried turn when pressed should not stick to the fingers

How to dry sloes in the oven

Using the oven, you can significantly speed up the process of evaporation of moisture. But in this case, the procedure is carried out in several stages in compliance with a certain temperature regime.

Cooking process:

1. Prepare a baking sheet.
2. Line it with parchment paper.
3. Lay out the raw materials in one layer.
4. Heat the oven to 50 degrees.
5. Put a baking sheet with sloes in it for 4 hours.
6. Then turn off the oven.
7. Leave the berries in a dry place for 5 hours.
8. At the second stage, preheat the oven to 70 degrees.
9. Mix berries well.
10. Put in the oven for another 4 hours.
11. Get and keep 4 hours in a dry place.
12. At the third stage, increase the drying mode to 75 degrees.
13. Keep the turn in the oven until tender, about 2-3 hours.

The oven door must remain open throughout the entire cooking process.

Drying sloes in an electric dryer

An electric dryer also helps to simplify the cooking process. In this case, the procedure must also be carried out in several stages, which is necessary for uniform evaporation of moisture from the raw material.

Cooking process:

1. Arrange the berries on pallets in a single layer.
2. Put in an electric dryer, set the mode to 45-50 degrees.
3. Hold the 3-4 hour.
4. Get pallets of raw materials.
5. Allow to cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
6. At the next stage of drying, raise the temperature to 60 degrees.
7. Mix the berries and rearrange the pallets.
8. Dry 3-4 hours.
9. Get the workpiece and take a break for 4 hours.
10. In the future, increase the mode to 75 degrees.
11. Mix again and swap pallets.
12. Keep at this temperature until ready for about 4 hours.

Dried thorns should not release juice

How to store dried thorns

You can store the workpiece in cloth bags, paper bags and cardboard boxes. You need to keep the dried turn in a dark, dry place. Necessary conditions: temperature not higher than +20 degrees and humidity within 65-70%.

The shelf life of whole dried fruits is 1 year, and pitted berries – 24 months. During storage, sharp temperature changes should not be allowed, and exposure to direct sunlight should also be excluded.

The use of dried sloes

The finished product can be used for cooking and medicinal purposes. After all, most of the useful components are preserved in the dried billet.

Turn is used for cooking:

• compote;
• opens;
• kvass;
• fortified tincture.

Dried pitted sloes can be used as a filling for pies, as well as added to muesli and quick breakfasts.

Conclusion

There are many ways to dry the turn, but regardless of this, the final product retains most of the vitamins and minerals. Therefore, such preparation, unlike freezing and preservation, is more useful. And the finished product can be used in cooking and traditional medicine. But it is important to ensure proper storage.