You can significantly extend the shelf life of your mulberries by drying them. In this way, they can be used in a variety of ways and are available at all times. Drying is easy if you follow a few simple rules.

What you can do with mulberries

Mulberries can not only be processed into jam, juice and jelly or frozen, they can also be dried very well. Dried mulberries have a very long shelf life and taste great in your morning muesli. When they dry, they lose their intense color and become relatively solid. They resemble raisins in appearance, but their taste is much more fruity. Black mulberries are less sweet than red or mulberries.

For example, you can dry mulberries in the open air or in the oven. However, it is rarely possible to air dry in our latitudes, as it has to be warm and very dry. If the humidity is too high, the drying material will become mouldy. If you often want to dry fruit and vegetables, it might be worth buying a dehydrator.

How to properly dry mulberries

The preparation:

  • only use perfect, fully ripe mulberries for drying
  • carefully clean the mulberries
  • After washing, pat the mulberries thoroughly dry
  • lay out the mulberries in a single layer on a wire rack or your baking sheet

Drying in the oven:

  • switch your oven to 50 °C
  • put the mulberries in the oven
  • if you want to dry mulberries on several trays at the same time, switch to circulating air
  • do not close the oven completely, but put a wooden spoon between the oven and the door so that the excess moisture can escape, this will dry the mulberries faster
  • check the drying process regularly and turn the mulberries in between if necessary
  • Drying in the oven can take 6 to 12 hours, depending on the size and juice content of the fruit.

The air drying

  • Duration: maximum four days
  • make sure there is sufficient air circulation
  • avoid direct sunlight
  • protect the mulberries from insects, for example with a fly screen

tips and tricks

Dried mulberries have a very long shelf life, but only if the fruit is completely dried and stored airtight. If the humidity is too high, they start to mold easily.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Trees