Blackberries have a much longer harvest time than most other types of fruit in the gardens in this country. Nevertheless, the amount of blackberries picked in high-yield years can be too large for fresh consumption.

Blackberries should be enjoyed quickly

Blackberries are a perfect delicacy full of vitamins for in between meals in midsummer from the end of July to autumn. However, the harvested blackberries usually only last a maximum of two days after being picked from the tendrils, even in the refrigerator. Since blackberries are very susceptible to mold, they should always be dried well after washing. To do this, you can gently dab the blackberries with a piece of kitchen paper without crushing the sensitive fruit. You should definitely sort out fruit that has already been damaged beforehand, as this would spoil the whole bowl of blackberries even more quickly.

The small and subtle difference

Blackberries from garden cultivars are actually not very suitable for preservation by drying. The seeds of these fruits move closer to each other during drying, so that when dried, the taste experience is only very secondary. There is also a great risk that the fruit will start to mold during the drying process before they can release their moisture. It is therefore only possible to dry large blackberries if they are first cut into smaller slices and pieces with a sharp knife. Smaller specimens of wild bramble tendrils can be dried a little better as they don't contain as large amounts of fruit juice.

Various drying techniques

There are various options for the actual drying process of dried fruit. For this purpose, the blackberries collected from the forest can be placed in a special dehydrator, for example. Alternatively, the blackberries can also be spread out in one layer on a baking sheet and slowly dried at around 30 to 50 degrees. In principle, drying in the sun is also possible, but then the blackberries must be placed in a place protected from wasps and ants to dry.

tips and tricks

Freezing is also a good alternative to the more time-consuming process of drying blackberries. Before any preservation method, however, the fruit should be washed thoroughly with clear water so that any fox tapeworm pathogens are eliminated.

The garden journal freshness ABC

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

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Vegetable garden