Make Your Own Homemade Raisins!
I have four new beautiful arbours of seedless grapes, and I get beside myself with anticipation and excitement, waiting for my big juicy plump grapes to come in. It’ll be a couple more years, so luckily I have a neighbor with an amazing vineyard of blackberries, raspberries, and grapes!
I love grape jam, grape syrup for breakfast or tea, but most of all, I love making raisins! Raisins are a powerhouse of nutrition and energy. Unfortunately most commercial brands have sulfites and additives that we dont want. So making your own just seems like a natural evolution to healthy!
How To Make Raisins:
You’ll Need:
Several pounds of seedless grapes, washed, de-stemmed, drain in a collander
Dehydrator
Cutting board
sharp paring knife
On a cutting board, cut grapes in half lengthwise, from end to end.
- Cut grapes for faster drying
Place on the dehydrator trays cut side up. This keeps the juices in the grape which adds sweetness, but it does extend the drying time by a couple of hours. It also helps to keep the grapes from sticking to the tray. This run of grapes are as big as my thumb, so it took a little longer than normal to dry them. Turn the dehydrator on about 115 if you have a thermostat, set the timer for 18 hours. This is a guideline, as with any dehydrating, you have to go by feel and texture. Larger grapes will take longer, smaller grapes may be done sooner. It has been a wet season so these are very juicy. If you’d like, you can sprinkle a little cinnamon on the cut side to enhance the flavor. I love cinnamon!
Test your grapes after a few hours, turn trays if needed or rearrange so they aren’t touching.
- Dehydrated grapes – Raisins!
As they dry to a pliable leathery consistency, you can remove the dried ones or let them continue drying with the others.
Remember, as with any home-dried fruit, these grapes have no preservatives.
No preservatives! Fun to snack on!
So if you like them softer and chewy, they’ll need to be stored in the freezer. If you get them drier and slightly crispy, they can be stored on a shelf.
- Delicious slow cooked ten-grain porridge with raisins and brown sugar
Its easy enough to reconstitute them if needed, with water or a little juice for flavor. I like to reconstitute in just a little water with cinnamon sprinkled in.