Sublimated berries: what is it, how to prepare and use them?

Berries are a source of vitamins, microelements, antioxidants and other vital substances needed by the human body. They are consumed fresh, frozen, dried. In regions with a temperate and northern climate, the berry season lasts 1-2 months. In winter, the storage of the product is carried out according to certain rules. Sublimation is a type of treatment in which raw materials are frozen, and then moisture is removed from it. Sublimated berries retain their taste properties for up to 2 years subject to storage conditions.

The technical process under production conditions takes place in 3 stages.

1. The berries are sorted and removed the damaged fruit: with wormholes, with stains of mold, with dirt. Clean the skin, seeds, stalks. Do not touch only the soft, juicy berries: raspberries, strawberries, blueberries. With mechanical action, they instantly let the juice.
2. The product is placed in a special chamber in which the temperature is adjusted to -20 degrees. When frozen, moisture is converted to small crystals.
3. The sublimator is heated and the ice is converted to steam. There is no air in the chamber, so the process is very fast.

The readiness of the product is checked by its external indicators: fruits retain their shape, but at the same time decrease several times. Out of 10 kg of raw material, approximately 1 kg of product is obtained. The berries retain their structure, so they are supple and flexible to the touch. They can be used in compotes, fruit drinks, tea.

Sublimation at home is impossible, but there are other types of processing that can be carried out without special equipment. These are: drying in the oven, drying in the sun or processing in containers with perforated (holes are drilled) shelves. If the berries are dried by these methods, they retain their beneficial properties during the entire winter period, whereas the sublimated product is usable much longer - up to 2 years.

This method of processing is compulsory, since the berries are dried not in natural conditions, but in the oven or dehydrator - the drying apparatus, which ensures the uniform removal of moisture from the product. Fruits are pre-washed under a stream of pure water. Solid varieties are blanched by placing the berries in cotton or gauze and immersing them in boiling water for 1-2 seconds.

Lay out the berries in a single layer so that there is no accumulation of fruit, and there was a uniform evaporation of moisture. In the oven, the door is left slightly open - water will escape through this gap in the form of steam. This is not required in the dehydrator. The berries are placed on the foil or on the fabric of natural fibers. Fruits should be dried in the oven at a temperature of 60-75 degrees. The dehydrator is heated to 35–45 degrees.

Oven drying takes from 7 to 12 hours. In the process the berries are constantly turned over. The finished fruit shrivels and changes its shade to a darker one. If you squeeze a few berries fingertips, they do not stick together and do not let the juice.

In regions with a dry and warm climate, the berries are dried under natural conditions in the sun. You will need a perforated plywood sheet, sieve or sieve. Birds can not ignore the tasty product, if it lies in open space. Therefore, the berries protect mesh. They are laid out in a single layer and first cleaned in a shaded place so that the fruits are healed. After 1-2 days they are taken out in the sun.

The place where the berries lie, should be protected from rain and strong wind. This may be an open porch, gazebo or design with a canopy. As soon as the fruits are dried on one side, they need to be turned over. Drying continues until all moisture is evaporated from the berries. To speed up the process, you can prepare in advance a stack of newspapers that are laid out in several layers under the fruit.As soon as the paper gets wet, it is changed to dry. Solid berries can be dried by stringing on a thread and hanging in a well-ventilated place.

A device for drying berries can be made independently from thin iron sheets or purchased in ready-made form in stores. This is such a device in the form of a camera, which has holes in its walls and shelves to evaporate moisture. Homemade design is placed on the surface, which can be heated to 60 degrees (stove, oven). On the shelves a uniform layer of berries are laid out, which are constantly turned over in the process of drying.

Soft, juicy fruits (raspberries, strawberries, red currants), which are easily damaged during collection and subsequent storage, are not suitable for drying. To save them for the winter, you can make candied fruit, marshmallow or berry powder. To make sugar syrup, you need to mix 300 g of sugar with 1200 ml of water, boil and keep on low heat until the sugar crystals dissolve. The berries are kept in syrup for 1-2 minutes, then dried in the oven or in the sun.

To prepare pastila, fresh berries are ground into mashed potatoes. You can pull the frozen berries out of the freezer and knead them until smooth. Puree lay out a thin layer on the foil and at a temperature not higher than 60 degrees dried in the oven. Sometimes in the process of processing the whole berries are damaged and the output is fragmented lumps that hardly resemble fruits. They are crushed to a state of powder and remain in this form.

The shelf life of the fruit depends on the choice of dishes in which they are placed after processing. If this is a glass container, which is tightly closed with a lid, then it is necessary to ensure that no moisture gets into the berry. Mold may appear in a closed can. After vacuum drying, the fruits are placed in convenient packages, filling them with 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg each.

A safer way to store fruit is in canvas bags that allow air to pass through. If you put the berries in plastic bags, the fruit from time to time must be viewed: if moldy lumps are found, they must be removed. With an abundant harvest of dried berries it turns out a lot and the optimal storage method for them is cardboard boxes, which need to be tightly closed each time, when the next batch of fruit is extracted from there.

The dried or sublimated fruits are used in cooking when preparing confectionery, baking, and main courses. It:

• pies, cakes, pastries;
• porridges;
• ice cream;
• baby fruit puree;
• sweets and chocolates;
• yogurt

Berry powder is added to tea or water infusions are made, used as a powder for confectionery or tinted with cake creams.

For information on how to cook sublimated berries, fruits and vegetables, see the next video.