The next time you get these tart berries in your kitchen, consider prepping and preserving them from their fresh state so they'll last much longer. Dehydrating, and lightly sweetening cranberries, is a terrific way to preserve them for up to eight months.
Each fall, Wisconsin cranberry growers flood fields where the tart berries grow. Pulling on tall waders to walk among thousands of floating cranberries was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me several years ago. That's when I learned Wisconsin produces more than 60 percent of the nation's annual cranberry crop.
I gave dehydrating a try recently. But, because the fresh fruit wasn't yet available in local grocery stores, Wisconsin-based Wetherby Cranberry Co. sent me four one-pound bags. I borrowed a small dehydrator from a local culinary school and prepared my oven to make four different batches. Read on to learn how to dry cranberries step-by-step using either a dehydrator or an oven.
16 ounces fresh cranberries: Choose the freshest fruit available — typically bright red or yellow-tinged, firm, and wrinkle-free. (As long as the cranberries are not mushy, a little 'give' in the flesh is okay.)
1/4 cup maple syrup, corn syrup, or sugar to coat the berries: When adding sugar, use traditional granulated style rather than organic granulated sugar, whose granules are too coarse and may clump together on the fruit surface (that happened to me). In my kitchen, maple syrup created a glossy 'finish' on the dried cranberries that I especially liked compared with the sugar-coated berries.
2 quarts water
Instructions:
Rinse the berries thoroughly and put them aside in a large bowl.
Measure out 1/4 cup of maple syrup, corn syrup, or sugar to coat the berries but don't add it yet.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil and pour this over the cranberries. Then listen for a popping sound as the skin splits open on individual berries. After 4 to 5 minutes, or when the popping stops, drain the berries.
Pour your chosen sweetener over the berries and stir thoroughly. Sugar draws water from the fruit, enhancing dehydration, while adding sweetness as well.
Now it's time to dehydrate the berries one of two ways:
How to Dehydrate Cranberries Using a Dehydrator
When using the dehydrator, I spread cranberries across two of the racks and heated them at 115 degrees F (46 degrees C) for about 15 hours, then turned off the machine and left the berries inside overnight.
Some of them became slightly chewy, approaching a raisin, but others remained somewhat soft. Be sure to check the suggested temperature for drying fruit with your dehydrator and add time as needed to achieve your desired texture.
How to Dehydrate Cranberries in the Oven
To dehydrate cranberries in the oven, turn it on for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Check your oven temperature before proceeding, to assure maximum drying of the fruit.
Spread cranberries on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and place in the oven. Turn off the oven and leave the berries inside overnight. Check them for texture and leave them in the oven for additional time, as needed. Again, the ultimate goal is for dried cranberries to have a texture that resembles raisins.
How to Store Dried Cranberries
After the dehydrated cranberries cool completely, freezer storage works best. Loosely pack them in jars or in plastic bags, date them, and stash them away for future use. Quarter- to half-cup portions are convenient. Now you won't need to make a grocery run before enjoyingsweet, tart cranberries.
How to Use Dried Cranberries
Cranberries are a great addition to granola or oatmeal. You can also incorporate them into your own trail mix, alongside sunflower seeds, nuts, and other dried fruits. Blend softer dried cranberries into smoothies, with yogurt and flax seeds.
For fresh sweet-tart flavor, stir dehydrated cranberries into baked goods such as sweet breads or muffins. You can even substitute them for raisins in your favorite cookie recipe for a delicious change; you'll never miss the raisins!
Preheat oven to 170 degrees or the lowest setting. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Spread cranberries in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake rotating pans and stirring cranberries every hour or so to break up any clumps until dry and chewy.
Preheat oven to 170 degrees or the lowest setting. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Spread cranberries in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake rotating pans and stirring cranberries every hour or so to break up any clumps until dry and chewy.
Before you can dry the berries, you must blanch and sweeten them. You can omit the sweetening step if you wish, but keep in mind that most of the commercial dried cranberries are sweetened. Unsweetened cranberries are likely to be sour and astringent.
I discovered that the berries turn out much better if you also use a little oil. Otherwise, they tend to become crisp as they dry out, rather than soft and chewy. You can dry cranberries in the oven or in a dehydrator, and it works well both ways.
For The Air Fryer Oven: Preheat air fryer to 170 degrees. Spread Cranberries on the racks into 1 layer with some space for air flow (you may need to do this in batches, I was able to use all 3 of my racks to fit the whole batch). Dry cranberries for 6-8 hours shaking and rotating the racks every 2 hours.
Is it safe to eat cranberries raw? Cranberries are generally considered safe whether they are cooked or raw. However, because of their notoriously bitter, sharp taste, most people prefer not to eat them raw or unsweetened. This bitterness is due to the high tannin content of cranberries.
If the cranberries weren't broken, they will take much longer to dry. Or give them longer. Dehydrating times are general, and are affected by your machine, how you prepped your cranberries, your home's humidity, and so much more. Give them time!
Line a sheet pan with doubled up paper towels and then lay a sheet of parchment over top.Spread cranberries out and dry in the oven at 170º F for 7-8 hours. After 4 hours take cranberries out of the oven and using a spatula transfer them to a new sheet of parchment paper, spreading them out some.
To dehydrate cranberries in the oven, turn it on for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Check your oven temperature before proceeding, to assure maximum drying of the fruit. Spread cranberries on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and place in the oven.
Place the tray of cranberries into an oven or dehydrator and set the temperature to 150℉/65℃ and the time for 14 hours. The cranberries will take anywhere from 12-16 hours to fully dehydrate and the result will be chewy cranberries very similar to Craisins. *See recipe notes if you want crunchier cranberries.
Dried cranberries are made by partially dehydrating fresh cranberries, a process similar to making grapes into raisins. They are used in trail mix, salads, breads, with cereals, or eaten on their own.
Today, dry harvested bogs are picked using mechanical pickers with styles named Darlington, Furford or Western. These self-propelled harvesters all work in a similar manner, combing through the bogs and the fruit is then conveyed into a burlap bag or wooden box.
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