Comments on: Make Your Own :: Dried Blueberries

By: Trudie B.

Trudie B. — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:24:16 +0000

Hi, thanks for the article on drying blueberries. I have a bush I didn’t quite get to to harvest plump fresh berries, and they have started to shrivel. I was wondering if they could be either allowed to dry on the bush and be picked/stored in zippies, then used in muffins, cookies, etc.; or if I could make use of the shriveling berries by picking them and completing the drying process in the oven or dehydrator? They do not appear moldy or otherwise diseased; it seems they’ve just been left on the bush too long. They are in full sun and still being watered regularly.
Your thoughts?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:57:11 +0000

You don’t have to freeze blueberries on a tray. Just wash and sort, then stuff them in the baggie and stick that in a freezer. The berries won’t stick together like most things will.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:20:53 +0000

Thanks! I am going to try and dehydrate some fresh blueberries in my oven today (I don’t have a dehydrator, so the oven will have to do!)

Appreciate the info

You are welcome Sharon – I haven’t dehydrated fresh blueberries in an oven so I can only guess this suggestion – try setting your oven at the lowest temperature, which I believe is 200 degrees, and keep an eye on them. Check them every 10 minutes or so. Let me know how it turns out. Good luck and thanks for stopping by! :-)

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:30:13 +0000

What if I don’t have a dehydrator? Any way to dry them using the oven? Please email to advise….

Hi and great question Lindsey – Yes, you can use the oven in place of a dehydrator. Turn the oven to the lowest setting – I believe the lowest temperature is warm or 200 – and allow it to warm up and place your blueberries (or other fruits/veggies) in the oven to dry.

If you are focused sticking to the guideline of keeping it raw, you’ll want to use an oven thermometer to indicate when the oven heat has reached 105 – 115, at which point you turn of the oven. As the temperature cools you will turn on the over again and repeat the above directions until your food has dried.

If not, simply set your oven to the lowest setting and dehydrate. Remember to keep an eye on what you are drying.

By: Carmella

Carmella — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:24:20 +0000

Ingrid,

As usual, we’re on the same wavelenght… I was wondering not long ago about dehydrating berries. ;-)

Tell me, what temperature do you set your D at for making these?

Hello Carmi! Setting the dehydrator from 112 to 115 is good – I set mine at 115. I dehydrated my first batch of blueberries [about 1 pound] on July 29th, and to date they are keeping well stored in a glass jar. Since then I’ve been big on dehydrating for preservation; two more batches are under my dehydrating belt and I definitely see another one or two batches in the D in the foreseeable future. ;-)

By: Zara

Zara — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:19:36 +0000

I don’t have a dehydrator. What about freezing them?

Hi Zara – You can certainly freeze fresh blueberries this is another great way to preserve them for use later. Start by sorting through the blueberries, discarding any that are bruised, leaky, shriveled, or moldy. Spread the unwashed blueberries on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until they are completely frozen. Transfer the frozen blueberries into a freezer bag or freezer container; label with the name of its content and date. That’s it.

By: hihorosie

hihorosie — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:08:55 +0000

Hmmm…my hubby will love this! Now we’ll have to pick up some blueberries to dry. :)

Thanks!!

Hi Heidi – Have you dehydrated any berries or fruits? Every time I shop I pick up blueberries. Besides eating them fresh, I’m dehydrating some and freezing some. I wish I had access to a prolific wild blueberry bush.