Preparing vitamins for the winter - how to dry hawthorn at home

Tell me how to dry a hawthorn at home? I need berries for a decoction, I like to drink it just like that, and even in winter I give it to everyone to strengthen the immune system. We have nowhere to collect it in the city, I had to buy fresh berries from my grandmothers at the market. How to save them now? I have no place in the freezer, so drying is what interests me.

Today in pharmacies you can buy any medicine, including herbal raw materials, for example, dried hawthorn. But it's cheaper to prepare it yourself, because there is nothing complicated in how to dry hawthorn at home. The main thing is that the berries are picked in the "right" place, with a clean environment. Then they will be really useful.

When and how to collect hawthorn for harvesting for the winter

Red berries with a tart taste are very useful... They are brewed and drunk to strengthen the immune system, normalize the heart rate and relieve nervous tension. It is noteworthy that the hawthorn retains its healing properties both fresh and dried. The latter option will especially help you out in winter, so it makes sense to stock up for the season.

Harvesting the hawthorn is necessary only when it is ripe and turns dark red, in early September. Unlike viburnum, they need to be plucked before frost so that the berries do not soften. Do not pick off one fruit at a time, but in bunches, along with shields. But only in places far from factories or highways. Hawthorn is able to accumulate harmful substances and then it will be possible to argue about its benefits.

How to dry hawthorn at home

Previously, our grandmothers dried all the berries mainly in one way - in the fresh air. You can use it today. Spread the hawthorn in one layer on the newspaper and leave it on the window, but only so that the sun does not fall on the bottom. Do not forget to wash and sort the berries first.

Although the old method will give a result, it will take a long time to wait. But thanks to modern kitchen technology, you can dry a hawthorn in a couple of hours.

This can be done using:

• electric or gas oven at temperatures up to 60 ° С (do not close the door completely);
• aero grill at an average blowing speed and a temperature of 50 ° С;
• special electric dryer for fruits and vegetables.

A well-dried hawthorn can be stored for up to two years. Just do not put it in plastic bags - there it can resist. Better to sew cloth bags so that there is air access.

Drying hawthorn in an electric dryer