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Raisins are dried grapes, an obvious and simple truth. Despite the fact that getting the grapes to turn into raisins requires only one step, it's safe to say that not many people try this process at home. I decided to give it a shot, taking advantage of the blazing heat that I've been experiencing lately. I covered a wire cooling rack with a paper towel, set freshly washed grapes on top, and covered them with another paper towel. I set the tray outside in the sun and let nature go to work. You may have to weight down your towels, or cover the whole tray with a domed picnic screen to prevent flies from landing on the grapes.
These grapes, pictured, are about two days into the drying process, but they dry up more each day, getting sweeter as time passes. It took about one week to go from grapes to raisins, but this time will vary depending on sunlight and heat. They taste great, especially compared to the majority of pre-packaged raisins, and are a great summer project that only takes a little effort to do.
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7-31-2006 @4:23PM MP said... Mm, delicious! Do you think craisins would work in the same way? Would there be any difference in drying time? I'd suspect they'd dry out faster, given their size, but grapes might have more water, so... I don't know. Great post, though! I'm going to have to try this. With all of SC's humidity, this is perfect.
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7-31-2006 @4:27PM Alex said... I remember that my brother and I tried this with the wine grapes that grew around our house when we were little. They often grew mold before they were raisins.
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7-31-2006 @4:34PM Nicole Weston said... MP - It might work with cranberries, but it would be difficult to get fresh ones during the summer and I don't think that frozen would work the same way.
Alex - I'm sorry to hear it didn't work for you, but it sounds like your grapes may not have been ideal for turning into raisins. Using paper towels around the grapes will keep the moisture that evaporates from setting on the skin, which should solve your problem.
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8-01-2006 @9:40AM JMForester said... Drying cranberries to make "craisins" isn't as easy as you might think. The commercial craisins are actually a processed product. They first start with a much larger and sweeter strain of cranberry than what is sold. The fruit is partially crushed and juice extracted in an extractor machine that doesn't destroy the berry. Then sugar and flavors are put back into the berry and it is dried.
That said you can make dried cranberries at home but they will be different than the commercial craisins.
First you should wash the cranberries in a colander. Then pour boiling water over them to crack their skins, otherwise it will take a long, long time to dry them. Then dry them at 120-140 degrees in a dehydrator. You can use other methods for drying, but a dehydrator provides consistency and control.
Don't expect them to be as sweet as commercial craisins. Store in sealed plastic bags in the refrigerator or freezer.
Good Luck
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8-01-2006 @11:39AM Rebecca said... My question my already have been answered, but do you think this would work in the tremendously humid heat we have here in Pennsylvania? I have tried "sun-drying" my own tomatoes in the oven and they are astonishingly better than the commercial varieties, so it doesn't surprise me that home-dried raisins would be sweeter than store-bought.
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8-01-2006 @12:36PM Nicole Weston said... Humidity will slow the process, but if it is hot enough, you should still be able to make raisins. Start with a small batch, in case it doesn't work out.
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