Raisin is an extremely popular product, because it has many positive qualities. Those summer residents who have a vineyard in their plot may try to prepare homemade raisins for future use, since it is not at all difficult to carry out such a procedure. At the current time there are many different methods of harvesting such dried fruits. The finished tasty product can be used for making compotes, baking, etc. How to dry the grapes at home, we learn later in the article.
Which grape is suitable for drying
Most often used for drying grapes varieties that do not have seeds inside the berries. The berries themselves can be both small and large, dark or light. Due to the fact that the dry product retains the flavor characteristics of a particular type of grape, raisins can be herb-tart, nutmeg or sour-sweet. 
Most often for harvesting raisins use the following grape varieties:
- Nimrang;
- Muscat;
- Sultani;
- Rizamat;
- Codrean;
- Katta Kurgan;
- Kishmish black, pink, white.
Did you know? The first harvesting of raisins with the aim of selling it began to be carried out around 200-300 g. er Historians can not say for sure whether the Armenians or Phoenicians did it. But it is known that in Greece later they began to grow for this purpose special grapes with small berries that did not have seeds, but at the same time they had a strong and pleasant aroma. The variety was named "Korinka" in honor of the area where it was grown - Corinth.
Grape preparation
In order to get high-quality and tasty home-made raisins, which will be able to preserve their beneficial properties for a long time, you need to properly prepare fresh grapes for harvesting. 
First of all, it is necessary to review and remove all unsuitable material, remove berries that have damage, dents, cracks, etc. It is also desirable to separate smaller and larger berries. The latter can be cut in half for easy drying.
Learn how to dry apples, plums, mint, greens, rosehips, thyme, oyster mushrooms at home.
Step by Step Drying Instructions
At the current time there are several of the most popular methods of making raisins do-it-yourself at home. It is very important to select only ripe grapes, as from unripe berries you get a low-quality product. 
It is recommended to follow these rules:
- vintage for making raisins should be carried out exclusively in dry, sunny weather. Excessively saturated fruits will cause the product to dry much longer, which will reduce its quality;
- It is recommended not to water the vine for 8-10 days before the planned harvest. In this way, it will be possible to reduce the overall moisture content of the fruit;
- do not wash the crop. You need to pick berries with your hands and shake off garbage and spider webs, if any. The only exception is the wet processing of soda, which is carried out in order to accelerate the drying of the grapes.
Did you know? Despite the popularity of raisins in the Mediterranean countries, in the central part of Europe, he was little known. This useful product began to be brought to Europe only in the 11th century. Knights did this, who bought it during the campaigns.
In the sun
The simplest and cheapest method of making raisins is to dry the grapes in the sun. True, this method is only suitable for regions with sunny weather conditions. 
Also, if a cooling or rain is predicted for the period of ripening of the grape harvest, natural drying will not work.
- It is necessary to sort out the grapes manually, simultaneously removing the garbage, and then put a uniform layer of berries in a tray with a mesh bottom. Such a bottom will provide good ventilation. If there is no such tray, then you can use a regular baking tray instead.
- Trays with grape berries should be exposed to the sun.
- After the grapes have a little bit of time, you should gently turn it over to the other side.
- The product as a whole needs to be dried for 2-4 weeks. The exact time depends on the weather conditions and the humidity of the grapes.
- The raisins prepared by such technology turn out to be dry and tough, but then it can be stored for a long time without being covered with mold.
In the shadow
Dry grapes can also be in the shade. According to the quality characteristics of such a product will be different from that prepared by the previous method. The raisins will come out moist and softer. 
For drying, you will need to provide a dry room that is well ventilated, for example, an attic. The process of drying is much longer and can take about 2-3 months.
- In a dry room, you should stretch thin ropes. You can, for example, use cords for laundry. The grapes will be dried in bunches.
- Bunches should be hung on the rope, fixing them with clothespins. Brushes can also be tied with a strong thread of two pieces, then simply throw them through the rope.
In the oven
You can also dry the grapes in the oven, but the implementation of this method is not very convenient, since it takes up to 30 hours of time. And this method entails the consumption of gas or electricity. But, if this is the only affordable solution for harvesting grapes, then it is relatively easy to implement. 
It will take: 1 kg of grapes, soda (1 teaspoon with a slide), 1 l of water.
- It is recommended to first soak the grapes in soda solution for 10 minutes, then wash them and dry. This stage can be skipped, but soda solution will help reduce the time of drying fruits.
- Dried berries should be laid out on pans that are previously recommended to cover with parchment.
- Next, the product is set in the oven. It is permissible at the same time to put a few more opposite.
- The oven should be heated to 90 degrees. The first stage of drying lasts about 5 hours. It is recommended to slightly open the oven door, so that moisture can come out of it.
- Then you need to get trays and gently mix the grapes. So the moisture will evaporate evenly.
- The trays are returned to the oven. The temperature should be reduced to 70 degrees and dry the berries until tender.
- The finished product must be removed from the oven and put on fresh air with the baking trays. Since the berries have decreased in volume, they can be collected on one sheet. Raisins should be well ventilated, for this he will need a few hours. At the end of it should be removed to storage.
In the electric dryer
Significantly simplify the process of harvesting raisins at home using an electric dryer. The process of drying the grapes in the electric drier does not require special attention. You just need to load the required number of grapes in trays, turn on the device and wait for the result.
It should be noted that it is possible to lay out unwashed grapes in the electric dryer, as well as those that were previously soaked in soda solution. Soaked fruits, as you know, will be prepared much faster.
In order to dry out evenly, it is advisable to interchange trays from time to time. Also, when the berries have already dried up, you can leave them "ripen" in a well-ventilated room, and in the meantime fill the electric dryer with a new portion of grapes.
Important! The exact amount of time it takes to dry the raisins depends on the power of the electric dryer, as well as on the variety of the grapes themselves. But usually the drying time in the electric dryer does not take more than 48 hours.
How to determine readiness
The dried product can be checked for readiness by the presence of moisture in it. To do this, just press down the berries with your fingers. Perfectly dried raisins will not give juice. It will be able to be stored for a very long period, and at the same time it will not lose its nutritional characteristics or taste.
Familiarize yourself with recipes for harvesting currants, gooseberries, sunberry, yoshty, viburnum, apricots, cherries, blueberries, apples, hawthorn for the winter.
Proper storage at home
Raisins are unpretentious. If you know how to properly store it at home, it will be edible for several months or even years.
- The easiest way to store raisins in a canvas bag. You just need to pour the product into it and put the bag on the shelf in a dry room. This fabric is breathable, which will help raisins longer stored. In the event that insects can be found indoors, the cloth bag should first be soaked in salted aqueous solution. Next, it needs to be dried, not rinsing in clean water, and put the raisins there.
- Glass containers are also suitable for storing raisins. It is important that they are not hermetically closed. Instead of a cover, it is best to use either gauze or take a capron cover and make a couple of holes in it. It is very important that oxygen can freely circulate in the tank.
- You can store raisins in the refrigerator. Dried fruits are placed in a plastic container and sent to the shelf. If you plan to store in cellophane, then in the package you also need to first make a few holes.
Important! Rinse the raisins before storage is absolutely impossible. Unwashed dried fruits are covered with a natural layer that protects them from mildew. If you wash it off, the shelf life of the finished product will be significantly reduced.Options for making raisins do-it-yourself in the conditions of home cooking there are many. Just select the one that is easiest to implement in the current environment. Spent time and effort are fully compensated by a tasty and healthy finished product.
