The dried fruits are not only delicious, but they are also beneficial for your health and skin. And the one we are going to talk about here is dried blueberries. It is good to add them to your diet and let them do some good things to your health.
And as you are looking forward to adding them to your daily routine, you can buy dry blueberry from the market, or you can also follow some simple methods to dry the berries at home on your own. Those methods are being mentioned in this guide to help you with the process in the right way. You can also find the benefits and drawbacks of dehydrated blueberries in this piece. So, let us begin!
Table of Contents
How To Get Dried Blueberries At Home?
As you are looking for some simple ways to dry the blueberries at home, follow this section to get your answers:
1. Use the Natural Light
- Buy the best quality fresh blueberries from the market and wash them with water to remove dirt.
- Take an absorbent cloth or paper towels to pat dry the berries after washing them with water.
- Now place all the blueberries on a non-metallic tray, as the metallic ones will react to the natural acids in the fruit.
- Now place the tray under the direct sunlight and do not forget to cover the berries with a cloth to prevent them from insects and bugs.
- It will take around 3-4 days to get the blueberries dried.
During the process, make sure that you are bringing the tray inside at night and when there is rain to protect them from humidity as it can slow down or affect the drying process. Even the air circulation during the process needs to be good to get better results. Once the berries are dry, you can store them in a glass jar or airtight container to ensure their durability. Also, try to keep them in a cool and dry place.
2. Food Dehydrator is Also an Option
- Do the same thing here as well. Buy good quality fresh blueberries and wash them with cold water to clean them.
- Dry the water on the berries with a cloth or paper towel to speed up the blueberries’ drying process.
- You will now place a screen on the dehydrator’s tray and form a single layer of blueberries on it and place it inside the machine.
- Now set the dehydrator at the lowest temperature to prevent the berries from getting burnt. You can get blueberry dried at 115-degrees.
- It is going to take you around 18-24 hours to get done with the drying process.
- It is good to check the blueberries every 2 hours to make sure the berries are drying at a good speed and turn their sides if needed to get uniformly dried blueberries.
Once you are done with drying the blueberries, you can store them in an airtight container to last long. And do ensure that you are placing them in a cool and dry place.
Also read, Methods Of Dehydrating Avocados
3. How About Using an Oven?
If you have an oven at your place, it will make things easy and quick for you.
- Once you have quality blueberries, wash them well and pat them dry with a paper towel or cloth.
- Now place a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper on the tray and place the blueberries on that tray. Make sure they are not touching each other to get evenly dried blueberries.
- As you are doing all this, preheat the oven to 135-degrees Fahrenheit.
- When the oven is ready to use, you will place the tray inside it and let the blueberries dry at 135-degrees Fahrenheit for around 10 hours.
Try to check the berries frequently throughout the process to ensure everything is fine. Once they are completely dry, you will allow them to cool down and then store them in a jar or airtight container.
Each of these methods involves different steps, and they are going to take different times to get done with the job. Choose the one, which is suitable and available to you, and enjoy the taste and benefits of the dried blueberries.
What Are The Nutritional Values Of Dried Blueberries?
Most of us have this question ‘are dried blueberries good for you’ in our minds. Here are these nutritional values you will find in 40 grams of dried blueberries to convince you that they are good to add to your diet:
- It includes 138 calories.
- Calories from fat are 4%
- It is a cholesterol-free dried fruit.
- It has 1 mg of sodium.
- The total carbohydrate is 33 grams in which dietary fiber is 3 grams, and sugar is 29 grams.
- It has 13% of Vitamin C.
- There is 7% Calcium in dried blueberries.
- And, there is 2% Iron in this.
So, all in all, it is a good thing to consume regularly. But, be sure about the quantity you are consuming to get the benefits and prevent drawbacks.
Also read, Are Dried Cranberries Good For You?
What Are The Blueberry Benefits And Side Effects?
Yes, it is good to frequently eat dried blueberries, but what are the reasons you should add them to your diet? Let us talk about blueberry’s benefits and side effects.
1. So, the first reason that you should add blueberries in your daily routine is that they are low on calories and high in nutrients. It is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and fibers, along with various other nutrients. It is a source of carbohydrates as well that is good for your health.
2. These are a source of antioxidants responsible for protecting your body from free radicals that can damage your cells and cause aging or different diseases. It directly increases the level of antioxidants in your body and prevents problems like cancer.
3. The best thing about dried blueberries is that these are loaded with phytonutrients that work as strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in your body. It helps you to stay healthy when taken in the right amount.
4. Dried blueberry is good at strengthening your immune system. It is a natural way of fighting the diseases in your body because it is rich in pterostilbene. Pterostilbene helps promote the activity of the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide gene that boosts your immunity and fights bacterial infections.
5. As we are talking about the benefits of dried blueberries, it helps in lowering the risk of heart diseases. It keeps your cholesterol in check and prevents oxygen damage. It prevents the arteries from getting clogged and causes any heart-related issue.
6. It also gives a boost to your brain. If you are regularly eating the dry blueberries, it is going to improve your brain’s functioning. It helps in improving your memory and preventing age-related cognitive diseases from letting you work correctly, even if you are getting old.
7. By having dehydrated blueberries, you can maintain the blood sugar level in your body. Those who suffer from insulin resistance and diabetes should add this to their diets since the sugar present in this is healthy. It will not only maintain the level of sugar in your blood, but it will also help in controlling the issue of obesity.
8. As you are taking the dehydrated blueberries every day, they help you feel full for hours due to which you eat less, and the chances of you getting fat reduce eventually. So, when you take them in the right quantity, you don’t have to worry about your weight.
9. Another thing that is good about these berries is that they promote strong bones. As they are a good source of calcium and phosphorus, it will make your bones strong for a lifetime.
So, add the dehydrated blueberries in your diet now and let them do some good to your health and skin. Besides the benefits the dried berries offer, these come with some drawbacks as well, and those are:
1. If not taken carefully, it can affect your blood sugar level. While consuming the dried berries, you need to make sure that you do not take too much to interfere with your sugar level.
2. It may also interfere with your surgery if there is any low glycemic index, affecting your blood sugar level. And this will eventually affect your surgery procedure.
Conclusion
It is easy to dry the blueberries at home. The three methods mentioned in this piece are convenient to follow. You can either do it the natural way or use a food dehydrator or oven to get done with it. And once you follow the steps carefully, you will get the desired results, and you will be able to add them to your diet. Dried blueberries will give you numerous health benefits. You need to take them in a limited quantity if you want to avoid any drawbacks. Also, make sure the quality of the dried blueberries is good to avoid any health-related problems.