Late autumn is the time for the last preparations for the winter. Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, beets, onions and other vegetables are in abundance at autumn fairs, which make up an important and significant part of the diet of every person.
Last year (at the end of winter - beginning of spring) I encountered a lack of normal (not frozen and not rotting) carrots in the nearest stores. It is hard to imagine the preparation of the first courses without this root crop, it is noticeably lacking for the second, to say nothing of my love for carrot juice .. It was very unusual and extremely unpleasant. I had to buy dried mixtures with carrots for dressing soups, and this turned out to be not a very pleasant burden for the family budget.
That is why this fall, dried carrots have become one of the important preparations. It was necessary, but the anticipation of the process was bleak .. but in vain! - drying carrots for the winter was not difficult and not long. And, of course, the quality of the resulting product is much higher than what you buy in small bags in the store.
So, how to dry carrots at home?
We go to the autumn fair, where we buy carrots so nicely packed in small nets. We will prepare in parts, good, raw carrot it is stored well, especially if there is a cool room (in our case, a basement).
Carrot wash and clean from the peel. Using a vegetable peeler (a special knife for peeling vegetables) greatly simplifies and speeds up this process, especially if the carrots are large and even - then in general there is a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from simplicity and speed.
Next, carrots blanch otherwise carrots will quickly lose not only taste qualities, but also their beneficial features. To do this, bring the water to a boil, put the carrots in boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the carrot.
Dry carrots in the oven, for example, and without prior blanching, but this is possible, but not the best option drying carrots.
I gave carrots cool down independently (of course, draining the water, and pulling it out of the pan to increase the cooling rate), although I read that it must be quickly cooled under cold running water.
After the carrots have cooled down, rub it on coarse grater . You can also cut into circles up to 3 mm thick or into sticks - try to make them the same so that drying goes more evenly.
We spread the grated carrots on all levels of the dryer (at first I tried to spread it in a rather thin layer and at intervals for air, but then I simply spread the entire volume obtained into grates, i.e. all the carrots that fit during the cooking process in a 3-liter saucepan were stacked on 5 dryer levels).
There was a fear that due to the density of the layers of grated carrots on the pallets, the drying would not be uniform, but no - the drying went well and took only 2 days.
No, no, don't worry, it's not a full 2 days. In total it turned out 6-7 hours at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. The first day I dried the carrots for 3-4 hours, changing the levels every hour, since the bottom of the product dries faster than at the top levels. And also removing drops of moisture from the inside of the dryer lid. On the second day, I dried the carrots for 3 hours, also rearranging the levels and stirring the already dried carrots a little.
When the consistency of the carrots became suitable (the carrots should become dry, but not crumbling into powder), I turned off the dryer, let the carrots cool for about half an hour and transferred everything to an 800 gram jar. It turned out "bit".
What a joyful orange color a dried carrot has! But do not rush to close it with a lid - let it stand for another day in a dry, warm place (covering it with gauze instead of a lid), so the carrots will probably dry out and will be stored even better.
Total: I won’t say by weight (next time I’ll definitely weigh it (it turned out to be 1.5 kg)), but in terms of volume, an 800 gram jar of dried product came out of a 3-liter pot with large carrots.
How to store dried carrots?
Dried carrots stored for a very long time.
Store dried carrots in a dry, dark place in a hermetically sealed container. You can use both glass containers and paper or plastic bags.
Carrots are one of the most common vegetables. It is grown by gardeners and harvested in large quantities. It is worth noting that not only the root of the plant is eaten, but also its tops.
Which outnumbers the first useful substances. Most often, carrots for storage are laid in the cellar, where they are stored all winter. But often there are situations in which there is nowhere to store a large number of vegetables. In this case, drying carrots will help out. The method allows not only to save a large amount of the crop, but also to do this without losing the taste and benefits of the plant. Information on how to dry carrots at home will be useful to every housewife.
Preparing vegetables
Before you start drying, carrots need to be properly prepared. First of all, you need to sort through the vegetables and choose strong, non-perishable specimens. They should be thoroughly washed and dried well.
The leaves must be dried separately from the root, so at this stage you should separate them and set the leaves aside. Carrot roots need to be peeled, cut off the green part at the junction with the tops. Remove all lesions. If you come across especially large carrots, you need to cut them in half or several parts as needed.
Peeled and processed carrots should be placed in a pot of boiling water. Blanch vegetables for 12-20 minutes depending on size. The result should be soft, but not boiled carrots. To check for readiness and not overcook carrots, you need to try to pierce it with a toothpick. A sharp stick should pierce the fruit with little effort, in which case you can complete the process.
After this, it is necessary to cool the root crop in cold water and start cutting. How exactly to cut carrots depends on the preferences of the hostess. You can just rub it on a coarse grater, or you can cut it into cubes, straws, rings, and so on. It is important not to make pieces thicker than three millimeters, this will prevent the vegetable from completely drying out. And also when slicing carrots for drying, you need to take into account that the vegetable will significantly decrease in size, but will later return to its original size during the cooking process.
We dry the root crop
How to dry carrots for the winter? There are several options for drying a vegetable. One of them is drying naturally when the root crop gradually dries in the air. In addition, you can dry much faster using an oven or even a microwave.
Natural drying
Naturally dried carrots retain the maximum amount of all useful substances, as well as the traditional taste and aroma. This method is appropriate if it is possible to place the vegetable in a sunny space that is not exposed to harmful factors. Dries so the root crop is best in conditions country house or cottages, away from highways and dust.
A place for drying should be arranged so that the sun's rays heat the vegetable for as long as possible. It is best to place the root crop on a sieve, so the necessary ventilation will be created and there will be no need to move the product. If there is no sieve, then it is worth laying out the pieces on trays in one layer, after laying it out parchment paper. In this case, the carrots need to be stirred periodically to ensure uniform drying.
In cloudy weather and at night, until the dew has completely disappeared, carrots should be removed indoors and placed in a dark place with good ventilation. Drying naturally takes a long time. Full drying requires at least two weeks. After drying, it is worth reviewing the product and removing not dried and dirty pieces.
Advice! After the carrots have dried, they need to be kept in a common container for some time so that the residual moisture is evenly distributed throughout the workpiece. Only after that it can be packaged and sent for storage.
Drying in the oven
Drying carrots in the oven is much faster than naturally. It is important to ensure that the kitchen is ventilated, as the oven will be continuously turned on for 6-8 hours, which is exactly how long it takes to dry one batch. If the volume of stocks is large, then the process will have to be repeated.
Prepared carrots are placed on a baking sheet in one layer. If the carrots are grated, then the layer should not be more than 5-10 millimeters. The oven is preheated to 70 degrees and the root crop is placed in it. If the oven does not have a convection function, then the cabinet door must be kept ajar to allow evaporated moisture to escape.
The carrot itself needs to be periodically mixed and turned over. This will promote even drying. You need to get a baking sheet with ready-made dried carrots and, after cooling down, transfer it to a storage container.
Dry in the microwave and electric dryer
An electric dryer can greatly simplify the process. To dry carrots in it, you need to place it on the grates and install temperature regime 70 degrees. Thanks to internal ventilation, the product can not be mixed, but it is worth swapping the order of the grids. This is due to the fact that the bottom layer will dry out faster than the top. Dried carrots will be ready in 6-12 hours, depending on the capabilities of the appliance and the size of the pieces. A large number of carrots need to be dried in batches in several approaches.
Drying a root vegetable in the microwave is the fastest, but due to the small capacity, the process can take a lot of time. The root crop should be placed on a flat plate for the microwave, having previously spread it with a paper towel, and on top should be covered with another towel. In addition to a plate of carrots, you need to put a glass of water in the microwave and make sure that it does not boil away.
Switch the device to maximum power and put carrots in it for three minutes. If this time is not enough, then you need to dry the root crop in short stages with an interval of 30-40 seconds.
You need to store dried carrots in the same way as spices in a dry, dark place. A large spice jar can be used as a storage container.
We dry the tops
How to dry carrots figured out. And how to dry her tops, because it contains large quantity useful substances, and it deserves no less attention.
Washed and dried greens should be cut and dried. You can also dry it naturally. But unlike the root crop, you need to dry the tops not in the sun, but in the shade, ensuring a good flow fresh air. During the drying process, it is important to periodically mix the greens. It will dry much faster, three days is enough for natural drying.
You can also dry the tops in the oven. The oven must be heated to 40-50 degrees and place a baking sheet with evenly spread tops in it. Dry also with the door ajar until completely dry. You can check this by kneading a piece in your hands, if it freely turns into dust, the process is completed.
You can harvest in this way not only carrots, but also other vegetables, while you can store them together creating mixes. It is important to remember that when creating mixes of vegetables, drying of each ingredient must be carried out separately. Only storage can be shared.
Dried carrots will decorate the first and main dishes, high content useful substances will save the body from vitamin deficiency. How to dry carrots in an electric dryer? How else can you prepare a root crop for the winter? We will tell in this article.
How to dry carrots: rules for harvesting and storage
To get high-quality winter preparations, carrots should be properly selected and prepared. Suitable for drying are mid-ripening or early, medium-sized root crops. It is better to choose vegetables that have a rounded lower part - they are sweeter and brighter.
Preparatory steps:
- sorting - arrange carrots by size, remove root crops with signs of spoilage;
- cleaning - cut off the tops, remove green veins, wash thoroughly with a brush, do not remove the peel;
- heat treatment - immerse the carrots in boiling water for 12-20 minutes, depending on the size, the toothpick should be difficult to enter into the finished vegetable;
- cool in a container of ice water.
Prepared carrots can be cut into 3 mm circles, small sticks or cubes, thin straws.
It is not difficult to store dried carrots - fabric bags or glass and tin containers are suitable for this.
How to dry carrots for the winter: the main ways
The electric dryer allows you to quickly prepare winter preparations from different vegetables. The instructions for the device indicate the temperature regime and the duration of the process. The ideal temperature for drying carrots is 6-70 degrees.
It will take several cycles to completely dry the root crop - complete drying of the vegetable will take 6-17 hours, depending on its variety and size of the pieces. Properly cooked carrots retain a bright color, have an elastic texture.
Air-solar drying is the best way to harvest carrots, provided that dust and dirt from the environment do not get on the vegetable. The prepared root crop should be spread out in a thin layer on a sieve, it should be mixed 3-4 times a day. Drying time - at least 14 days.
For drying in the microwave, carrots should be cut into small cubes, spread out in a thin layer between two sheets of thin paper. Place the workpiece in the microwave, put a container of water. You need to check the readiness every half a minute, the water in the container should be constantly.
Where to get fruits that have not been subjected to chemical treatments for more long-term storage and not grown in greenhouse conditions with the use of various kinds of fertilizers (and not always safe for the body)?
The answer is simple: vegetables and fruits needs to be prepared ahead of time. About that, as well as, right in the ground, you can read on our website.
Preparations for the winter can be done different ways, however, many of the methods are able to reduce, and sometimes completely deprive products of all useful elements and vitamins. About that, we have already talked about in our article.
One of the methods by which vegetables and fruits retain their useful qualities , is drying - dehydration and further drying of the product.
general information
Carrots are a root vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Harvesting this vegetable for the winter by drying, you can during the whole winter period get a full vitamin and mineral complex. On our site you can find all the necessary information about.
Read our article on how to keep all the vitamins and nutrients in it.
Drying carrots is one of the drying methods, during which fetal dehydration and drying it at a relatively low temperature, which contributes to the preservation of proteins.
Than drying carrots different from normal drying? Dried carrots, unlike dried carrots, have a more beautiful appearance, elastic consistency and bright taste and aroma.
You can also find more information on our website.
Benefit
What is useful dried carrots? As already mentioned, the dried product retains its chemical composition . Carrots harvested in this way contain:
- amino acids;
- carotene;
- salt and sugar;
- enzymes and flavonoids;
- alimentary fiber;
- vitamins (A, B, B2, C, PP, folic acid);
- trace elements (calcium, potassium, sodium, iodine, iron).
Main advantage dried carrots before other fruits is the content of carotene in its composition, which brings incredible benefits to the organs of vision.
For example, daily consumption carrot helps to strengthen the retina, helps eliminate conjunctivitis, helps people suffering from myopia and blepharitis. Regular consumption of dried carrots has a beneficial effect on the health and functioning of the respiratory system.
The beneficial effect of dried carrots on the vitality of a person is noted, acceleration of regeneration processes in organism. A small portion of dried carrots, eaten in the morning, will help fight drowsiness and fatigue.
The vitamins and minerals included in the composition help to increase body resistance to viruses and infections. Dried carrots are ideal for people with dysbacteriosis and intestinal atony.
calories: 100 g dried carrots contains 132 kcal.
Vegetable preparation
Before proceeding with the process of harvesting carrots, it is necessary to prepare root crops.
It should be noted that carrots are suitable for drying. all table varieties.
Fresh carrots are needed clean thoroughly from earth and dust (wash with running water), remove the tops, peel. Peeled roots again Rinse, but already boiled water and let it dry a little or dry towel.
grind into circles, about 2.5 cm thick or in sticks, the thickness of which should also be in the range of 2-2.5 cm, and the length should not exceed 5 cm.
The cut product must be put in a deep container, sprinkle with sugar(for 1 kg of carrots 150-170 g of granulated sugar), pressing down with oppression from above. Carrots like this aged 12-15 hours at a temperature of 18 degrees.
After the specified time, the separated carrot juice is drained, again pour the same amount of sugar and stand again in conditions of 18 degrees for another 15 hours. After re-separating the juice, the carrots are placed in a container with hot sugar syrup (for 1 kg of carrots 250 g of sugar in 350 ml of water) and kept in it for 10-15 minutes.
Important A: The temperature of the syrup should not be less than 90 degrees.
Process
How to make dried carrots? Drying:
- Discard the carrots obtained in the course of the above process for colander(for maximum moisture removal).
- Expand into disgusting 1 layer.
- Place the tray in dry dark place with good ventilation.
- After 2-3 days, pieces of the root crop must be turn over and leave for another 7-10 days.
readiness product is determined by its consistency - carrots of medium softness, elastic, dense.
In the oven
How to cook dried carrots in the oven? After preparing the root crop, the sliced \u200b\u200bscattered on a baking sheet is placed in heated up to 85°C oven for 20-25 minutes.
After allowing the carrots to cool, they are again sent to the oven, but already for 40 minutes by lowering the temperature to 70°C.
Last the heat treatment also lasts 40 minutes at 70°C.
Recipes
Carrots with beet stalks
You will need:
- 700 g of prepared and chopped carrots;
- 300 g of beet stalks;
- 350 g of granulated sugar.
Mix carrots and petioles, put in a deep container and sprinkle with sugar. Place the filled container in a semi-dark room with temperature conditions 3-6 degrees. After 72 hours, drain the resulting juice, pour hot sugar syrup(sugar/water ratio 1:1) for 15 minutes. Next, drying is carried out in a natural or artificial way.
vanilla carrot
You will need:
- 1 kg of peeled and chopped root crops;
- 250 g of granulated sugar;
- 1 tsp citric acid;
- 1 g vanillin.
Pour carrots cut into slices or cubes with sugar, after mixing it with citric acid and vanilla.
Withstand under pressure approximately 12 hours.
After the vegetable releases enough juice, the container must be placed on slow fire And boil.
At the moment when the mass begins to boil, the fire is turned off and drain the juice. Spread the fruits on a baking sheet and place in oven. Drying is carried out by the method described earlier.
Storage
The finished product is placed in glass container with a sealed lid and placed in a dark place at a humidity of 65-70% and a temperature of 15-18 degrees Celsius. Shelf life- 12-18 months.
Dried carrots are used in cooking, added to tea, consumed as an independent delicacy. Carrots harvested in this way will great alternative to candy for small children.
A delicious product that can not only give pleasure from its use, but also bring benefit for the body during the winter cold season.
Many housewives are wondering: how to dry carrots at home and will its benefits be lost with this method of harvesting? To answer this question, you need to talk more about such a useful root crop.
Carrots have a rich chemical composition, due to which it has a regulatory effect on the metabolism in human body. Carrots are rich in proteins and carbohydrates. The concentration of carbohydrates increases with time and depends on the degree of ripeness of the carrots.
The composition of the root crop is poor in cellulose, which allows it to be used while dieting. Composition of carrots abounds useful vitamins(B1, B2, B6, C) and a whole group of important minerals (potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, iron and others). The root vegetable is especially rich in carotene, which is processed by the body into vitamin A.
The consumption of useful substances contained in the root crop helps to resist the development of various diseases. The most important among these substances is considered to be carotene. Therefore, the consumption of carrots in food is of great value for human nutrition. winter time.
And here comes the problem of its storage. Storage of the root crop in winter has a negative effect on a number of useful components from the composition of carrots, and they are broken down as a result of the oxidative respiration process. One of the common ways to store a healthy root crop is deep freezing and preservation. A common belief is that deep-frozen vegetables keep their flavor better. useful composition, is not entirely true. In the manufacture of this type of product, quick freezing is used.
Drying is the best way to store carrots for the winter. Drying makes it possible to prevent or suspend those processes of destruction nutritional composition, which lead to a decrease nutritional value orange root.
Natural drying of carrots
When asked how to properly dry carrots, nutritionists have a clear answer.
The harvesting process can be carried out in two different ways: using the natural heat provided by the sun, and using the heat obtained from electrical appliances.
The indisputable advantage of the second method, in comparison with the first, is a significantly shorter drying cycle. At home, the harvesting process consists in removing the liquid contained in it from the raw material by evaporating it using natural or artificial heat.
If the hostess decided to prepare carrots using drying in the sun, then she needs to know a number of rules. Most often, an open, well-blown and accessible platform for this, protected from possible harmful factors of human activity, is chosen for this.
Well for harvesting at home, a summer cottage or a veranda of a garden house is suitable. It is advisable to choose the south side for this. The selected site should be free of dust. It will be useful to have a canopy next to the drying zone so that the dried carrots do not suffer from rain. During the drying process, carrots must be stirred to check readiness.
The finished product is packed in wooden or tin containers (cotton bags are also suitable) and stored in a dark room. Tea containers are well suited for storing carrots.
Artificial drying
Another one of the available quick ways winter harvest carrots is drying in an electric dryer. In this method, infrared radiation is widely used. It has the ability to penetrate into the depth of the dried raw materials by 6-12 millimeters, which is enough to produce carrots at home, in which it is not split so useful in winter carotene.
Carrots for drying should be used clean. To do this, the raw materials must be washed and peeled and cut or grated as the hostess wishes. You can grate it on a coarse grater, or you can cut it into cubes. Dried carrots are worth their weight in gold for our diet. This is due initially to the fact that it is rich in the substance carotene.
How to dry carrots in an electric dryer is usually indicated in the instruction manual for this appliance. Carrots dry for a long time due to the presence of a large number moisture.
The root crop is dried at a temperature of about 60-70 degrees for about 6 hours. It may take several cycles to dry completely. Their number is selected individually during electric drying, so the process requires constant supervision.
Dried carrots can be used in the household, cooking various soups, pies and other preparations, and even when making tea. It can be used for food at any time of the year with strict observance of storage conditions.
