How to dry wolfberries

Wolfberry is a plant that is familiar to everyone. Because wolfberry has the effects of improving eyesight and replenishing deficiency, wolfberry is included in many important prescriptions. In addition, many people also buy wolfberries directly and use them to make tea. The wolfberries used for soaking in water are generally dry, because only dry wolfberries can be preserved for a longer time. So, what are the steps to dry wolfberries? The following will introduce it to you.

Step 1

Mix the freshly picked wolfberries with edible alkaline water, and spread them evenly on a wolfberry plate ("wolfberry plate": a special tool for drying or baking wolfberries. It is usually made by nailing wooden strips into a wooden frame 90 cm long and 60 cm wide. Nail a window screen under the wooden frame, and nail a horizontal bar under the window screen. The wolfberries are spread on the window screen. Note: some people use cardboard or bamboo mats, but they are not as breathable and ventilated as window screens). Dry in a shady, ventilated place (preferably for 1-2 days), and then move to the sun after the wolfberries lose some of their moisture.

Step 2

Exposure should be done in a ventilated and flat place. The wolfberry plates should be placed individually, stacked up on cloudy and rainy days and every night, and covered with plastic film in time to prevent the fruit from getting damp. The plastic film should be removed in time after the weather clears and in the early morning of the next day to prevent the fruit from turning black due to high temperature. When the wolfberries are 70% to 80% dry, they should be covered in a plate in time.

Step 3

To place the wolfberries in the plate on a hard surface that is well-ventilated, easily cleaned and has plenty of sunlight. The buttoning should be done in the early morning. The night before covering the dish, do not cover the wolfberry dish with plastic film. Allow the wolfberries to absorb moisture in the dish overnight. This way, the wolfberries can be easily removed from the dish (if they are not allowed to absorb moisture, a large amount of wolfberries will stick to the window screen and will be difficult to remove). After covering the plate, the wolfberries should be spread out evenly.

Step 4

After the wolfberries are dried, they should be packed into bags in time. Double-layer bags should be used. The time for bagging should be chosen at four or five o'clock in the afternoon. At this time, there is plenty of sunlight and relatively little humidity, so the wolfberries are not easy to get damp. After bagging, the bag mouth should be tied immediately. This method is easy to use in summer and autumn when there is plenty of sunlight and low air humidity. Wolfberry is a berry, which is not easy to preserve after being picked. The natural sun-drying method is often affected by the weather and the surrounding environment. Not only does it take a long time to dry, but the degree of drying is uneven. In bad weather conditions, some of the wolfberry fruits picked will rot due to untimely drying, affecting the quality and yield of the product. Enterprises (growers) with the conditions can use drying equipment to dry the fruits.