Ever look on the back of a box of raisins to check out the ingredients? Some brands say “grapes and sunshine,” which (as a label-reader) I find cute. Raisins from the store aren’t terriby expensive, although they usually do cost more than grapes by weight. Since the other ingredient—sunshine—is free, try making your own raisins at home.
Ever look on the back of a box of raisins to check out the ingredients? Some brands say “grapes and sunshine,” which (as a label-reader) I find cute. Raisins from the store aren’t terriby expensive, although they usually do cost more than grapes by weight. Since the other ingredient—sunshine—is free, try making your own raisins at home.
Summer is a great time to try making homemade raisins. Besides being a fun project, you’ll know that your raisins are just grapes and sunshine with no added sugar. Take advantage of the summer heat and get started.
Seedless grapes will make raisins that are easy to eat. White, green, red or purple grapes? The choice is yours. You’ll need to start by washing off your grapes. Use a wire baking rack lined with paper towels as a drying rack for the grapes. Place them on the paper towel, then bring them outside. You’ll probably want to add another paper towel on top of the grapes to keep insects away, and those top paper towels may need something to weigh them down if it gets windy.
Put your tray of future raisins out in the sunlight to begin drying. Dry heat is best, but raisins will still form if it’s slightly humid, it might just take a little longer. With hot, dry sunlight, expect grapes to become raisins in about a week.
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