Recipe: Blueberry or Huckleberry Raisins

Blueberry or Huckleberry Raisins
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From Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty.
Yield: About 1 1/2 cups

2 pints Baskets (about 6 cups) firm-ripe blueberries or huckleberries

1. Pick over the berries, then place half of them in a sieve or colander and plunge it into a potful of boiling water to blanch for 20 to 30 seconds; remove berries and drop them into a bowl of water and ice cubes. Repeat with the rest of the berries. Drain berries thoroughly.

2. Cover two very large cake racks or oven shelves with tightly stretched cheesecloth and pin or staple it in place; or use several round wire cake racks with closely set spiral wires (these require no cheesecloth). Spread berries in a single layer on the racks for the drying process.

SUN-DRYING METHOD:
Set racks outdoors in full sun, covering them with propped-up cheesecloth as a defense against insects. Leave berries in the sun all day, then bring them indoors out of the dew at night. Repeat the sunbathing the next day and for as many days as necessary, turning berries at least once a day. The total time required will depend on the size and juiciness of the fruit as well as the heat of the sun; count on at least 2 days. The berries are dry enough when they are very firm, almost hard, yielding no moisture when squeezed. If the sunlight fails you, switch to the oven as described below. When the berries are dry, go to step 4.

OVEN-DRYING METHOD:
Proceed through step 2. Heat oven to 200 F. Set racks in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes. At the end of that time, turn off the heat and leave berries until the oven has cooled. Turn it on again at a setting between 120 F. and 140 F. and dry the berries until they are very firm. If you use a convection oven, follow by the manufacturer's directions, or set the heat between 120 F. and 140 F.

4. Transfer dried berries to a sterilized dry jar or jars and cover them airtight. Set the jar where you can observe it, but keep it out of the sunlight; if any sign of moisture develops on the inside of the glass within 2 or 3 days, oven-dry the berries further and re-store them. You may want to check them again for moisture to be sure they will keep. Keeps for up to a year in a cool cupboard or pantry.

TO USE DRIED BLUEBERRIES OR HUCKLEBERRIES: Cover them with hot water and soak them until they have plumped up and softened, which usually takes a few hours. Drain and use them exactly like raisins or currants.