Dehydrating Blueberries and Make Blueberry Powder
Today, It’s all about how to dehydrate blueberries and make powder. The nice thing about dehydrated blueberries is that if you dry them they will last for months on your pantry shelf.
Plus, they don’t take up any freezer space. I’ve been concerned about what in my freezer lately. Yes, we could keep the food cool for 3-4 days at the most if we lost power.
I don’t have a generator and have no intention of buying one. It would not fit into my budget. Plus, I worry about storing gas for the long term on my property and how to keep it stable for months.
Therefore, I’ve decided to keep showing all of you how to store our bounty from the garden or food we can purchase at reduced prices. Dehydrating is a great option.
How To Dehydrate Blueberries and Make Powder
Step One
I love blueberries in my morning shakes, but the raw ones do not always blend up as smooth as I would like. So, I grabbed a bag of blueberries from the freezer and decided I would dehydrate them and make some blueberry powder.
Let the blueberries thaw a little and then place the blueberries evenly on the dehydrator racks.
Step Two
My Excalibur Dehydrator said to set the temperature at 135 degrees. Please check your unit for the correct temperature. The time to dry the blueberries will depend on the humidity of the room you are drying your blueberries in and the temperature setting for the dehydrator being used.
Plan on 12-23 hours. Dehydrate until the blueberries are leathery and crisp.
Step Three
This is what they look like when they are totally dry and ready to make blueberry powder. You can see I did not remove the stems. I wish you could smell my house, it smells like I’m growing fresh blueberries in the kitchen!
Step Four
This is the Vitamix I used to make the powder. I put about 3 cups or so of the dehydrated berries in and started pulsing the unit to create the powder. This is so easy to do and it makes for a really smooth powder.
How To Condition Your Fruit or Vegetables
If you live where it is HUMID: “To condition the fruit, take the dried fruit that has cooled and pack it loosely in plastic or glass jars. Seal the containers and let them stand for 7 to 10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the drier pieces. Shake the jars daily to separate the pieces and check the moisture condensation.” https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/pack_store.html
I live in the DRY DESERT: I set my fruit and vegetables on my countertop for 5-7 days. Ten days is even better to make sure everything is dry before using your FoodSaver unit.
Blueberry Powder
When I grind the blueberries in my blender I only grind the amount I will use in a month or so. I store the dehydrated blueberries in quart mason jars I seal with my FoodSaver. I do not use my FoodSaver on the Blueberry Powder, it may damage the accessory hose.
Are blueberries healthy?
Here’s the deal, if you can make one change in your diet it should be blueberries for your health. They help with our cardiovascular health, prevent cancer, and improves our brainpower.
They are rich in polyphenols, and a great source of Vitamin K, C, and manganese.
Are they anti-inflammatory?
Yes, they are! They are rich in vitamins and antioxidants called flavonoids that help fight inflammation. They help with your immune system as well, which in turn may reduce chronic inflammation.
Can I eat too many fresh blueberries in one day?
I have read statements suggesting we eat at least one cup of blueberries each day to improve our cardiovascular health. Although eating blueberries may be healthy for you, please do not overeat them.
If you eat too many blueberries in a day you may become bloated, have diarrhea, reflux, and heartburn. It’s funny we can get this from eating too much of anything, right?
What is blueberry powder?
You can make blueberry powder from freeze-dried or dehydrated blueberries. They start out as juicy fresh blueberries and once they are freeze-dried or dehydrated you can use your blender to make powder. It’s so easy and takes up so much less space.
How Can I Use Blueberry Powder?
- Blend into your smoothies
- The perfect addition to yogurt
- Add to muffin batter
- Delicious in pancake batter
- Try it in your breakfast oatmeal or desserts
- One tablespoon powder equals 1/2 cup of fresh berries
How To Dehydrate Blueberries
- 10-20 cups fresh blueberries (I do not remove the stems or dip in boiling water)
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Place the blueberries evenly on the dehydrator racks. My Excalibur Dehydrator said to set the temperature at 135 degrees. Please check your unit for the correct temperature. The time to dry the blueberries will depend on the humidity of the room you are drying your blueberries in. Plan on 12-23 hours. Dehydrate until the blueberries are leathery and crisp. When totally dry use your high power blender to make powder by using the pulse button. Store the dehydrated blueberries or blueberry powder in airtight jars.
Here are the other Dehydrating Posts I have done:
- Dehydrating Apples
- Dehydrating Bananas
- Dehydrating Blackberries and Powder
- Dehydrating Blueberries and Powder
- Dehydrating Cilantro
- Dehydrating Cucumbers and Powder
- Dehydrating Ginger and Powder
- Dehydrating Green Onions and Powder
- Dehydrating Kale and Kale Powder
- Dehydrating Kiwi
- Dehydrating Lemons and Powder
- Dehydrating Marshmallows
- Dehydrating Peppermint Marshmallows and Powder
- Dehydrating Mushrooms and Mushroom Powder
- Dehydrating Onions and Powder
- Dehydrating Pears
- Dehydrating Pineapple
- Dehydrating Raspberries and Powder
- Dehydrating Spinach and Powder
- Dehydrating Strawberries
- Dehydrating Tomatoes and Powder
- Dehydrating Watermelon
Final Word
I hope you enjoyed learning how to dehydrate blueberries and make powder today. Life is so good when our pantry has everything we need to make different meals.
If we can teach others to cook from scratch, just think how self-reliant people could be fixing meals at home. May God bless this world, Linda
Your final words should be your first in this article – “If we can teach others to cook from scratch, just think how self-reliant people could be fixing meals at home. ” This by itself if your genesis and everyone should be making the effort to be self-reliant and economically responsible enough to learn to make healthier foods! Thank!
Hi Patrick, oh how I love your comment! I really try to teach people to cook from scratch to be self-reliant! Those restaurants and drive-throughs are not the way to eat. Linda
Linda ~
Interesting! I have dh blueberries (fresh and frozen) before but more just to add to trail mix, save freezer space, etc. I hadn’t thought of powdering them! I think the powder would also be great in water as a flavor enhancer. Have you tried that? if so, did it work? In the past I have added a few dh blueberries to a quart of water as you might do with lemon slices. Turned a light blue and was pleasant.
Hi Leanne, I think the powder would be very close to the DH blueberries that you put in your water. BUT you would have to use a whole lot less. The powder is so concentrated. I hadn’t thought about adding it to my water jug. I will now!! Great idea! Linda
Linda when you took the blueberries out of the freezer did you thaw them first? I didn’t see if you had to thaw them first. I have so many frozen in my freezer I am really into the dehydrating thing now too.
Debbie
Hi Debbie, I put them in a cookie sheet to let them thaw a little. I better go add that to the post. Thank you for asking about that. I just tried dehydrating some frozen cherries, what a mess. They were so juicy, I ended up using them in smoothies. They dripped all the way to the dehydrator from the kitchen counter and inside the dehydrator. Lesson learned they were too “wet”. The blueberries had a little juice but nothing like the frozen cherries. Have fun, I am really into dehydrating as well. Linda
How many cups of powder do you get from your 3 cups of dried blueberryies?
Hi Debbie, that’s a good question. I did not measure it. I’m so sorry. I just dehydrate fruit and vegetables and then make powder. Linda