How to Make Raisins
Step 1
1
Remove the larger stems from your grapes and wash them thoroughly. You don’t need to remove all the grapes from the stems, but you should definitely cut off the larger stems. Rinse the grapes under running water to wash them.
You can also use an all-natural produce wash to wash your grapes, although simple water should suffice in most cases.
Step 2
2
Spread the grapes out evenly on a baking tray and cover them. Use a wooden, wicker, bamboo, or plastic tray that is slatted, so air can circulate around the fruit. Spread the grapes so that they aren’t touching one another on the tray. Use a kitchen towel to cover the grapes.
You can also use a pillowcase to cover your grapes if you’d rather not use a kitchen towel.
Your cover should also be effective at keeping insects away from your grapes as they dry.
Make sure that whatever you use to cover the grapes won’t get blown away in the wind. If your cover is relatively light, you may need to weigh it down on its corners.
Step 3
3
Place the tray outside in the sun during warm, dry weather. Put the tray in a location where it will get lots of sunlight during the day. Only put them out during warm, dry weather; the warmer and dryer the climate, the easier your grapes will dry out.
If you put your tray out in overcast, cool, or particularly humid weather, the grapes will take longer to dry out (and may not even completely dry out). Aim to put your tray outside when the forecast is sunny, humidity is not too high, and the temperature is at least 75 °F (24 °C).
If your area gets foggy or dewy at night, take the tray inside at the end of the day and place it outside again the next morning.
Step 4
4
Allow the grapes to sit outside for 3–4 days, rotating them occasionally. The grapes may take up to 96 hours to become sufficiently dry, depending on various weather conditions and how hydrated they were to start. However, they should be left outside for at least 3 days. Go out and rotate the grapes twice each day to make sure both sides of the grapes are exposed to the sun.
After 3 days, feel free to conduct a taste test on 1 or 2 of the grapes to see if they’re sufficiently dry. If they’re to your liking, go ahead and bring them inside. If they’re not quite dry enough, leave them out for another day.
You can leave grapes out in the sun for up to 5 days, though you shouldn’t need to leave them out any longer than this.
