Detailed Guide to Dried Goji Berry Production: Processing Methods from Fresh Fruit to Dried Fruit

I. Sun-Drying Method

1. Mix freshly picked goji berries evenly with alkaline water, then spread them evenly in goji trays ("goji tray": a specialized tool for sun-drying or oven-drying goji berries. Generally, it is a wooden frame nailed together from wooden strips, 90 cm long and 60 cm wide, with window screen nailed to the bottom of the wooden frame, and a crossbar nailed below the window screen. The goji berries are spread on top of the window screen. Note: some use cardboard or bamboo mats, but none have better breathability and ventilation than window screen). Dry in a shaded, well-ventilated place (one day is preferable). After the goji berries have lost some moisture, move them into the sun for exposure.

2. For sun exposure, choose a well-ventilated, flat location (most people in Julu County choose their own rooftops). The goji trays should be laid out individually. On cloudy days, rainy days, and every night, the goji trays should be stacked up and promptly covered with plastic film to prevent the goji berries from absorbing moisture. After the weather clears and early the next morning, promptly remove the plastic film to prevent the goji berries from turning black due to excessive temperature. When the goji berries are 70 to 80 percent dry, they should be turned out of the trays promptly.

3. Turning out of the trays means tipping the goji berries from the trays onto a hard surface with ample sunlight, good ventilation, and easy sweeping (a flat rooftop is best). Turning out should be done in the early morning. On the evening before turning out, do not cover the goji trays with plastic film again; let the goji berries absorb moisture in the trays for one night, so they can be easily tipped out of the trays (if they are not allowed to absorb moisture, large amounts of goji berries will stick to the window screen and be difficult to remove). After being turned out, the goji berries should be spread out evenly.

4. After the goji berries are sun-dried, they should be promptly put into bags. Double-layer bags should be used. Bagging should be done at four or five o'clock in the afternoon, when sunlight is ample and moisture is relatively low, so the goji berries are less likely to absorb moisture. After bagging, the bag openings should be tied off immediately.

In spring and summer, when sunlight is ample and air humidity is low, this method is easy to use.

II. Baking Method

1. Drying goji berries by baking requires building a small drying room. A ventilation opening should be left at the top of the small drying room, and an exhaust fan should be installed. Windows should be sealed with plastic film. A cotton door curtain should be hung at the doorway, and a ventilation opening one chi high should be left below the door curtain. Inside the small drying room, bamboo poles should be set up to build racks for holding goji trays. A coal fire should be kept burning inside the room, maintaining a constant 60 to 70°C.

2. Mix freshly picked goji berries evenly with edible alkaline water, spread them evenly in goji trays, and place the goji trays on the lowest level of the racks inside the small drying room. After the goji berries have lost some moisture, gradually move them upward. (Note: the temperature inside the small drying room is low at the bottom and high at the top. If the goji trays are placed directly at the top, the goji berries will "collapse" on the trays. While maintaining the temperature inside the small drying room, it is also necessary to ventilate and allow air circulation, promptly expelling moisture outside the small drying room.)

3. After the goji berries are baked dry, they should be promptly turned out of the trays and bagged; otherwise, the excessive temperature inside the small drying room will "scorch" the goji berries.

In autumn, there is more rain, less sunlight, and high air humidity, so this method is easy to use.