How and Why of Wolfberry Harvest
Fruit:
Values of various nutrients change slightly as fruit color changes from orange to bright red. For example, sugar content increases, and protein and calcium content drop significantly. B vitamins decrease, vitamin C increases and Beta-carotene decreases. Fully ripe fruit is less bitter, but is very fragile and easily bruised. My preference on picking is to let the fruit at the base of a frond get fully ripe and then pick all that are colors orange to red, resulting in a mixture of nutrients and being much easier than picking individual ripe fruits.
Wash picked fruit and float in cold water, where stems, leaf fragments, and any discolored fruit can be removed. If appearance is an issue, stems remaining on the fruit can also be removed. I leave the few remaining stems on the fruit as they probably contain nutrients and if used in smoothies, get pulverized and are not visible.
Washed fruit can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. Fresh fruit should be refrigerated and can be kept for a week or more in the refrigerator. Fruit can also be dried in a dehydrator or set out on racks to be sun dried in a fly free environment. I use an Excalibur dehydrator for drying. Set at 100 degrees, fruit takes 3 or more days to dry. This is a challenge if you have many pounds of fruit to dry. Dried fruit tends to stick to the drying racks and can be quite sticky to the touch. Drying only fully ripe fruit that has not been washed can reduce the sticking problem.
Outdoor rack drying is much more energy efficient and if drying large amounts of fruit is almost a necessity. If nighttime temperatures are cooler than daytime temperatures, fruit should be covered or brought in during the night to avoid morning dew formation. Berries are sufficiently dry when they reach raisin-like consistency. They should be stored in airtight containers in a cool, dry environment. They will keep for years.
Washed fruit can be placed in freezer bags and laid out in the freezer for quick freezing. I prefer to use one or two quart size bags, and fill so that when laid out flat the contents are an inch or less in thickness. In this way they freeze quickly, yet bags can be opened and any amount of fruit easily removed. We have no data on nutrient loss in frozen fruit over time, but fruit that has been in the freezer for three years still looks and tastes as good as fresh fruit.
Values of various nutrients change slightly as fruit color changes from orange to bright red. For example, sugar content increases, and protein and calcium content drop significantly. B vitamins decrease, vitamin C increases and Beta-carotene decreases. Fully ripe fruit is less bitter, but is very fragile and easily bruised. My preference on picking is to let the fruit at the base of a frond get fully ripe and then pick all that are colors orange to red, resulting in a mixture of nutrients and being much easier than picking individual ripe fruits.
Wash picked fruit and float in cold water, where stems, leaf fragments, and any discolored fruit can be removed. If appearance is an issue, stems remaining on the fruit can also be removed. I leave the few remaining stems on the fruit as they probably contain nutrients and if used in smoothies, get pulverized and are not visible.
Washed fruit can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. Fresh fruit should be refrigerated and can be kept for a week or more in the refrigerator. Fruit can also be dried in a dehydrator or set out on racks to be sun dried in a fly free environment. I use an Excalibur dehydrator for drying. Set at 100 degrees, fruit takes 3 or more days to dry. This is a challenge if you have many pounds of fruit to dry. Dried fruit tends to stick to the drying racks and can be quite sticky to the touch. Drying only fully ripe fruit that has not been washed can reduce the sticking problem.
Outdoor rack drying is much more energy efficient and if drying large amounts of fruit is almost a necessity. If nighttime temperatures are cooler than daytime temperatures, fruit should be covered or brought in during the night to avoid morning dew formation. Berries are sufficiently dry when they reach raisin-like consistency. They should be stored in airtight containers in a cool, dry environment. They will keep for years.
Washed fruit can be placed in freezer bags and laid out in the freezer for quick freezing. I prefer to use one or two quart size bags, and fill so that when laid out flat the contents are an inch or less in thickness. In this way they freeze quickly, yet bags can be opened and any amount of fruit easily removed. We have no data on nutrient loss in frozen fruit over time, but fruit that has been in the freezer for three years still looks and tastes as good as fresh fruit.
Leaves and Stems:
Leaves and young stems can be harvested any time of the year. Heavy spring and summer pruning will promote new leaf and stem growth. Stems for vegetable use should still be totally green and show no woodiness. Newly sprouted stems six inches or less in length are the most tender. Leaves can be left on stems and the entire unit can be used for a vegetable or dried for later use. Leaves and stems are dried in a dehydrator at 105 degrees and take less than 12 hours to dry. Dried product should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Dried stems and leaves can also be powdered in a blender. I use the “dry” container for my Vita Mix blender to powder leaves and stems. This premium product takes up less storage room.
Leaves for vegetable and tea use can be picked throughout the summer. If growing plants for both fruit and leaves, the best time to harvest the leaves is late fall after the majority of the fruit season is over. Wolfberries are deciduous and lose their leaves in the fall. Strip all leaves off the vines before the first really hard frost and dry for tea or vegetable use. Wearing leather gloves and pulling the hand from the base of the vine toward the end and stripping off the leaves easily accomplishes this. If this is done on first year growth, no stickers will be encountered. Leaves may be used fresh, dried, powdered or frozen. Leaves for fresh use should not be washed before placing in the refrigerator. Wash the fruit when you are ready to use it in a recipe. Leaves for drying should be washed and spread on drying racks. The liquid in other recipe components rehydrates dried leaves used for a vegetable.
Leaves and young stems can be harvested any time of the year. Heavy spring and summer pruning will promote new leaf and stem growth. Stems for vegetable use should still be totally green and show no woodiness. Newly sprouted stems six inches or less in length are the most tender. Leaves can be left on stems and the entire unit can be used for a vegetable or dried for later use. Leaves and stems are dried in a dehydrator at 105 degrees and take less than 12 hours to dry. Dried product should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Dried stems and leaves can also be powdered in a blender. I use the “dry” container for my Vita Mix blender to powder leaves and stems. This premium product takes up less storage room.
Leaves for vegetable and tea use can be picked throughout the summer. If growing plants for both fruit and leaves, the best time to harvest the leaves is late fall after the majority of the fruit season is over. Wolfberries are deciduous and lose their leaves in the fall. Strip all leaves off the vines before the first really hard frost and dry for tea or vegetable use. Wearing leather gloves and pulling the hand from the base of the vine toward the end and stripping off the leaves easily accomplishes this. If this is done on first year growth, no stickers will be encountered. Leaves may be used fresh, dried, powdered or frozen. Leaves for fresh use should not be washed before placing in the refrigerator. Wash the fruit when you are ready to use it in a recipe. Leaves for drying should be washed and spread on drying racks. The liquid in other recipe components rehydrates dried leaves used for a vegetable.
Wolfberry Roots (Di Gu Pi):
Root bark is antibacterial, hepatic, hypoglycemic, and vascodilating and has been used to treat hypertension, diabetes, and in lowering blood pressure. Bark is best harvested in early spring. Bark is peeled off the roots and then dried.
Root bark is antibacterial, hepatic, hypoglycemic, and vascodilating and has been used to treat hypertension, diabetes, and in lowering blood pressure. Bark is best harvested in early spring. Bark is peeled off the roots and then dried.
