Daily Archives: November 20, 2015

The blackberry is a fruit that is popular around the world. It’s known for its high nutritional content. Blackberries have higher antioxidants than most other fruit, which you can tell by its deep purple-black color. They lower the risk of the flu, cancer, and other diseases. Women can even eat blackberries during labor to naturally reduce the pain. The fruit isn’t the only part of the plant that can be consumed. The leaves can be turned into an herbal tea. The tea is also good for treating inflammation in your gums, sore throats, and it works as mouth wash.

Blackberries are self-fertile and grow easily in shallow soil. They require 3 to 8 feet of space between bushes, depending on breed and should be planted in early spring. Blackberries grow best in full sun in fertile soil that has good drainage. Healthy blackberry plants will produce harvestable fruit for about 15 to 20 years.

General Information about Cooling and Storing Blackberries

Blackberries are more expensive to produce than many other crops. This is because the sensitive berry is easily damaged in stormy weather. Rain, hail, and strong winds can break the berry, making it mushy and inedible. Once you have harvested your blackberries, you need to make sure that you handle, cool, and store them properly so you don’t lose any more crop than you have to. Here is some important information regarding cooling and storing your blackberries so they are perfect for consumption.

Respiration – Blackberries respire, just as many other fruits and vegetables do, so they consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide. You need to make sure that you store blackberries in well-ventilated crates or containers. Without proper ventilation, the carbon dioxide will build up around the blackberries and cause them to spoil. Respiration is also why cooling is so important. The colder your crop is, the slower they respire, allowing them to last much longer.

Temperature – Blackberries need to be stored at an adequate temperature. If they are too warm or too cold after harvesting, they will soften and become rotten. Blackberries should be stored between 31-32 degree at all times.

Relative Humidity – The proper humidity for storing blackberries is about 90-95%. Without the right amount of humidity, they lose moisture. The loss of moisture will turn your plump, juicy blackberries into small, shriveled, black rocks.

Shelf Life – Aside from raspberries, blackberries have the shortest shelf life of all fruit. They can be stored for 2-3 days before they begin to spoil. However, there are some things you can do to increase the shelf life by a couple days. Of course, cooling the blackberries quickly is important for increasing the shelf life. The other sanitizing the fruit.

Methods of Sanitizing Blackberries

Large companies have their own ways of cleaning and sanitizing their crop. If you have a home-based farm, you could be lacking the specialized equipment to do this. Having your own farmer’s market doesn’t mean that you can’t sanitize your blackberries effectively. A natural vinegar wash will kill spores on your blackberries so they can last as long as possible. To do this, you need 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water. Soak your blackberries in the solution for about 10 minutes, and then rinse with water.

Methods of Cooling Blackberries

Room Cooling – Room cooling is one method to cooling blackberries and many other crops. To cool your blackberries with this method, you will put them in space that is lined with cooling units. The unit will be set to cool the blackberries to their proper temperature. This should be done before putting the blackberries in a refrigeration unit

Forced-Air Cooling – If you don’t feel like room cooling is cooling your blackberries quickly enough, you can use the forced-air cooling method. Forced-air cooling works well for blackberries because of how low their required storing temperatures are. If you have a large harvest, forced air cooling tends to work better because it circulates the air between the bunched blackberries. The faster your blackberries are cooled, the slower their respiration rate becomes, and they will take longer to rot.

SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC understands that our clients work hard to grow healthy, delicious blackberries. It is thus imperative that these fantastic berries be properly cooled and stored with great cooling systems. SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC delivers industry-leading cooling and storage systems that can be fully customized to meet each client’s unique needs and circumstances. Please contact us for more information.

Elderberries have a long and colorful tradition in North America, stemming from their use by Native Americans for everything from music to healing. The whole plant was a center of enrichment for the lives of Native American tribe members, as they used the woody stems to stoke fires and make flutes, the berries for healing and food, and the remainder of the plant for other uses. Today, elderberries are hailed for their health properties, having sufficient nutrients to make them widely desired, and applications ranging from jams and wines to desserts. However, as they must be cooked before use, and they ripen at different times on the vine, proper storage is an item that requires consideration.

Methods to Consider for Cooling Elderberries after Harvest

Elderberries, like other berries, must be properly preserved after harvest in order to remain useable. Immediate cooling is advised, as any time at room temperature encourages mold, decay and rot.

Forced-Air Cooling – Cooling methods vary, but generally a forced air system is the most effective and efficient method for all types of berries. A forced air system is one where cold air is circulated through a cooled room in order to surround the berry with lower temperature air and cool the produce.

Hydrocooling – Hydrocooling is performed by submerging the produce in very cold water. This is not the best method for cooling berries after harvest because it does not sufficiently lower the temperature of the produce, but it can be successfully used as a pre-cooling method.

Methods to Avoid for Cooling Elderberries after Harvest

Room cooling – Room cooling is a system in which the room is cooled down to the appropriate temperature and the berries are allowed to adjust to the ambient temperature on their own – is inefficient for berries, and the cooling process is not fast enough to suit them.

Ice Packing – Ice packing, while somewhat faster and more efficient for short-term storage, is complicated where berries are concerned because of the fragility of the produce.

Vacuum Cooling – Produce that has structure that readily releases water, such as leafy greens, do well with a vacuum cooling system where the room is subjected to a vacuum that removes pressure from the room, thereby evaporating moisture and lowering the temperature, but the water barrier that forms the outside of the elderberry makes this an ineffective method for cooling them.

Hydrovac Cooling – Hydrovac cooling, a combination of hydrocooling and vacuum cooling where water is added to the produce just as they begin to lose water through the vacuum process, is ineffective for berries for the same reason.

When properly cooled after harvest, elderberries can be used in any number of applications. They aren’t suitable for eating raw due to the presence of toxins, and so must be properly stored before use to ensure that they can be utilized to their fullest potential when ready.

SEMCO/SEMCOLD LLC can help you design a forced-air or hydrocooling system ideal for use with elderberries or other produce. We design these systems individually for each client and meticulously focus on the quality, integrity and dependability of the system to ensure that it will serve our clients well as they cool and store their fresh produce.