If you use baking sheets or other trays without holes or openings in the bottom, you must turn your fruit to achieve an evenly dried product. After the first side of the fruit has absorbed all the liquid on the top of the food, turn it over and repeat this for the other side. After this has been done on both sides, turn the food daily until it’s done.
5. Check your fruit daily for evidence of mold (refer to “Other tips for successful drying” earlier in this chapter).
6. Test your food for doneness and then label and store it in an airtight container.
If one day is hot and sunny, yet the next is cloudy, you have a problem because mold can develop on partially dried foods before the weather turns back to hot and sunny again. In this situation, you need to use an alternative to sun-drying to finish the foods.
Protecting the Life of Your Dried Food
You’ll receive many months of rewarding flavor from your dried foods when they’re protected from air, moisture, light, and insects. Generally speaking, food dried and stored properly can be kept from six months to one year.
Cooler air provides a longer shelf life for your food. The best storage temperature is 60 degrees or colder. This will hold your food for at least one year. Temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees preserve the quality of your dried food for only about three to four months.
Check your unused dried food from time to time for any visible moisture or spoilage. If the food has signs of moisture, such as droplets of liquid in the containers, your food isn’t completely dried. Use it immediately or repeat the dehydrating process and repackage it.
Suitable storage containers include the following:
Glass: Home-canning jars with two-piece caps (see Chapter 2) are a perfect choice for storing dried food. Wash them with hot soapy water and rinse them well or wash them in a dishwasher. Dry and cool your jars completely before filling them and adding the two-piece caps. Reusing glass jars with lids also works well. Remove the cardboard liner that sometimes lines the underside of the plastic lid before washing and filling with herbs.
Plastic: Heavy-duty (freezer) plastic bags with locking zipper-style seals work well. After placing your dried food in the bag, roll the bag to remove any extra air and press the seal together, making the bag airtight.
Metal: If you buy coffee in cans, line the inside of a clean can with heavy plastic wrap, place your food inside, and add the tight-fitting lid.
Vacuum sealers: If you own one of these units, now’s the time to use it. Check your owner’s manual for operating instructions and start packaging your dried food.
Always label your container with the type of food it contains, the date of processing, and, if you measure your food before placing it into the storage container or bag, list the amount.
Because some pieces of fruit contain more moisture than others, be sure all your fruit is dried the same for storage. Try this tip from the Oregon State Extension Office: Fill a plastic or glass container with cooled, dried fruit about 2/3 full. Cover or seal tightly. Shake the container daily for two to four days. The excess moisture in some of the fruit will be absorbed by the drier pieces. Vegetables dry almost completely, so you don’t have to do this with them.
Chapter 17
Snacking on the Run: Drying Fruit
In This Chapter
Preventing your fruit from changing color
Managing the level of moisture in your dried fruit
Returning life to your dried fruit
Recipes in This Chapter
Dried Apples
Dried Apricots
Dried Bananas
Dried Blueberries
Dried Cherries
Dried Citrus Peel
Dried Grapes
Dried Peaches
Dried Pears
Dried Pineapple
Dried Plums
Dried Strawberries
Dried Fruit Medley
Fruit and Bran Muffins
Fruit Leather
This chapter discusses the rewarding process of drying fruit. Dried fruit has many uses — from snacks to sauces, dessert toppings to baked-good fillings. Many of the best fruits for this method oxidize and brown easily when their flesh is exposed to air. This chapter introduces you to the options available to you to prevent any color change in your fruit.
The times required for drying fruit may take anywhere from a few hours to many days. An electric dehydrator provides you with the shortest drying time and produces the best dried fruit of the three methods discussed in Chapter 16. Sun-drying is the lengthiest process and requires a lot of your attention as well as perfect weather conditions.
Putting Your Fruit in Order
Using the best, perfectly ripe fruit for drying is important for a dried fruit that’s worthy of high marks and rave reviews. Most fruit is suited for this process with a few exceptions. Fruits not recommended for drying include avocados, citrus fruits (except for the peel), crab apples, guavas, melons, olives, pomegranates, and quinces.
Sizing up your preparation options
Drying time is determined by the moisture in your fruit, the size of your fruit pieces, the moisture in the air (even if you’re using a dehydrator or an oven), and the pretreating method you choose. Larger pieces of fruit take longer to dry than smaller pieces of the same fruit. So the smaller you cut your peaches or the thinner you slice your bananas, the less time you need to produce a safely preserved dried product.
Pretreating your fruit
Pretreating makes your fruit look good by preventing oxidation and discoloration, the darkening of the fruit flesh after it’s exposed to air. This process retards the enzyme activity in the fruit that causes it to ripen.
Pretreating only slows down the ripening process in fruit; it doesn’t stop it.
Using a pretreating method before drying your fruit isn’t as important as when you’re canning fresh fruit. In fact, it’s not necessary at all, but it does assist you with the drying process by shortening the drying time.
The following section explains your pretreating choices.
At one time, sulfuring fruit was popular for preserving fruit color and vitamins in dried fruit. Sulfur is unsafe for any drying method other than sun-drying because the sulfur produces dangerous fumes of sulfur dioxide when it’s heated, which occurs when you dry fruit in an oven or a dehydrator. People with asthma or other allergies should avoid this product.
Water blanching
Water blanching is the best for maintaining the bright fruit color. Immerse the fruit in boiling water for a short period of time and then immediately plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking process started from the boiling water. Drain the fruit well.
Steam blanching
Steam blanching is the most common method used for fruit. The steam quickly heats the fruit, shortens the drying and rehydrating times, sets the color and flavor, and slows down the enzyme activity, in some cases killing microorganisms (refer to Chapter 3). In fact, fruit retains more of its water-soluble vitamins and minerals from steam blanching than water blanching.
To steam blanch, hang a colander on the inside edge of a pot of boiling water, making sure the colander doesn’t touch the water. Place your fruit in the colander and heat it as directed in your recipe. Cool your fruit quickly in a bowl of ice water. Drain the fruit well.
Dipping in a solution
With this method, you immerse your fruit into a liquid or a solution to control darkening. Dipping the fruit helps it retain vitamins A and C that are lost during the oxidation process. You can use any of the following liquids:
Lemon or lime juice: Fresh citrus juice is the most natural of the dipping solutions. Mix 1 cup of juice with 1 quart of water. Soak the fruit no longer than 10 minutes; drain thoroughly before drying.
Ascorbic acid: This white, powdery substance is available in drugstores. Its common name is vitamin C. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of powder in 1 quart of water. Don’t soak your fruit longer than 1 hour; drain it well before drying.
Detailing Your Fruit-Drying Expertise
Properly dried fruit produces a superior product for use at a later time. After your fruit is dried, labeled, and stored (check out Chapter 16), you’ll have delicious and healthful fruits at your fingertips all year round.
Fruit contains a lot of water, and you may be surprised at just how much volume you lose when you dry it. So don’t be put off by the amount of fruit you start with, wondering where you’re going to store it all. Four pounds of fresh blueberries, for example, makes 1 1/4 cup dried blueberries. And the best news? All the taste and nutrition is still there. The only thing missing is the water.
Evaluating dryness
Knowing when your fruit is properly dried is important. Normally, touching and tasting a cooled piece of fruit gives you the answer, but when you’re in doubt and you positively, absolutely need to know the moisture in your fruit has reduced enough, follow these basic steps:
1. Prepare your fruit and weigh the portion you’ll be drying.
2. Look up the amount of moisture (water content) in your fruit.
You can find this information in the recipes list in this chapter.
3. Determine the total water weight of your fruit.
Multiply the weight of your prepared fruit before drying by the water content percentage. For example, you have 20 pounds of prepared peaches with a water content of 89 percent:
20 pounds of peaches × 0.89 water content = 17.8 pounds of water
4. Calculate the amount of water (by weight) that needs to be removed from the fruit during the drying process.
Multiply your total water weight (your answer from Step 3) by 0.8 (the minimum amount of water you want to remove from your fruit during the drying process). Using the peaches example
A total water weight of 17.8 × 0.8 = 14.24 pounds of water to remove
5. Determine how much the fruit should way after drying.
Subtract the amount of the water you want removed (your answer from Step 4) from the total weight of the fruit you prepared for drying (your answer from Step 1). Example
Twenty pounds of prepared fruit – 14.24 pounds of water to remove = 5.76 pounds of dried fruit as your goal
6. Weigh your fruit when you think it’s done.
If your fruit weighs the amount you calculated in Step 5 or less, your processing is successful. If your fruit weighs more than this amount, return it for more drying.
Properly dried fruit has 80 to 95 percent of its moisture removed, which means leathery, not crispy, results.
Drying fruit step by step
This procedure is simple and is detailed in Chapter 16 for the three drying methods. Here’s a summary for drying fruit in a dehydrator or an oven:
1. Preheat your oven or dehydrator and prepare your trays.
2. Prepare your fruit as directed in your recipe.
3. Place your fruit on your prepared trays or racks.
4. Place the filled trays in your dehydrator or oven and begin the drying process.
5. Check fruit and rotate the trays periodically to ensure even drying of the entire batch.
6. At the end of your drying time, check your fruit for the proper degree of doneness as stated in your recipe.
7. Package your fruit in temporary containers, like plastic bags, and allow them to condition or mellow.
This process distributes any moisture left in the fruit pieces to other, drier pieces, reduces the chance of spoiled fruit, and may take up to one week.
8. Package and label your product for storage.
Don’t add fresh fruit to partially dried trays of fruit. The fresh fruit increases the humidity in the drying chamber and adds moisture back to your drying fruit. This adjustment in the humidity level affects drying and increases the drying time for both fruits.
Drying a Variety of Fresh Fruits
Patience is the key to successful drying. Preparation may take you less than an hour, but that’s just the beginning of many hours until you have dried fruit.
If you’re using an electric dehydrator, verify the correct drying temperature for your fruit in your owner’s manual. If it differs from the guidelines given in your recipe or this section, use the temperature in your manual.
Dried Apples
Apples with tart flavors and firm texture dry best. Some good choices are Pippin, Granny Smith, Jonathan, and Rome Beauty.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Drying time: 6 to 8 hours
Water content: 84 percent
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
4 pounds firm apples
1 Wash, peel, and core your apples. Slice the apples into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick rings (see Figure 17-1). Dip the apple slices in your choice of dipping solution (refer to “Pretreating your fruit” in this chapter for your options and detailed instructions).
2 Arrange the apple slices on your trays and dry in a conventional oven or dehydrator for 6 to 8 hours at 130 to 135 degrees, rotating the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying. (Sun-dry for 2 to 3 days.)
3 Test for doneness: The apples should be soft, pliable, and leathery.
Per 1/4-cup serving: Calories 147 (From fat 7); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 38g (Dietary fiber 5g); Protein 0g.
Figure 17-1: Cutting apple rings.
Dried Apricots
Even though apricots are one of the most naturally sweet-tasting fruits right off the tree, dehydrating makes them taste even better!
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Drying time: 18 to 20 hours
Water content: 85 percent
Yield: 2 cups
6 pounds fresh apricots
1 Wash the apricots and then them cut in half, discarding the pits. Dip the apricot halves in your choice of dipping solution (refer to “Pretreating your fruit” in this chapter for your options and detailed instructions).
2 Arrange the apricot halves on your trays, skin side down, cut side up. Dry them in a conventional oven or dehydrator for 18 to 20 hours at 130 to 135 degrees, rotating the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying. (Sun-dry for 2 to 3 days.)
3 Test for doneness: The apricots should be pliable and leathery with no moisture pockets.
Per 1/4-cup serving: Calories 152 (From fat 11); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 3mg; Carbohydrates 35g (Dietary fiber 8g); Protein 4g.
Dried Bananas
Use ripe, yellow-skinned fruit with a few brown speckles.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Drying time: 10 to 12 hours
Water content: 85 percent
Yield: 3/4 to 1 cup
2 pounds fresh bananas
1 Peel and slice the banana to 1/4-inch thickness. Dip the banana slices in your choice of dipping solution (refer to the section “Pretreating your fruit” earlier in this chapter for your options and detailed instructions).
2 Arrange the slices on your trays and dry in a conventional oven or dehydrator for 10 to 12 hours at 130 to 135 degrees, rotating the trays occasionally to facilitate even drying. (Sun-dry for 2 days.)
3 Test for doneness: The bananas should be pliable and crisp, almost brittle.
Per 1/4-cup serving: Calories 134 (From fat 6); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg; Carbohydrates 34g (Dietary fiber 4g); Protein 2g.
Dried Blueberries
Blueberries will make a nice surprise for your family. Use them in place of raisins and listen to them rave! Use plump berries that aren’t bruised.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Drying time: 24 hours
Water content: 83 percent
Yield: 1 1/4 cups dried blueberries
4 pounds fresh blueberries
1 Drop the blueberries into boiling
water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water and drain. Place the drained berries on paper towels to remove any excess water.
Canning and Preserving For Dummies Page 29