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Why not lay aside some of summer’s bounty as dried fruit? It is simple, economical, and requires little in the way of special equipment. Because there is no long cooking involved, drying fruits preserves more nutrients than canning. And children often prefer this high-fiber snack to candy. You can dry fruit whole, sliced, chopped, or as fruit “leather.” Here are some of the basics of dried fruit.
Equipment
You can dry fruit using very simple implements you probably have on hand, or you can use more specialized equipment. If you live in a hot, dry climate, all you need is a screen, a cloth, and the sun. More humid climates require an oven or a home dehydrator. Even in a humid climate a sunny day may do the trick – you can even dry fruit in your parked car with the windows cracked.
Kinds of fruit
Nearly all fruit can be dried by one method or another, as long as it is just ripe, not overripe. If your fruit is already overripe, you can use it to make fruit leather. For my family you have to find the types of fruit you like to eat dried. Personally I love dried apples and mango the best.
Preparing the fruit
Technically, you don’t need to do anything to the fruit besides dry it; but steam blanching for 2-5 minutes can increase the shelf life of the fruit by destroying decay-producing enzymes. And dipping the fruit in various types of solutions can enhance color retention. A universal dip that works for all fruits is made by mixing 2 tablespoons of powdered ascorbic or citric acid (or five 1-gram vitamin C tablets, crushed) with 1 quart of water. Dip fruit for 5 minutes.
Methods
Fruit leather
Berries, apples, peaches, and bananas are good choices for fruit leathers. Puree seeded, pitted, peeled raw fruit in a food mill or blender and pour it no more than 1/4″ deep onto a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet with sides. Dry the puree in a 135 degree oven for 8-10 hours. Then, turn the leather out onto another lined cookie sheet, peel off the original parchment paper, and continue the process for another 8-10 hours. You can use a spoon handle to keep the oven door cracked so it will not get too hot.
Sun drying
Nearly all fruits lend themselves to this method. You will need some sort of screened frame, which you can make yourself by stretching screen or cheesecloth over old picture frames. If you use window screens or other metal screening, lay a cloth over the screen before placing the fruit on it. Cover the fruit-covered screen with cheesecloth or another screen to keep away insects and birds. Bring the screens in at night. After about two days, turn the fruit and continue leaving it in the sun for another two days. Try reading the Solar Food Dryer for some great tips and how-to advice.
Food dehydrator
Expect to pay anywhere from $35-$250 for a proper food dehydrator, depending on the size and brand. With that variable a price range, you can probably find one that fits your needs. They do, of course, use electricity. Amazon has several food dehydrators to choose from but read the reviews for guidance.
Oven drying
You may want to use an oven thermometer in order to get the right oven temperature, 145 degrees, which will need to be maintained with the oven door ajar (for circulation and temperature regulation). It will take 4-12 hours for the fruit to dry completely – dry small batches at a time or it will take a long time.
Preservation/packaging
Once your fruit is dry, place it in airtight containers such as glass jars or zip-top plastic bags. Light and moisture destroy dried fruit quickly, so put such containers into a paper bag in a cool, dry place.
Dry Fruit Recipes & Examples
To help make it more possible to eat healthy and make snacks for your children verses prepackaged snakcs I wanted to provide you with a few easy to make snacks that will save you money, time and help everyone in the family eat healthy! For further healthy eating and snack tips try Organic Cooking for Babies and Toddlers book.
Orange Pineapple Mango Slices
What You Need:
2 C ripe mango, chunked
½ C evaporated milk
¾ C water
¼ pineapple orange juice concentrate
How to Make It:
-Place the mango chunks into the blender.
-Pour in the evaporated milk.
-Add the water and juice concentrate.
-Puree until very smooth.
-Pour the mixture into 5 oz. cups or a Popsicle mold if you have one.
-Place a wooden stick into each slice.
-Freeze for 3 hours or until the slices are frozen solid.
8 Servings
Easy to make and very tasty you will find these to be hit with anyone who tries them. Kids will enjoy the sweet taste from the concentrate and adults will love them just as much.
Big Grin Apple Slices
What You Need:
2 apples, cored and quartered
Almond slivers
How to Make It:
-Cut each of the apple quarters into rather thick slices.
-Place the almond slivers into the apple to represent teeth.
-Serve immediately or baste the apples with orange juice to keep them from turning brown.
16 Servings
Sometimes it takes being a little clever to get children to eat their fruits. Giving them something a little different may make all the difference in how they feel about eating an everyday apple.
I dried cherries in my dehydrator recently. The kids think they’re great. It’s a lot of work pitting them, but the resulting snack is well worth it.