On this page you will learn how to dry fruit. Drying fruit is one of the oldest known methods of fruit preservation. You can invest in a fruit dehydrator, or you can dry fruit in your oven without any special equipment. Drying your own fruit will save you money by helping you avoid buying expensive dried fruit at the store, and also prevent wasting fruit that you may not be able to eat before it rots. Also, dried fruit can serve as a quick, nutritious snack. Studies have shown that the drying process does not significantly lower the amount of nutrients that you consume. Dried fruit that is sold in stores often contains unneccesary and unhealthy added sugars, as well as chemical preservatives.
Drying your own fruit is an easy process. Before you get started, you should choose some fruits to dry. You should also either purchase a fruit drying machine, or a cookie sheet.
If you are interested in learning how to dry your own fruit, please follow the steps listed below.
How To Dry Fruit
This New Mexico State University video discusses various methods of dehydrating fruits, as well as a number of tips you can use to ensure that the food you dry is safe and healthy to eat. She mentions that after your fruit is dried, you should place it in the freezer for 72 hours to kill any insects or larvae that may have infested the fruit.
Step 1: Prepare Fruit to be Dried
Dried fruits are convenient to have on hand for snacks, salads, and baking. You can produce a wide variety of dried fruits at home - almost any fruit can be dried to be enjoyed later on. If you don't have a food dehydrator, you can use your oven to make homemade dried fruit.
- Select fruit that is ripe, not overripe, and in good condition with no bruised or damaged spots.
- Wash and peel fruit, then pit or core it.
- Slice the fruit thinly, keeping all slices the same thickness. Small fruits that will be dried whole, such as blueberries, do not need to be peeled or sliced.
- Soak the fruit for 30 minutes in a bowl of lemon water.
Fruits that are easily dried include apples, strawberries, grapes, peaches, bananas, cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
Step 2: How to Dry Fruit
- Preheat Oven to 200 degrees.
- Turn the heat down to 135 degrees, if possible, or as close as you can get the temperature. Anything under 200 degrees will work. If your oven does not operate below 200 degrees, you will not be able to effectively dry fruit in the oven.http://farmgal.tripod.com/Dehydrate.html
- Arrange the fruit on cookie sheets, making sure not to overlap the slices.
- Place the cookie sheets in the oven.
- The fruit will take from 6-20 hours to dry; rearrange the pieces periodically to ensure they dry uniformly.
Step 3: How to Store Dried Fruit
Dried fruit should be stored at less than 60 degrees, in an airtight container. If you suspect that the fruit may have been harboring insects before you dried it, you can freeze it overnight to kill any larvae, as the low temperatures you used to dry the fruit would not have been high enough to destroy them.
Experiment with different dried fruit trail mix combinations or store separately for a quick snack.
