FRUIT PREPARATION AND TREATMENT
Nearly
all
fruits can be dried at home, but some will require
more drying time than others; the guidelines offered here will
help get you started. It
is
recommended that you select the
fruits that are
in
season and experiment with those first.
PREPARATION
Wash and inspect fruits and remove any bruised or overripe
parts.
Peel
if desired. Cut larger fruits
in
half. If the pieces
vary too much
in
size, slice them to
3
/s"
to
W'
thick for
even
drying. Smaller fruits such
as
grapes and cherries may be
dried whole. Remove pits or stones from fruits such
as
plums, cherries, apricots, etc. Always peel fruits that have
been artificially waxed. Peeling
is
optional with other
fruits
-for
instance, dried pear skins tend to be grainy, and
peach skin peels are a little fuzzy.
Most fruits like pineapples, grapes, strawberries, and plums
can be placed directly
on
the drying trays
as
they are
prepared. However, some fruits will turn brown when
FRUIT PREPARATION AND TREATMENT (continued)
exposed to air (apples, apricots, peaches, and pears).
Following the guidelines set below, you can pretreat these
fruits to slow this browning and to prevent loss of vitamins A
and
C.
To
pretreat them, the cut pieces should be kept
in
a
holding solution until you have sufficient fruit to dry.
PRETREATMENT
Below are several optional methods of pretreatment.
You
don't always need to pretreat food
in
order to dry it; how-
ever,
pretreatment can make food look better, increase the
shelf life and even enhance the nutritional value. Experiment
with both treated and untreated food to see which will work
best. Remember, proper storage is critical to the quality of
the final product, whether treated or untreated.
* Jel
l-0
is a ®
trademark
of
Kraft F
oods.
9
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il
1
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SODIUM
BISULFITE
Use food-safe
(USP)
grade only. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of
sodium bisulfite
in
one quart of water. Dip small amounts of
fruit
in
the solution for 2 minutes. This helps prevent loss of
vitamin C and maintains a bright color. Sodium bisulfite
is
available
in
most pharmacies/drug stores.
NATURAL PRE-DIPS
With their high vitamin C content, pineapple and lemon juice
are natural alternatives to other pretreatments to reduce
browning. Slice fruit directly into juice. Remove after about
2 minutes and place
on
trays. Fruits may also be dipped
in
honey, lime or orange juice, Jeii-Q®* powders or
sprinkled with coconut to give them
an
exotic flavor.
Use your imagination!
When drying fruit halves, especially apricots, it has been
suggested that popping the back ("inside out") will speed
drying time. This
is
true, but it also results
in
the loss of the
nutritional juices to the bottom of the dehydrator. Instead,
cut each half
in
half again to give the end product more
nutritional value,
a brighter color, and faster reconstitution
capabilities.
FRUIT PREPARATION AND TREATMENT (continued)
NUTS
To
dry nuts, first shell and rinse them with warm water.
Pat dry and spread out
on
trays. Most nuts will take
approximately
20
to
30
hours to dehydrate and they should
be allowed to dehydrate until brittle.
Allow them to cool after rehydrating. Any nuts that will not
be consumed within a few days should be frozen to ensure
freshness. Allow them to defrost before eating.
Apples Wash thoroughly and peel if you wish.
Cut
in
hal
f and core, then slice into
smaller pieces. Pretreat with lemon juice
to prevent browning.
10
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