Preparing dried fruits from fruits is one of the most ancient natural methods that allow you to preserve the taste and beneficial properties for a long period. There are several methods for preparing different varieties of fruit for drying and various methods for removing moisture from the fruit.
It is necessary
-
- Fruit or berries
- Fruit knife.
- Ascorbic acid or pectin and sugar
- or honey
- or pineapple and lemon juice
- warm water.
- Paper towels.
- Sunny dry place or oven.
- Gauze
- muslin
- cotton
- parchment.
- Fruit drying screen or trays
- or cotton thread.
Instructions
Step 1
Choose the best fruits carefully. Wash them, remove the smallest stains, cut out dents. Cut the fruit into small pieces. The best size is for one bite.
Step 2
To better preserve the fruit, it must be processed before drying. Depending on the type of fruit, there are different ways. Blanching is suitable for apricots and apples. Dip the slices in boiling water for a few seconds, or rather put them in a colander suspended over boiling water. Prepare a large bowl of ice water first. Place hot fruit in cold water to stop cooking. Drain all the water and pat dry on a towel.
Step 3
For all fruits, treatment with ascorbic acid is suitable. Crush 2 tablets of ascorbic acid and dissolve in two cups of warm water. Dip the sliced fruit in portions into the solution and let sit for a few minutes. Remove and dry on a towel.
Step 4
Cherries, peaches and berries can be kept in the pectin solution for at least 5 minutes. To prepare such a solution, take 1 sachet of pectin and dissolve with? cups of sugar in hot water. Dilute with one cup of cold water and add fruits or berries. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and dry on a towel as well.
Step 5
Dried fruits in honey are very popular. This can be used to process slices of bananas, peaches, apricots and pineapples. Mix 3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Heat and add a glass of fresh, non-candied honey. Mix well and dip the fruit slices in honey for 3-5 minutes.
Step 6
Another method, also suitable for bananas, peaches and apples. Need to combine 1 liter of pineapple juice with 1 liter of warm water and? glasses of concentrated lemon juice. The fruit slices are immersed in liquid for 5 minutes, removed and placed to dry on a paper towel.
Step 7
Fruit prepared by any of these methods is ready for further drying. If you have the opportunity to dry fruits outside, you are sure that the next few days will be hot and dry weather, and you also have a special screen - wooden slats knocked into a square with cloth stretched over them, muslin or gauze, then lay out the slices fruit on the bottom of the screen, close the lid and take out into the air. Take the fruit indoors at night to prevent the night dew from making them damp. Dry for 5-6 days and do not forget to turn them twice during this time.
Step 8
Fruits such as apples and figs can be dried by stringing them with clean cotton thread. The knots between the slices will keep them from sticking together. String the slices on a string and hang to dry between two uprights in a sunny, well-ventilated place. Don't forget to tidy up the house at night.
Step 9
In order to dry the fruit in the oven, it must be preheated to 50 degrees Celsius. Place the berries or fruits on baking sheets that are lined with cotton cloth, gauze, or parchment. Make sure the slices are not touching each other. Put the fruits in the oven, but do not close it, but, on the contrary, leave it open, propping it up with some kind of bar so that a gap of a few centimeters remains. Moisture will evaporate through this gap. Don't let the temperature rise above 50 degrees. Otherwise, the outer surface of the fruit will harden and the process of moisture evaporation will be disrupted.
Step 10
Depending on the type of fruit, the process can take from 4 to 12 hours. The finished fruit should be neither too crunchy nor too soft. After the drying process is complete, remove the trays from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature for 10-12 hours.
