How to Make Your Own Dried Fruit

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.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.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.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.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.