Whether as a snack in between, for preparing muesli bars, muesli or other things - dried fruits are practical, healthy and also delicious. And since these products are tasty, but are usually offered in stores for a lot of money, it is no wonder that many people are interested in how you can make dried fruit yourself. In principle, it's not that difficult, as you'll see thanks to today's article, because we've put together a few ways you can make dried fruit. In no time you'll have something healthy to snack on for little money.
What are the advantages of making dried fruits yourself?
For one thing, you get organic snacks (assuming you also use organic fruit). In contrast, mass production uses chemical additives such as sulfur or ascorbic acid, which are intended to preserve the fruit for a longer period of time. If you make dried fruit yourself, this is not the case and you get dried fruits that are healthy and taste particularly good. To ensure that they last long enough, it is advisable not to prepare too large quantities at once.
How can I make dried fruit?
You can get dried fruits using two techniques that you can choose between. On the one hand, the fruits can be dried and on the other hand, they can be baked. Both techniques aim to use heat to remove moisture from the fruit. In any case, there will always be residual moisture in the fruit. This prevents the fruit from becoming too dry. So, with the right approach, you can make delicious dried fruits without having to worry about the fruits drying out.
in the air
In earlier times, fruit was air-dried. Nowadays this is generally avoided because, on the one hand, the method takes a lot of time. Furthermore, the right conditions must be present. The air should be dry and, of course, warm. This condition usually exists for a long time in summer, but sudden rain could throw a spanner in the works. You should also not get the heat from the blazing sun. This destroys a large part of thehealthy vitamins. Instead, a dry, shady spot is best. If all of these requirements are not met, it is best to use one of the other two methods.
Dried fruits in the dehydrator
Such devices may seem very expensive at first. Whether it is worth purchasing depends largely on how often you want and will dry fruit, vegetables or even herbs and spices. Otherwise, a dehydrator is really very practical because it is compact but still offers enough space to dry larger quantities at once. You can find out exactly how to dry fruit in it in the description of the device, as the functions vary from model to model. In any case, the dried fruit will meet your expectations.
in the oven
However, if you don't want to invest extra in a new appliance or you simply think it's not worth it in your case, you can simply use your oven instead. Admittedly, it takes a relatively long time for the fruit to be ready, but the oven is still a great alternative to the other two methods. If you want to make dried fruit in the oven, it is important that you use ripe fruit. We have already mentioned that it is best to grow it organically so that your dried fruit is healthy. Remove the shell and seeds from the selected fruit.
Many also wonder whether the shell should be removed as well. It has to be said that it is purely a matter of taste. On the one hand, this is exactly where most of the vitamins are located. Remove the peel, so remove most of it too. On the other hand, baking with the peel also takes longer because it doesn't dry as quickly. It also becomes relatively tough, which some people find unpleasant. So it's best to try out what you like best.
To ensure that everything goes well, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you want to make the dried fruit, first cut it into thin slices. Make sure that all slices are approximately the same thickness so that they are ready at the same time. Then prepare baking racks. If you have several, even better, because then you can prepare larger quantities straight away. Grates are preferable because then the air can circulate better. Now lay out baking paper on the racks and distribute your fruit slices.
Make sure that these do not overlap. Instead, simply place the slices very close together to get a larger number. They shrink over time, so the tightness doesn't affect them and doesn't affect how long it takes to dry. Then set the oven to 50 to 70 degrees. This guarantees gentle and even drying.
You should also leave the oven door open during the entire baking time. This allows the evaporated moisture to escape from the fruit. Otherwise it would pile up in the oven and prevent it from drying. If you make dried fruit in the oven, we also recommend using the circulating air function, as the air circulation then transports the moisture out of the oven better. Drying takes between four to six hours. If it bothers you that the light fruit turns dark when drying, you can prevent this by brushing it with lemon or salt water before drying.
Prepare delicious snacks and store them properly
If you now feel like making dried fruits, you have the choice between a variety of fruits. You can dry apples and make delicious apple rings yourself, but peaches, dates, grapes, plums, cranberries, mango, figs, aronia berries and plums are also great. You can even dry strawberries. Dried bananas are also particularly popular. The time it takes to dry depends largely on the fruit itself. The juicier it is, the longer it has to dry. So when you dry bananas, you can take less time than when drying peaches, for example.
Just try different fruits to find what you like best. The dried versions don't always taste as good as the fresh ones. Grapes are very popular, but their dried variant, raisins, are not popular with everyone. Maybe you even have oneGarden with many fruit trees? Then you have the perfect source nearby and you also know that everything is organic and healthy.
After baking or drying, allow the fruit to cool thoroughly before packaging. To ensure that they last as long as possible, you should choose a cool place to store them. TheVitamins in the fruitsprotect you in turn with the help of darkness. A dark, cool and dry room is perfect. It is best to use sealable plastic or ceramic containers.
