How to Dry Fresh Fruit

You can dry fresh fruit at home with a food dehydrator.

Drying, or dehydrating, your fresh fruit allows you to continue enjoying its vibrant flavor long after it otherwise would have gone bad. You can then include the dried fruit in recipes, sprinkle it over your cereal or oatmeal, eat it plain or mix it with nuts and other foods to make trail mix. Drying the fruit may take up to 36 hours depending on the type of fruit, but you only need a few minutes of preparation time. After you have prepared the fruit, you can leave it in the dehydrator do most of the rest of the work.

Things You'll Need

• Cutting board
• Knife
• 1 tbsp. ascorbic acid
• 2 cups water
• Bowl
• Food dehydrator

Instructions

1. Scrub the fruits you wish to dry thoroughly under cool, running water, if possible and applicable. For example, you would scrub pears and apples, but only rinse raspberries or strawberries. You would not have to do anything to bananas because you will not consume their peel.

2. Prepare the fruit. Depending on the type of fruit you are using, this might involve cutting it into smaller pieces, removing cores and pits or removing peels. Cut berries in half. If you are cutting larger fruits such as apples or bananas, make sure the pieces are small enough to fit comfortably into your dehydrator. All of the pieces should be approximately the same size, as this will help them dry more evenly and consistently.

3. Put the ascorbic acid and water into a bowl and mix well to blend. Dip the fruit or fruit pieces into the mixture, then place the fruit or fruit pieces onto your dehydrator trays.

4. Dehydrate the fruit or fruit pieces at approximately 135 degrees F until they are dried to your liking. Depending on the type of fruit, your dehydrator and your personal preference, this may take as little as about 6 hours to as much as about 36 hours. Check the dehydrating fruit regularly during this time to ensure you do not over-dry it.

5. Transfer the dried fruit into an airtight container and store in a cool, dark, dry place.

Tips & Warnings

• Many health food and natural grocery stores carry ascorbic acid. If you cannot find it there, try a large pharmacy.

References

• BackpackingChef.com: Dehydrating Fruit
• Kitchen Stewardship: How to Dehydrate Fruits -- Excalibur Week!
• Seasonal Chef: How to Dry Fruit

Resources

• PreserveFood.com: Home