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Drying Fruits – A Quick and Easy Healthy Snack

Are you and your family trying to eat healthier foods? Do you find snack time a challenge and are looking for healthy snacks that are great on the go?

Yes? Well, then drying fruits could be just the answer you’re looking for!

Drying is a wonderful way to keep your abundance of homegrown fruit or farmer’s market finds for months after the harvest is over.

Quick Tips & Facts

Select fresh, fully ripened fruits for best success.
Remember that successful drying depends on proper heat, air dryness and great air circulation.
Always pre-treat your fruit pieces by dipping in an ascorbic acid, citric acid and lemon juice or sodium bisulfite solution. This pre-treating step will keep your fruit from darkening and also improves the bacteria destruction during the drying process.
Beware that fruits like prunes, grapes, cherries, firm berries and figs have tough skins with a waxy coating. To allow inside moisture to evaporate, you must crack these skins before drying fruits. To crack skins, just dip fruit in briskly boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then dip in very cold water. Dry thoroughly before proceeding to drying!
Follow your food dehydrators detailed instructions for drying fruit. Watch for the differences in drying times depending on the type of fruit!
When dry, allow the fruit to condition for four to ten days before packaging for storage.
Always package your dried fruits in a tightly sealed container and store in a cool, dry space for optimum shelf life.

Don’t just stick to the old standbys of apples, peaches, bananas and pears – consider a wide variety of fruits! Challenge yourself to try them all! Here are some great drying fruit ideas to get you started: