How to dry fruits and vegetables in the dryer correctly? And also several other ways.

Summer and early autumn, this is the time when nature generously shower us with its vitamin gifts. Various fruits ripen actively in our gardens, as well as vegetables in our gardens. But, all this vitamin variety cannot forever hang on a tree or lie in the beds. Summer is passing, which means that fresh fruits and vegetables from our plots are leaving with it. That is why we can preserve various vegetables, cook jam from fruits and berries. There is an alternative option to save fruits or vegetables for the winter, they can be dried. What is the big plus of this method of preserving the harvest is that in this way it is quite possible to preserve most of the vitamins and other "usefulness". This cannot be achieved when preserving or cooking jam with compotes. But, it is also necessary to dry fruits or vegetables correctly, because there are subtleties in any process. In fact, drying fruits is quite simple, but in order for all the beneficial substances to remain in them, you should know certain features of this process.

We dry fruits and vegetables. How to do it correctly? Basic moments

The drying process removes almost all moisture from any fruit, which is 85-90 percent in them. In order for the fruit to be well stored after drying, it is necessary that only 15-20 percent of the moisture remain in them. Any fruits or vegetables are dried mainly in two ways. This is a natural way, that is, the so-called air-solar drying. The second method is artificial or thermal, for example, in a dryer.

Fruit is dried in a natural way where there is a lot of sun, and at the same time it warms well. This drying option is inconvenient because the process here is quite long in time and needs to be constantly monitored, because it may just rain. It is more convenient to artificially dry fruits. You can do this in a special dryer, in the oven, or, as many do, in the oven. Water, when using these types of drying, evaporates much faster. But, this speed depends strongly on the juiciness of fruits (or vegetables), on the speed with which the air circulates at the place of drying, and on the difference between the two types of pressure - in the fruits or vegetables themselves, and on the pressure of water vapor in the air. Also, the rate of the drying process is determined by the rate of evaporation of intracellular water. It is because of this that the fruit is dried by cutting it into thin slices. This will dry them faster. You also need to dry fruits or vegetables in moderation. If you dry them too much, then their taste can significantly change for the worse. Also, with such excessive drying, it will be difficult to restore these fruits to their original volume. For example, in the same compote.

What should be done before drying fruits or vegetables?

First of all, you need to select the fruit for drying. The main thing is to choose fruits that are fully ripe, or just a little less ripe. Overripe fruits are not suitable for drying.

If you are drying fruits with skins, then rinse them first, dry them, and then cut them into slices. Berries such as raspberries, strawberries or blackberries should not be washed. From the water, it will simply turn sour. As for raspberries, it is best to choose unripe berries for drying. Before you place the berry in the oven, let it dry a little in the sun. Only then dry it in the oven, where the temperature is set at 60-80 degrees.

Apples usually oxidize very quickly. It is because of this that they acquire a brown color. The same goes for pears. Therefore, they should be slightly soaked in lemon juice. 5 minutes is enough. To dry the fruit faster, blanch the fruit for 2-3 minutes. Do this in boiling water. Some berries are simply scalded with the same boiling water. This applies to cherries. Also do with plums and cherries.

Dry fruits naturally

This is done in the sun. This process, of course, is not fast. First, the fruits or berries (if they are large) are carefully chopped and laid out on a tray, sieve or tray. Then they are simply taken out into the sun, where they will be dried. In the evening, remember to bring your fruit tray in and cover it with a cloth overnight.

Usually in 2-4 days the fruit is completely dry in the sun. With this drying, the pieces of fruit must be turned over and slightly shaken the tray on which they lie. Make sure that the fruit does not dry out, then it will crunch. We need them to look like chewing gum.

The natural drying process can be different. In this case, your fruits will not get wet, they will remain attractive in appearance, fragrant, and will not darken. For this, whatman is taken, and berries are laid out on it. At the same time, they need to be decomposed only in one layer. Newspapers are placed under this sheet. They are stacked in piles of 5 pieces, and 6 such piles should be placed under the Whatman paper. If the newspapers get wet (usually after 3 hours), then they are replaced with dry ones. So the fruits are dried again for 3 or 4 days, while they are periodically interfered with. Dry berries, if they are medicinal, then they will retain their properties for a couple of years.

Dry fruits and berries in the oven. How to do it?

This fruit dryer is the most convenient as it dries very quickly in the oven. If you decide to dry fruits in the oven, then do not immediately set the high temperature. Gauze is first put on a baking sheet, and pieces of fruit are already placed on it. In this case, they should be spread evenly on a baking sheet so that they also dry out evenly.

The temperature is first set moderate, and then it is raised to 60 - 80 degrees. They do this not abruptly, but gradually. At the end of the drying process, the temperature must be adjusted correctly. Here, the moisture that has already remained from the fruit evaporates very slowly, and the temperature of the fruit pieces rises. Therefore, be sure to lower the temperature in the oven, otherwise you will simply burn the fruit. This rule does not apply to stone fruits. They are dried at a sufficiently low temperature, but at the end of the drying process, the temperature, on the contrary, is increased. In terms of time, the process usually takes 8 hours, sometimes up to 12 hours.

Many fruits are dried in a special dryer today. This device can be bought in the store today. There are different types of dryers, so read the instructions before plugging them in. From it you will find out how much you need to dry specific fruits or berries. Although, of course, the drying process in such dryers is almost the same. The fruits are first laid out on a special tray, then the dryer is turned on and it works for 8-12 hours. The time may be different, you can also find out about this from the instructions for a particular model. After drying, the fruits are not immediately packed, but allowed to cool for at least 40 or 50 minutes.

How to store dried fruits?

Drying the fruit is still half the battle, then you also need to save them. It is best to hang them in gauze bags. At the same time, they should hang in a fairly dry room, where it is only 8 or 10. The room should also be well ventilated. Not everyone has such a room. If you don't have it either, then dry fruits can be stored differently. They are then "loaded" into plastic bags, or the bags can be paper. Boxes or glass jars of any size are also suitable for storage. Packages should be closed well. The same goes for boxes with cans, because dry fruits very quickly take on moisture if they are poorly packaged. They also absorb odors into themselves, which we also do not need.

How to dry apples?

I already wrote about this in more detail. Now let's brush up on the highlights of apple drying. It is best to take sweet and sour varieties for this, the taste of which is impatient. The pulp of such fruits should not be particularly watery, but in color it should be white or light yellow. A good option is to take Antonovka. Also suitable for drying "Pepin", "Papirovka" and some other varieties. It is better not to dry sweet apples. They boil rather badly afterwards, and will be tasteless.

Apples are first laid out depending on the size of the fruit. Then they are washed. If there is any damage to the fruit, then they are cut off. The core with seeds is also harvested. Small apples can be cut in half, or even dried whole. Bigger apples are cut into slices, or you can cut them into slices. The thickness of such circles should be 5-7 centimeters. If you wish, you can peel the apples. The slices darken very quickly. This can be avoided. When you cut the apples, immediately put them in a special solution for 2-3 minutes. This is a simple saline solution with table salt. Its concentration should be only 1 percent, or one and a half. After "bathing" in such a solution, the apples can already be dried. Here you can choose how to do it. In the sun, in a special dryer or in the oven. If you chose an oven, then dry them at 80 - 85 degrees. When drying comes to an end, and the apples have lost a lot of moisture, be sure to lower the temperature to 50 - 60 degrees. So your slices will not burn. It takes 4-6 hours to dry apples. When they are dry, sprinkle them on a sieve to cool the apples.

How to dry plums?

It is not immediately dried. First blast the drain for 5-20 seconds. For blanching, you need to make a special solution of baking soda. Again, its concentration should be only one percent or one and a half, This can be achieved by pouring 100-150 grams of soda into water (10 liters). When blanching, the soda solution should boil. After immersion in this solution, flush the drain. You need to dry it for about a day or sometimes up to 2 days. First, we set the temperature to 45-50 degrees, and later, within 3 - 4 hours, it is raised to 60 degrees, then to 75 - 80. To dry your plum and become dark and shiny, increase the temperature at the end to 100 degrees or even higher. The sugar that is present in the plum pulp will come to the surface and caramelize from the temperature. This is what gives the prunes shine, although then it turns white.

How to dry grapes?

Dried grapes turn into raisins. What are raisins? It is a large dried grape that is usually dried directly with the seeds. Kishmish is also dried grapes, but already seedless and small.

The grapes are dried when they are ripe. At the same time, the berries must be firm. Again, grapes are sorted before drying. Rotten berries are removed at the same time. If the bunches are large, then they are divided. Grapes are also first "bathed" in boiling soda solution. Soda is taken here as only 5 grams per liter. It is kept in such a solution for 3-5 seconds. You can prepare an alkaline solution. It is made from potosh (10 grams) and 5 grams of lime. All this is also per liter of water. The solution should also boil "when bathing" the grapes (the time is still the same - 3-5 seconds). Then the grapes are immediately washed. Dried grapes for a long time, 15 or even 20 days. At the same time, it is laid out on a wooden base, or on a lattice. When the top grapes of the grapes dry up, do not forget to turn the bunches over. If you decide to dry the grapes in the oven, then set the temperature there to 65-75 degrees. Naturally drying grapes is best done in the shade. So it will be tastier, and the quality of such "shadow" drying is much higher.

But in this video you will be shown a very simple and convenient way to dry fruit. Take a look.

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