Fruit&
Selection&and&preparation.&
Select!fruits!that!are!at!the!peak!of!the!ripeness.Wash!fruits!to!remove!dirt!and!debris.!
There!are!many!options!when!it!comes!to!drying!fruit!and!personal!preference!shoud!be!
your!guide.!Fruits!can!be!sliced,halved,!or!if!small!left!whole!will!require!the!most!drying!
time.!
Slice!fruit!uniformly!and!in!piece!about!1/4!inch!thick.!Fruits!that!are!left!whole!,such!as!
blueberries,cranberries!and!grapes,!should!be!dipped!in!boiling!water!for!30-60!seconds!
and!then!plunged!in!ice!water!to!crack!the!skin.!This!procedure!will!reduce!the!drying!time.!
!
Pretreatment&
Many!fruits!will!darked!quickly!once!they!are!peeled!and/or!cut!and!will!continue!to!darken!
even!after!the!fruit!is!dried.!This!is!due!to!the!exposure!of!the!natural!enzymes!in!some!
fruits!to!air.!There!are!several!pretreatment!options!to!prevent!this!discoloration!
Pretreatment!!is!not!necessary!but!is!recommends!to!prevent!discoloration!.Some!people!
may!detect!a!slight!flavor!change!with!pretreated!fruit.!See!the!Fruit!Drying!Guide!on!page!
6!to!determine!which!fruit!will!benefit!from!the!pretreatment.!You!may!want!to!dry!the!
different!options!and!see!which!you!prefer.!
!Ascorbic&acid(Vitamin&C)-Ascorbic!acid,!available!in!tablet!or!powdered!form,!is!available!at!
drugstores.!Mix!2!1/2!tablespoons!of!powder!ascorbic!acid!in!1!quart!cold!water.!Vitamin!C!
tablet(six!500mg.tablets!equal!1!teaspoons!ascorbic!acid)!should!be!crushed!before!mixing!
with!water.!Place!cut!fruit,such!as!bananas,peaches,apples,or!pears,!in!mixture!and!soak!for!
10!minutes.!Remove!fruit!and!drain!well!before!placing!on!drying!trays.!
&Ascorbic&acid&mixture-These!commercially!available!products,such!as!Mrs.!Wages!Fresh!
Fruit!Preserver!,are!a!combination!of!ascorbic!acid!and!sugar!and!are!commonly!used!for!
fresh!fruits!and!for!canning!and!freezing!Follow!the!manufacturers’!directions!for!use!of!
these!mixture.!
&Lemon&juice-Mix!equal!parts!lemon!juice!and!cold!water.!Place!cut!fruit!in!solution!and!
soak!for!10!minutes.!Remove!fruit!and!drain!well!before!placing!on!drying!trays.!
Place!piece!of!fruit!on!dehydrator!trays!in!a!single!layer,!close!together!but!not!touching!or!
overlapping.Refer!to!the!Fruit!Drying!Guide!on!before!!for!suggested!preparation,and!the!
drying!times.!Dry!fruit!at!50-60℃.!
!
Determining&Dryness&
Refer!to!the!Fruit!Drying!Guide!on!before!page!and!begin!checking!the!fruit!at!the!beginning!
of!the!average!drying!time!range.!Remove!a!few!pieces!of!fruit!from!each!dehydrator!tray!
and!allow!to!cool!to!room!temperature.!Fruits!are!acceptably!dry!when!they!are!soft!and!
pliable,!but!not!sticky.!Fruit!folded!in!half!should!not!stick!together.!Apple!and!banana!slices!
can!be!dried!until!crisp,!if!desired.!If!fruits!seem!to!have!a!lot!of!moisture!remaining,!
recheck!every!1!to!2!hours.!If!fruits!appear!to!be!almost!done,!check!again!in!30!minutes.!
Always!check!fruits!from!each!tray.!
Uses&
Dried!fruits!make!great!snacks.!They!can!also!be!added!to!trail!mixes,!cereals,!
muffins,breads,!and!other!baked!products.!Dried!fruit!can!be!used!as!is!or!softened!prior!to!
