How do you dehydrate fruit?

After all, it’s fruit harvest season! All those delicious peaches, apples, plums and pears!

We want to pick as many as we can and hold onto the season for as long as possible. Because, once winter arrives we’re left to eat fruit shipped from far away places. So we pick and purchase as many as possible.

Now, what do you do with all that excess fruit? You can make jam, sauce, or freeze it in bags. But, have you tried dehydrating them? I discovered this easy method for preserving fruit and haven’t looked back!

This is how I dehydrate fruit.

One of my new favourite fruits to dehydrate is plums! After dehydration, black plums become prunes, wonderfully sweet and chewy. They are incredibly satisfying and delicious. Through dehydration, the flavour of the prunes develops.

Prunes have been found to have many health benefits:

The Health Benefits of Prunes

Benefits:

1. High in antioxidants, 5 times more than fresh plums.
2. Good source of dietary fibre, thereby aiding in digestion and relieving constipation.
3. Contains high concentrations of the mineral Boron, which has been found to help prevent osteoporosis.
4. High in potassium, which helps support bone health. Also helps regulate heart rhythm, nerve impulses, muscle contractions and blood pressure.
5. Good source of iron and vitamin C.
6. Very satisfying and filling, helping you feel full after a meal.

How to Dehydrate Fruit

Steps to Dehydrate Plums:

How to Dehydrate Fruit

• In order to dehydrate black plums, simply slice them down the side and easily remove the pit.
• Then place them on a dehydrator rack, skin side up and fanned out.
• Set your dehydrator between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the plums to dehydrate for 6 to 24 hours, or until they are no longer juicy, yet remain pliable.
• If you can squish the prunes with your fingers and they feel wet, place them back in the dehydrator.
• Allow the prunes to cool down before storage.
• Store your prunes in glass jars or resealable plastic storage bags.

What about dehydrating other fruits, like apples, peaches and pears?

The process for dehydrating plums is similar for dehydrating other fruit. Apples, peaches and pears dehydrate beautifully and store well in a glass jar. The only difference when dehydrating these fruits, is to slice them first. You may choose to peel the skins or you may leave them on.

Lay out the fruits, in a non-overlapping layer. Set the temperature between 120-130 Fahrenheit and dehydrate for 6 to 24 hours. The fruit is ready when pliable, yet no juice may be squeezed out. Allow to cool, then store in glass jars or resealable plastic storage bags.

* Note: After 6 hours of dehydrating, examine the fruit. Remove any ready fruit and leave them to cool. Continue dehydrating the rest, until all slices are ready.

My family enjoys our dehydrated fruit all winter long, but it rarely lasts that long.

Do you use a dehydrator? What’s your favourite fruit or vegetable to dehydrate? Please leave a message in the comments section below.

Happy Gardening!

Julia

Here are the tools that I mentioned in the post.