Dehydrating Fruit
If you find your fruits in season when they are at their peak, you will be able to have good tasting more economical fruits when their growing season has passed. The flavor will be there and sometimes they are even better tasting than when they are fresh.
A great way to save is to dehydrate the fruits you are finding in the produce sections or at fruit stands in the areas where fruits are grown locally. There is just nothing like eating ripe fruit! If you find your favorites it is a great time to stock up and dehydrate so you can enjoy the tastes when the fruits are not in season in your area.
Fruit strips, fruit roll-ups and fruit chips made from dehydrated fruit are expecially good and are very healthy. Almost every fruit can be dehydrated but the most popular are bananas, strawberries, cranberries and apricots.
These fruits can be eated on their own or can be used in a mixture of other fruits and nuts. They are also good to mix with granola for a nice taste combination. Dehydrated fruit is very nutritious and after being dehydrated the fruit can be stored easily for a long time.
Some fruits work best if pureed and others can be dehydrated after slicing the fruit.
Fruits reduce to about one fourth of their original size, maintain almost all of their nutritional value and even with no added sugar are still sweet to the taste buds. They do not need refrigeration, they can be stored in a glass container or in plastic bags. Place them in a cool cupboard where they are not exposed to light and they will keep without spoiling.
You can make your own trail mix by putting together a combination of fruits after they have been prepared. Some coconut or a choice of nuts can be a nice addition for some of the mixtures.
They are also nice when packaged and given as gifts to those who especially enjoy the fruit you have prepared. Just put them in a pretty container with colorful ribbons and you have a fun, easy and very tasty gift that will be appreciated.
Food dehydrators are the easiest way to dehydrate fruit and a number of choices are available for you to select from when beginning to look. Just determine the amount you think you want to dehydrate for your family and do not forget to include friends and the popularity for you and your family especially the kids and their friends when deciding how much you think you might want to dehydrate.
The biggest problem you might have is, because of their delicious taste, they might be eaten almost as soon as they are prepared.
Food dehydrators are specifically designed to provide a constant ideal drying temperature combined with heated air that circulates via a blower or fan. Thus, the two main components in food dehydration - heat and air - are controllable via the dehydration unit.
A food dehydrator's advantages include:
a) a more efficient usable unit and space
b) a temperature control that can precisely maintain a constant desired drying temperature
c) a fan that circulates the air, thus removing moisture
d) a more efficient dehydration processing time