Drying is one of the oldest methods for preserving fruit and vegetables. It is also one of the most economical and ecological methods, as well as natural, as this technique acts on fruit without causing those alterations related to industrial preservation processes and, given the often exorbitant prices of dried fruit, guarantees great savings.
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THEdrying is one of the oldest methods for fruit conservation and vegetables. It is also one of the most economical and ecological methods, as well as natural, as this technique acts on fruit without causing the alterations related to industrial preservation processes and, given the often exorbitant prices of dried fruit, guarantees great savings.
Choosing as a method thesolar drying, no energy will be consumed and the costs for drying will be practically zero. With the oven or a dryer we will have costs for energy consumption, but their use could be essential outside the summer season and especially for those who find themselves having to manage a surplus of dried fruit or vegetables from your own orchard or vegetable garden. Everyone will choose the best drying method according to their needs. Dried fruit can be stored for a long time inside glass jars tightly closed.
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The advantages of drying
The drying of fruit and vegetables does not include the addition of other foods, such as salt, vinegar, oil or sugar. With drying the water present in plant products is deleted and in this way they can be preserved for a long time, occupying moreover a small space. With drying nothing will be wasted and, moreover, there is no need to fear any problems related to the botulism which could make us fearful of other conservation methods. Fruit - but also vegetables, aromatic herbs, mushrooms and legumes - retains their beneficial and nutritional characteristics after drying.
Fruits and vegetables to be dried
What types of fruit do they adapt to drying? We can choose to dry apples, apricots, plums, figs, strawberries, cherries, pineapples, pears, blackberries, raspberries, pineapples, bananas, raspberries, oranges, blackberries, strawberries and berries. All kinds of can be dried mushrooms, but also beans and peas. Among the vegetables that can be dried there are tomatoes (vegetables that can actually be considered as real fruits), chillies, courgettes, carrots, cucumbers, leeks and peppers. Between herbs to dry we find sage, rosemary, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and chives.
Methods of drying fruits and vegetables
Fruit can be dried in the sun, in the oven or with a dryer, which can be purchased or self-built in do-it-yourself version. Before proceeding with the drying of the fruit, by any method, it must be washed and dried thoroughly, to then be thinly sliced and then set up on grids or special drying supports, depending on the chosen method. The fruit to be dried must not be too unripe or too ripe. To speed up drying, and to prevent fruit from hardening, it is possible immerse briefly the fruit to be dried in water and lemon before storing it to dry.
With the sun
The fruit can be left to dry in the sun during the summer thanks to the high temperatures. It is necessary to store the fruit i ventilated places and protected from humidity. Drying will take place more quickly when the temperatures will touch 30 degrees and the humidity will be less than 50%. It is necessary to protect the fruit from humidity and bad weather overnight, period in which it will have to be transferred from outside to inside. Grids and metal panels in stainless steel are the best options for storing fruit to dry in the sun, since contact with them does not compromise their vitamin content. If you fear the presence of insects, the fruit exposed to the sun can be repaired with some thin retinas, similar to mosquito nets.
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With the oven
The oven allows fruit to be dried at any time of the year. It must be taken into account that the drying process may take several hours and extend for a few days. Oven drying is usually done at temperature including between 40 and 60 degrees. During the permanence of the fruit inside the oven, in order for it not to burn, it is necessary that a correct one takes place ventilation. If the oven is not of the ventilated type, it will be necessary to keep the door slightly open. THE drying times may vary from 4 to 12 hours. In some cases it is recommended to dry the fruit at 8 hour intervals, several days long.
With the do-it-yourself dryer
On the market there are different models of dryer, but before buying one it is possible to evaluate the opportunity to make this useful tool thanks to the do-it-yourself. Building a do-it-yourself dryer sees the presence of one 40 watt halogen bulb, which can therefore give off heat and which cannot be energy-saving. For this reason it is recommended to use the dryer overnight and for a couple of times a month always at full load, in order to save money. The drying of the citrus peel it will take about 6 hours. For the slices of apple it will take about 15 hours, but drying times always depend on the thickness and type of fruit. The project for the realization of a do-it-yourself dryer provides a rather simple realization. So you just have to experiment!
Marta Albè
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