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DIY: Drying Fruit
Jessica Marie Little
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A constant request for care packages from my parents is home-jarred tomatoes. I have to nag my parents to send me more jars—my mother worships the tomatoes and in a frantic voice says: “Missy, I JUST sent you some, now the rest are mine, we are down to the end before the new batch- no more for you!”
Well this summer I hope to turn the table on my parents, and preserve some of my own food.
Watch for my series of DIY articles mulling over my trials and successes of preserving. I am relying on plenty of feedback and tips from each of you to craft me into a master! (Mind you, I have never preserved anything. My gardening skills are limited and consist of a few pots of tomatoes and herbs that I sometimes remember to water before work. )
This week I dried strawberries using the instructions from the University of Georgia, which were extremely helpful. It was a little difficult rationalizing buying 10 extra dollars of strawberries, but I am trying to remember this personal motto: “An investment in fruit now, will save you oodles in the winter” It’s a work in progress—to say the least.
A Word of Caution:
Fruit is often pretreated before drying to prevent discoloration. The most common technique used is ‘Sulfuring.’ In sensitive individuals (particularly asthmatics), ingestion of sulfur dioxide and sulfites in food can cause asthma attacks, skin rashes and upset stomach. Sulfur Dioxide is also a known allergen.
I know it can be hard to see a brown dried apricot, and I share your sentiments that untreated dried fruit is not glamorous. However there are safer alternatives available, and nothing about ‘Sulfuring’ increases the taste of dried fruit. Be sure to check the ingredients of any dried food you purchase and look for those that explicitly say they are sulfite-free. Manufacturers are not required to list when they use sulfites or sulfur dioxide.
How to Dry:
There are 3 ways to dry food:
- Sun
- Oven
- Dehydrator
I would recommend a dehydrator, and here is why:
- If you live in a place with high humidity, sun drying is not the best option as moisture in the air will never fully dry your food
- Oven: requires a lot of energy and heats up your kitchen—this is not ideal in the summer
- Using a dehydrator is VERY simple
Last week I dried strawberries using a dehydrator. I set the temperature to 140 degrees and dried for about 34 hours. I cut them up in fairly small pieces to decrease the drying time (however I still aired on the higher time following the instructions).
Considering I have never tried dried strawberries, I think they came out quite good. I stuck them in with my granola for breakfast—I should be saving them for the winter! I now have bananas baking away, hopefully these will come out as well!
Have you dried Fruit? I would love to hear tips and experiences!
Note: This is part of an on-going series of tips for eating healthier by doing things yourself. Whether it’s canning or making a pantry staple, when you make something yourself from whole ingredients, you avoid chemical exposures from things like synthetic additives and contaminants from packaging, as well as reduce your impact on the environment. Also, it should come as no surprise, but homemade is much tastier than factory made! Visit Eat Healthy to learn more about making food fast, frugal, fun and eco-friendly.
image courtesy of Mr. T in DC / CC BY-SA 2.0
Posted by Jessica Little on 07/19/2010 at 09:23 AM
Hi Wendy!
Thanks so much for your question! A similar question was asked by Amanda to the Environmental Working Group:
http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/your-bpa-questions-answered.html
QUESTION: I have a food dehydrator which is made from polycarbonate (the shell; the shelves are coated with teflon). The food isn’t in contact with the polycarbonate, but is surrounded by it with low heat temperatures. What’s the risk of the food absorbing BPA while in the dehydrator? The operating temperature is typically between 95 - 105 degrees F.
Amanda| March 13, 2008 5:09 PM | Reply
ANSWER: Leah- I can’t say for sure, since there’s no research on the subject, but the fact that the temperatures are relatively low and the food doesn’t touch the polycarbonate is a very good sign. If nothing else, your exposure from your dehydrated food is likely considerably less than your exposure from canned food.
We at Healthy Child agree with Leah’s answer. As you mentioned Stainless Steel dehydrators are another option, but are more expensive. If you go this route, make sure to buy 100% stainless steel. However there are a number of dehydrators that are made of ABS plastic, which is a SAFER option (http://healthychild.org/5steps/5_steps_5/). ABS plastic is a newer plastic, so more in depth studies still need to be assessed (yet, you won’t find BPA in ABS plastic). Here are a couple dehydrators made of ABS plastic:
1. I called them and asked for details. The trays and SHELL are made of ABS plastic: http://www.good4uproducts.com/
2. http://www.westonsupply.com/VegiKiln-6-Tray-Food-and-Jerky-Dehydrator-p/75-0301-w.htm
Unfortunately, there is no ‘perfect’ option with any product, but I would recommend going the ABS plastic route, or, depending on your climate, you can always try solar drying http://ecobites.com/diy-recycling-projects/712?task=view
Feel free to reach out to me (Jessica@healthychild.org) should you have any other questions!
Best, Jessica
Posted by Wendy on 07/15/2010 at 06:32 AM
I am excited to see this post here, as I have been wanting to try drying myself. I looked at a bunch of dehydrators last summer but all contained BPA. The only ones I found without were the stainless steel versions which were typically commercial and very expensive. I read and researched last year, so some of it is vague in my mind, but I believe that all the documentation I found said that BPA released even at the low temps of a dehydrator. So, my question is what dehydrators do you recommend? What are your thoughts on BPA in them and if it would leach onto the food? I didn’t buy one because of this… so I am very excited to hear what you have to say and recommend because I really want to get one! Help me! : )
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Posted by Rebecca on 07/21/2010 at 08:32 AM
I have been dehydrating fruits & vegetables for years, ever since my mother & I started making homemade peach fruit leather when I was a kid. One of my favorites is dried watermelon! Sounds weird, but it tastes just like candy to me - just make absolutely sure you slice the watermelon at least 1/2” THICK or it will be like rice paper & you cant get it off the shelves. I also love drying apples, cherries, peaches, pears (really good!), and pretty much anything I cant stuff into my freezer for the winter. Fruit leather is really fun - just puree some peaches/apricots/strawberries, or whatever you like - with some apple sauce and a little bit of honey to taste, put it on fruit leather trays (they are special trays, DONT just dump this on your dehydrator or you will have a giant mess!) dry overnight then roll up! So great in my kids lunches. Have fun!