Mary T. Bell - Food Drying with an Attitude: A Fun and Fabulous Guide to Creating Snacks, Meals, and Crafts

PINEAPPLE

BANANAS

APPLES

MORE FRUITS

FRUIT AND NUT CRUNCH

CURRIED TRAIL MIX

MELONS

CANT A LOUPE CANDY

COLD MELON SOUP

BERRIES

STRAWBERRY MERINGUE COOKIES

RHUBARN POPCORN

PARTY TIME BRIE

K nowing that raisins are dried grapes should help you understand what happens when the water has been taken out of a food. Dried foods are common in todays marketplace, with dried bananas, dates, dried mangos, dried apricots, and dried pineapple available at most grocery stores. You will soon understand just how easy it is make your own dried fruit. It starts with buying a can of pineapple rings, some bananas with brown spots, and a jar of natural applesauce. Then follow the directions for drying bananas on page 5 and applesauce on page 22 and you will have learned the basics for drying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

CANNED PINEAPPLE

A Weighty Idea: With a scale, weigh fresh food before drying and weigh it again after its dry. This will help you to become familiar with the amount of water eliminated during the drying process. | Once dried, an entire 20-ounce can of pineapple rings will weigh 4 ounces and fit in the palm of your hand.

Open a can of pineapple rings. Pour into a colander and drain away the juice.

Place a dehydrator tray on your counter and put a mesh sheet inside the dehydrator tray.

Lay the pineapple rings on the mesh-lined dehydrator tray without overlapping any rings. Place the filled tray in the dehydrator.

Dry between 110 degrees and 135 degrees. It will be considered raw if dried at 110 degrees.

To determine when the pineapple rings are dry, every two hours turn the dehydrator off, allow a few minutes for the rings to cool, and manually check the pineapple. Warm food always feels softer than when it cools. Touching the pineapple is the best way to determine drynessyou can feel moisture in food. Each time take out a ring, eat it, and let the rest continue to dry. This helps you become comfortable with the drying processplus the rings taste good.

Pineapple rings are dry when they bend and you do not feel any juice. They will be a little darker in color than when fresh out of the can. Fruits that have a lot of sugar do not need to be dried until hard because sugar acts as a natural preservative. How long it will take for the pineapple rings to dry will depend on the dehydrator you have, but generally it will take about eight hours when you dry at 135 degrees. Once the pineapple is dry, eat one more ring and save the rest in an airtight storage container.

OTHER CANNED FRUITS

Now that youve dried canned pineapple, try other canned fruits, like maraschino cherries, peaches, and mandarin oranges. If the canned food pieces are thicker than half an inch, slice them into 1/2 to 1/4-inch slices; the thicker the pieces are the longer it takes them to dry.

DRY A FRESH PINEAPPLE

Quality Time Drying food is a great way for adults and children to spend quality time together. Once children are shown how easy it is to dry food, theyll be able to make their own snacks. A dehydrator is safer than a stove or an oven because most drying is accomplished between 100 and 135 degrees.

Choose a fresh, yellow-golden, sweet-smelling pineapple. To select a good pineapple, pull a leaf from inside the cluster. It should release easily and will feel slightly moist.

Cut the pineapple in half the long way. Cut each half into three equal boat-shaped pieces. Turn each piece on its side and cut out the core. Cut slices into 1/2-inch thick pieces, then dry. For a raw food, dry at 110 degrees and up to 135 degrees for regular drying.

Red Pineapples

Dry pineapple rings only halfway and then remove from the dehydrator tray. Place rings in a bowl and cover with cranberry juice. Let soak 15 minutes. Drain the red pineapple rings and return to the dehydrator until drying is complete. Red pineapples are festive and delicious and will have all your friends wondering where you found such an unusual fruit!

PINEAPPLE FLOWERS

F ancy dried fruit is an attention-getter as a garnish for baked goodies.

1 fresh pineapple
20 dried round strawberry
slices
1 tablespoon honey

Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple. Use a knife to cut all the skin off and trim the sides to make it round. Then cut 1/4-inch V-shapes in the sides of the pineapple every inch and continue making V-cuts around the entire pineapple. With an electric slicer, cut the pineapple in 1/8-inch rounds.