Dried fruits are great sources of energy, fiber and vitamins, in addition to being easy to store and carry, they are great options for quick snacks or desserts. They can be found on supermarket shelves and candy stores, but if you want to save money you can prepare them at home.
Learn how to dehydrate fruit in the oven:
- Give preference to ripe fruits;
- Wash them with cold water;
- Remove all imperfections and eliminate the stalks in which they have;
- Cut them into equal sizes to ensure they all go through the same process;
- If desired, remove the skins. But, this is not a rule;
- Soak the fruits in lemon juice with water for ten minutes, then drain and dry them with a lint-free cloth;
- Leave the oven preheated to minimum temperature;
- Use parchment paper to line the baking sheet and distribute the fruits without overlapping, leaving a space between them;
- To prevent the fruit from curling during drying, cover with a pizza pan with holes or a silicone lining/mat suitable for baking sheets;
- Bake in the oven for an average of one hour and thirty minutes.
Important tips: Leave the oven door ajar to avoid overcooking; Fine fruits like apples, peaches and bananas require a lower oven temperature, while strawberries and other berries need a warmer temperature.
Learn how to dehydrate fruit in the sun
With this process you save energy, in addition to maintaining the flavor and nutritional quality of the fruit.
Required Material:
- Three styrofoam sheets measuring 1m x 0,50m, 30mm thick;
- Three tubes of styrofoam glue;
- 1m of thin nylon fabric;
- A 3mm thick clear flat glass, the size of a styrofoam box;
- 200g of 18mm x 27mm twisted nails (wave shed 24);
- A 3cm brush;
- Aluminum foil to line the box.
How to do it?
- Use an entire Styrofoam board for the bottom of the box;
- Cut another board in half for the two longer sides;
- Cut another board for the two smaller sides;
- Glue the parts together, forming a 94cm x 44cm box. To secure it, place the nails in the corners;
- Cut two 30cm x 4cm openings on the smaller sides of the box: one at the bottom and one at the top, starting at the fourth centimeter, both from the bottom up and from the top down;
- Cut two pieces of canvas and pin them to the styrofoam, covering the openings described in the previous item;
- Cut 3cm wide pieces from the styrofoam that was left and glue them to the ends of the openings, making a frame for the canvas;
- Line the entire inside of the box with aluminum foil, leaving the two side openings free;
- Make a rectangular wooden frame, 90cm x 40cm and add 10cm high feet;
- Cover it with the screen, which must be attached to the bottom. This frame coated with the fabric should be inside the dryer;
- Fruits or vegetables will be placed on the canvas to dehydrate. Make another wooden frame, 1cm larger than the box, to receive the glass that will serve as a lid;
- This frame must have side baguettes to fix the glass.
Preparation of some fruits:
Banana: For this process we recommend the cockatiel or nanica banana. It is possible to remove it whole or cut it in half in both directions to facilitate drying.
Grapes: Preferably use seedless grapes. Wash well and remove them from the bunch. Before putting them in the oven, dip them in half a liter of water with lemon juice.
Apple: Peel the apple and cut into thin slices. You can also dehydrate the skin if the apple is organic.
Text written by Natália Noceli from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team.
