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Table 2
How to Prepare
Fruits for Drying**
|
| Fruit |
Preparation |
|
| Apples*** |
Wash, peel, core and cut into pie
slices or rings. Dip
in sodium bisulfite
solution for 5 minutes. Rinse. Dry. |
|
| Apricots*** |
Wash, halve, remove pits. Dip in
sodium bisulfite
solution for 10 minutes.
Rinse. Dry. |
|
| Bananas |
Peel, slice, dip in sodium bisulfite
solution for 5
minutes. Rinse
Dry. |
|
| Blueberries |
Wash and remove stems. Dry. |
|
| Cherries |
Wash, remove stems, slice in half,
remove pits. Dip in
sodium bisulfite
solution for 5 minutes. Rinse. Dry. |
|
Grapes (yellow,
seedless) |
Wash, steam for 30-60 seconds to
crack skins. Dry. |
|
| Peaches |
Wash, scald to remove skins. Slice
into ¼-inch
slices. Soak
in sodium bisulfite solution for 5 minutes. Rinse. Dry. |
|
| Pears*** |
Wash and peel thinly. Remove core.
slice. Soak in
sodium bisulfite
solution for 5 minutes. Rinse. Dry. |
|
| Rhubarb |
Slice diagonally into 1 inch slices.
Steam 1 to 2
minutes. Dry. |
|
| Strawberries |
Wash, slice, dip into solution of
1/2-teaspoon ascorbic
acid per cup
of water to protect vitamin C content. Dry. |
|
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**
|
Warning.
Individuals sensitive to
sulfites should not
use sodium bisulfite solutions. Use ascorbic acid instead. |
|
***
|
Hold cut fruit
in a solution of 1
teaspoon of
ascorbic acid per quart of water while preparing rest of fruit for
bisulfite
dip. This help prevent darkening. |
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| Did You Know? |
Dried fruit is fruit that
has been dried to remove some of the fruit's moisture, either naturally
or through use of a machine, such as a food dehydrator. Raisins,
prunes, and dates are examples of popular dried fruits. Other fruits
such as apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, cranberries, figs, kiwi,
mangoes, pawpaw, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, strawberries,
and tomatoes may also be dried. In addition to dried whole fruits,
fruit purée can be dried in sheets to make fruit leather. It is
called leather because of the similarity in size and thickness.
Drying preserves fruit, even in the absence of refrigeration, and
significantly lengthens its shelf life. When fresh fruit is
unavailable, impractical, or out of season, dried fruit can provide an
alternative. It is often added to baking mixes and breakfast cereals.
Like fresh fruit, dried fruit can be rich in vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3,
B6, pantothenic acid) and dietary minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium,
phosphorus, potassium, sodium, copper, manganese).
Since dehydration may result in water loss up to seven parts out of
eight, dried fruit has a stronger flavor than its fresh counterpart.
The drying process also destroys most of the Vitamin C in the food.
Commercially prepared dried fruit may contain added sulfur dioxide
which can trigger asthma in susceptible individuals; dried fruits
without sulfur dioxide are also available. The sulfur is added to
protect color and taste from oxidation. "Organic" dried fruit is
produced without sulfur dioxide, which results in dark fruit and more
oxidized flavor that can taste a bit like dried tea. The color of some
fruits can also be "fixed" to some extent, with minimal impact on
flavour, by treating the freshly cut fruit with a preparation rich in
Vitamin C (e.g., a mixture of water and lemon juice) for a few minutes
prior to drying.
In recent years there has been a tendency towards dried fruit that is
sold as "ready to eat". This fruit has to be stored in sealed
containers to preserve it. Notably prunes and apricots prepared in this
way lack the chewy texture of other dried fruit.
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