By :
Mark Etinger
Dried fruits can be some of the most delicious food you will come across. You usually encounter it in a trail mix but it can be bought in bulk as well as found in many fruit gift baskets. They are a great snack and easy to take along anywhere you need to go. They are high in sugar though and are often referred to as "nature's candy". In small doses they are great though and add a little something extra to yogurt or cereal, or just work as a sweet dessert on their own. The most common fruits that you'll find dried are apples, bananas, berries, plum, coconut, apricot, papaya and pineapple. These are the ones you are most likely to find in trail mix or fruit gift baskets. Of course, any fruit really can be dried and eaten. Cherries and kiwi are a little bit different and even melons like cantaloupe can be dried and taste delicious! These are then pitted and sliced at about equal size so they all dry at around the same rate. Drying can be done in a variety of ways. Sun drying is definitely a natural possibility, but is never done commercially. It only works for individuals living in hot yet low humidity climates. If dried fruit is being created in bulk, usually ovens or electric dehydration is used. Ovens are set no higher than 145 degrees Fahrenheit, with a fan usually positioned nearby to keep air circulating. An electric dehydrator on the other hand, can run and do it's job without anyone being on constant watch. It dries fruits the quickest, so is usually the most common choice for larger companies. It's easy to tell if the fruit is ready if the texture feels leathery but not brittle. If ripped, there should be no moisture inside or any beads of water. If that's the case, then the fruit needs to be dried a little bit longer. The most important part is keeping dried fruit stored properly. They need to be stored in the right type of environment, whether a ziploc bar or air tight container. If left out, it will undo all the work of dehydrating them in the first place. Dried fruit can be absolutely delicious, but there is a good amount of work that goes into the process before it gets to you. You can even try drying fruit yourself as a new hobby and see where it takes you! Before you know it, you could have a cupboard full of sweet, dried fruits.
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