Operating instructions

FRUITS
Blueberry Cookies
WHAT YOU NEED:
2 cups Blueberries
2 cups Almonds
blanch & soak over night
1 cup soaked raisins (small cup)
HOW TO PREPARE:
Blend all ingredients to a crumby
consistency. Drop 1 teaspoon of mixture on
Excalibur® dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at
115°F for 18-22 hours until dry. Turn cookies
over about halfway through drying cycle.
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You’ll have fun drying fruit; it’s one of the oldest and most popular dehydrated foods. Enjoy dried fruit as a naturally sweet snack, in
your favorite recipes, candied, or in good tasting leathers. Apples, peaches, bananas, and pears are long-time dehydrating favorites.
But why stick to the tried and true? Dare to dry dates, have a fling with figs, or perk yourself up with persimmons. Challenge yourself
to master them all!
General Rules for Dehydrating Fruits
Before we take a look at specific dehydrating techniques for specific fruits, let’s review some of the important points of drying fruits.
Preparation and Pretreatment. For a high quality end product, choose only a high quality, mature fruit. When fruits are mature their
natural sugar content and nutritional content is high. Remove the moisture quickly to prevent spoilage. Use only firm fruit to dry into
slices. Overripe and bruised fruits may turn black and look burnt. Bananas are also best when the fruit has brown speckles on the
peel. When the skin has turned black, the banana may be pureed for leather or used to make banana bread.
If fruits (or vegetables) are to be dried with skins on, they should be washed thoroughly. In all likelihood, many of them have been
commercially waxed or sprayed if purchased at a market. Most waxes and sprays can be removed by washing in a biodegradable
cleaner or a vinegar water solution and then rinsing in clear water. If, however, the wax or spray cannot be removed, we recommend
peeling before drying. Some fruits, like grapes and certain berries, have a natural wax coating that must be removed by checking.
See Chapter 3 for checking instructions. Since quality begins to deteriorate the minute you start washing, prepare only as much fruit
as you can dry at one time.
Uniform slicing can make a big difference in how evenly your fruit dries; pieces of differing thickness will require varied drying times.
The smaller you make the slices, the faster the drying time and the better the quality. Small fruits, like berries, can be left whole, but
larger ones should be halved, sliced, or diced. Trim away any unavoidable bruised areas.
There are pros and cons for peeling. Try fruits both ways to find the method you prefer. There are many ways to pretreat fruit. They
are discussed in the pretreatment section in Chapter 3. Here again it is a matter of individual preference. The only way to discover
the method you like best is to try different ways.
Dehydrating
Most fruits do not have strong odors, so feel free to dry them together. What odors do exist are kept from mixing by the horizontal
airflow of quality dehydrators. Arrange the fruit in a single layer on the drying trays, leaving some space between pieces for better
air circulation. The skin side (if left on) should be down to prevent juice from dripping. Small berries should be stirred occasionally to
promote uniform drying. Do not add fresh fruit to a batch that is nearly dry; the increased humidity will cause the partially dried food
to reabsorb moisture and possibly spoil. For exact instructions, refer to the fruit dehydrating guide. Remember: Your times may vary
considerably from those listed.
Testing
Since dried fruits are generally eaten without being rehydrated, they should not be dehydrated to the point of brittleness. Most fruits
should have a 10 to 20% moisture content when dried.
Cool several pieces of fruit and test for dryness. Cut the pieces in half; there should be no visible
moisture. Now feel and taste-they should be anywhere from pliable to brittle depending on the
particular fruit. It’s better to have the fruit a little too dry than to have it too moist and run the risk
of molding. When you are satisfied that the fruit is dry, cool it in the dehydrator or in a bowl for 30
minutes to 1 hour, and then remove and package.