Fruit-Vegetable Drying Methods and Drying Recipes at Home

In these days when the weather is getting warmer, women started drying and canning. Here are some tips for drying fruits and vegetables.

Drying is a method that has been used to store food for a long time since ancient times.

Vegetables are either steamed or soaked in hot water as a pretreatment. To soak in hot water, vegetables should be dipped in boiling water with a heat-resistant colander.
There are different pre-treatments for fruits before they are dried. Some of these, such as sulfurization, are not practical to do at home. Let’s look at some recipes that can be applied at home.

Let the fruits stand for 30-60 seconds in the solution you will prepare by dissolving each 1.5 teaspoon of lemon salt in 1 liter of water. Leave the fruits for 30-60 seconds in the mixture you prepare with every 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 liter of water. After mixing 1/2 coffee cup granulated sugar with 1.5 cups boiling water, warm it up and immerse your fruit in the solution where you add 1/2 coffee cup of honey for 3-5 minutes. Let the fruit or vegetable extracted from the pretreatment solution drain for a while and dry after drying. You can dry it by placing it on the floor in the shade, as you can do it in household dryers. You should be careful not to dry it at very high temperatures. Because high temperature causes brown spots to appear, especially on vegetables. Ideal temperature is between 30-35 degrees. Dry on clean covers. Place the fruit or vegetable on the cover in a single row and do not forget to turn the dried product upside down frequently. When you break it, there should be no moist part left in the middle of the vegetable and it should break easily. When the drying process is over, the fruits should not remain sticky.

After making sure that it has been dried sufficiently, let the vegetables or fruits cool. To extend the shelf life of the dried product and prevent infestation, be sure to pasteurize it with one of the following processes.

Deep freezer: Fill the dry product in plastic bags, seal and leave it in the deep freezer for at least 48 hours.

Oven: First preheat the oven to 80 degrees. Spread the dried product on a tray in a thin layer, pasteurize the fruits in the heated oven for 15 minutes and vegetables for 10 minutes. After removing it from the oven, let the product cool. 9) Store in a dry, cool and dim place in containers such as moisture-proof jars or plastic bags. In this way, they will last for 6-8 months. However, work with dry hands to avoid moisture absorption.