If you have ever had an excess of fruit on a tree in your garden and you do not know what to do with the excellent fruit, we bring the solution: dehydrated fruit. It is a healthy option for all those people who want to increase the amount of nutrients they eat in their day to day. It is very easy to make and can be a perfect meal for a snack. Keep in mind that these fruits have sugar but they are not harmful to the body as is the refined table sugar that is normally consumed.
In this article we are going to tell you how to make dehydrated fruit and what its properties are.
How to make dried fruit at home
Although this type of fruit can be bought in a store, it is usually quite expensive and extra sugars are added. If we have several fruit trees in the garden and we do not know what to do with the surplus of the fruits, it is best to turn them into dehydrated fruit. Thus, Not only will we eat healthier, but we also know what we are eating and where it comes from. In order to make dehydrated fruit, you only need a few fruits and not one to be able to make them give the water.
Let's see what are the main steps to follow to make dehydrated fruit:
Select the fruit
The first of all is to choose the fruit that we want to dehydrate. We can choose from numerous options. The most common ones used for this are apples, bananas, strawberries, plums and peaches. You can also try some more exotic ones such as pineapple, pear, mango, fig, kiwi and some citrus peels. There is an important aspect to take into account and that is to look at the good condition of the fruit. The best is one that is not very mature and does not have bruises from the fall of the tree.
Cut
Each one of the fruits must be washed very well to eliminate the rest of the earth that it has on top. Next we must cut the fruit into slices or cubes. If you are going to dehydrate cherries, it is best to cut it in half and remove the core. This too it is made with apples and pears. It is advisable to cut the slices rather thick. It is important to make sure that the pieces you have cut are a similar size so that they can all dry at the same time and we have the result at the same time.
Dry dehydrated fruit
Let's see what are the different types of drying that can be given to dehydrated fruit.
Sun dried
It is the most ecological and you can dry the fruits without any energy expenditure. The downside is that it can only be done in climates with temperatures above 40 degrees. As you might expect, this can only be done in regions with a desert or arid climate. It is a process that takes much more time and on top of that the climate must be dry. If the humidity of the environment is high, the dehydration process will not be achieved. There are other more suitable options for the rest of the climates, as we will see later.
If you have chosen to dry in the sun, you can cut the slices of the fruits on a tray and place them directly in the sun. It is advisable to turn the fruit once a day so that it dries evenly. The fruit must be stored in covered trays to avoid dew during the night. You can also use a home dehydrator to place them in the sun and increase the temperature thanks to it. With this type of apparatus You can make dehydrated fruit without the need for the climate where we live to have temperatures of 40 degrees.
Oven dried
It is another way to make dried fruit. It is less ecological, but there are times when there is no other possibility due to our climate. We must place the oven at 60 degrees and put the trays with the fruit. The oven door should be slightly open to allow steam to enter. Each type of fruit takes time to dry and you have to check to see if it is ready. To do this we do the following: we touch a piece of fruit and if you check that it is dry but not brittle and flexible, it is completely ready.
Another way to identify if they are ready is to take a piece of fruit and cut it. If there are still traces of moisture, it may need to be in the oven a little longer. With these tips you can now learn how to make dehydrated fruit.
Properties
We are now going to analyze what are the main properties of dehydrated fruit. As we have mentioned before, it is a perfect healthy option for a snack. Let's see what are the properties for which it is advisable to introduce into the diet:
- Energy supply: with just a few degrees of dehydrated fruit we introduce about 70kcal. This is due to its high concentration of sugars. The most energetic are grapes and raisins. They are highly recommended products to compensate for part of the day that is consumed in our daily tasks. It is especially suitable for children, pregnant women, students and people who practice sports. Keep in mind that it is a product to take in reasonable quantities. It is not necessary to alter the energy values radiata details to be able to include these fruits. As always, it is advisable to adapt the needs of heat ideas to the moment in which we find ourselves. Therefore, dehydrated fruit is also a good option in weight loss diets.
- Large amount of micronutrients: this type of fruit has a large amount of micronutrients among which we have Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Provitamins A and E, Vitamins B1, B2, B3. All of them are micronutrients that are between 3 and 5 times more concentrated in dehydrated fruits compared to fresh fruits.
- They are satiating: As we have said before, for weight loss diets they are a good option since their level of satiety is high.
- They have a good laxative effect.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to make dehydrated fruit and what its properties are.