Best fruits and veggies that you can grow and dry out with a food dehydrator
If you love gardening, you probably like to set a portion of your garden aside for fresh fruits and vegetables. While some flowering plants might be difficult to grow, setting up a vegetable garden is relatively easy. Maintaining fruit trees in your garden can alse be easy.
Growing plants in the winter can be quite tricky, especially if you don’t have a greenhouse. Besides, many plants are seasonal and will only give fruit during specific seasons. If you take care of your trees and plants correctly, you will grow enough to last the whole year.
One of the problems you have when growing your own fruits and veggies is that there is often a rush to eat them all as they will often ripen over a short period of time.
Use drying to preserve fruits and vegetables.
One of the best ways to preserve your fruits and vegetables without spoiling them is through drying. You can dry your fruits and vegetables using sun drying or a food dehydrator. Both methods work quite well, but the research has shown that sun-drying helps maintain more nutrients in fruits and vegetables.
Drying with a food dehydrator is very simple. All you have to do is slice the fruit correctly and then put it in to dry. THis is an easy and simple process. It also helps preserve the nutrients in fruits and vegetables.
Another method that you can use is sun drying. This is the easiest and cheapest method that you can use to preserve your fruits and vegetables. All you need is a flat surface and lots of sunlight, of course! However you need to be living in an areas that has long sunny periods for this to be effective.
Sun drying is one of the oldest food preservation methods. It has been used for thousands of years to preserve meat, fruits, and vegetables. It is still being used throughout the world for food preservation, especially in areas with advanced technology. It is suitable for small scale food preservation, like preserving the fruits from your home garden.
Cut the fruits and vegetables to the right size and spread them on a flat surface in the sun. Make sure that you do this when the weather is dry to avoid spoiling the food. You can also place tin foil underneath the foods to help reflect the sun’s rays. This method may take a few days with certain fruits, and there is no guarantee that it will dry properly.
Problems with natural fruit preservation
. Food preservation can be tricky, especially if you are using natural methods.
There are other potential problems using the sun, you dont have full control of the temperature so you could quite easily end up over drying the fruit or veg making it inedible.
Nature is her own boss and often her plans are not the same as yours!
The best way to preserve natural foods
We use technology in almost all aspects of our lives. Using tools that have been specifically created for something like this means you maintain control over the process. Food dehydrators will take out the excess moisture from fruits and vegetables in a controlled manner. This helps preserve it much faster. It also prevents the fruits and vegetables from spoiling.
Food dehydrators also help prevent the fruits and vegetables from spoiling in humid climates. Sun-drying does not work in these climates because the humidity causes the food to break. The same goes for colder climates and areas where there is a lot of rain.
Which fruits and vegetables are easy to dry?
As a general rule, fruits are much easier to preserve than vegetables because of the high sugar content. However, there are a few vegetables that can be preserved. Some include:
- Corn
Corn is the easiest vegetable to dry and preserve. Popcorn, maize, and many other varieties are consumed after they are dried. The best thing about corn is that it is relatively easy to preserve as well. Insert the seeds into the food dehydrator and wait for the process to be completed.
- Green beans
Many beans are nutritious and easy to preserve. As with corn, all you need to do is separate the seeds and add them to the food dehydrator to dry.
- Herbs
Herbs are the easiest to grow and dry as well. Place the leaves in the food dehydrator for a while, and you’ll have the best-dried herbs to add to your dishes. You can dry coriander, mint, and many other herbs this way.
Fruits that can be dried with a dehydrator
Fruits are much easier to dry in food dehydrators, which is why the list is long. There are several categories of fruit that can be dried this way. Some include:
- Grapes
Grapes are the easiest to dry and preserve their natural taste quite well. When drying grapes, it is best to use seedless varieties for the best experience.
- Apples
Apples are also relatively easy to dry, although you may have to cut them into smaller chunks. While they will change color, the natural flavor won’t be affected.
- Apricots
There’s nothing better than drying juicy apricots. The best part is that you do not have to cut them into pieces. Simply remove the seed and place it in the sun to dry. The same goes for peaches and plums.
- Pineapples and bananas
While these two fruits are not usually grown in home gardens, you can still dry them for preservation. With pineapples, it is better to dry it in large chunks to preserve the natural flavor.
Conclusion
Growing your own fruits and veggies is a lot of fun, using something like a food dehydrator will help you not only get more from your efforts but will reduce waste. I am always looking at ways to make sure I get the most of what I grow.
If you are like me you live in a place where you can get fruit all year round that has been imported from other countries. This is never as good and is often treated to make it last longer. Why not try buying fruits that are locally in season from local growers and do this. The investment is relatively small but the rewards are huge.