Sun-dried fruit for winter

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33447, 31 January 1974, Page 5

Sun-dried fruit for winter

(By

JEAN LAWRENCE)

It is almost a national tradition in New Zealand to bottle fruit or to store in deep freezers, but it is not so common to dry fruit here as it is in some other countries.

Drying fruit takes a little more time and patience than preserving it in other ways, but the effort is well worthwhile. It will mean you have a supply of nutritious food on hand in the winter months, produced at a very small cost if the fruit comes from your garden. Several years ago, I began experimenting with drying my own apricots using a method I found, quite by chance, in a very old Australian book. The results were very good. “Most small fruits can be dried, including nectarines, peaches, figs and apples. Dried apricots, both Australian and Californian, are very expensive to buy, and consumers who feel the need in the winter months to add iron content in their diet, often hesitate to buy them. RIPE, FIRM

Apricots must be ripe but firm for drying. Nectarines should be very firm, and peaches reasonably so. I tried figs, but they kept only a few months, so obviously I had dried them while too soft and ripe.

Before drying, apricots (peaches or nectarines) must first be plunged into a boiling liquid made as follows: Dissolve one level tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and two level tablespoons of common salt to each gallon of water in a large preserving pan. Bring the liquid to the boil. Place the whole fruit into a muslin cloth, bag or blanching basket. Immerse in the boiling liquid and allow to stand for about two minutes, then remove and strain. turn often

Halve the apricots, stone, and place on a wire rack or

sieve, which has been covered with butter muslin or fine gauze to allow the air to circulate. In very hot weather the fruit may be dried entirely in the sun and wind, which takes several days. Bring in the fruit at night, when temperatures fall, or when it is raining. The fruit must be turned every few hours. The oven provides a quicker method of drying in cold weather, and can be used in conjunction with sundrying. Put in a very slow oven, about 150 degrees, with the door slightly ajar. Turn occasionally. Leave overnight, and if not finished, put out into the sunshine the following day. I found the hot water cylinder cupboard was a good place for the racks at night, as it continued the drying process.

NOT TOO HARD The fruit is ready when it reaches a dry, leathery stage, but is not hard. When cold store in jars in a cool dark place. Before using, immerse in water for 24 hours or longer, and cock. From experience, I have found that the best place to dry fruit outside is in full sun on a windy day, when there will be no problem with flies or insects.

I dried one batch of apricots without the preliminary immersion in boiling water with the bicarbonate of soda and salt. After washing the apricots I put them on cake racks in full sun and wind on an outdoor table, just as they came from the tree. They were quite successful as far as flavour was concerned, but they dried a darker colour.