Dry Food Preservation - Pre-Treatments

Air drying is ideal in areas with low moisture and plenty of sun but can take up to 2 weeks. In modern times, we use forced air drying, which only takes a few hours. Forced air drying is simply a food dehydrator you can purchase at stores like Walmart or Target. Before placing your food in a forced drier, you should pre treat your products. The drying technique is best for low water content foods like bananas. Below are some popular methods of pre-treatments:

source: http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/12-healthiest-dried-fruits.html

Sulfuring: (TRY OUTSIDE IN AN OPEN AREA)

1. Use 1 tbsp of sublimed sulfur per pound of fruit, scatter on the base of a box. The box can be cardboard or wooden as long as it has a closable vent.

2. Lay fruit on a rack 10 inches above the sulfur.

3. Ignite the sulfur (IMPORTANT: Do NOT breath in the fumes)

4. Allow fumes to permeate the food.

5. Close the vent once 2/3 of the sulfur has burned out for 10 minutes.

6. Seal tightly for approximately one hour before opening.

7. Ready to place in dehydrator

Sulfuring will preserve the color and texture of the fruit, however there will be an aftertaste. If you are hesitant about lighting the sulfur on fire, try the sulfiting method.

Sulfiting:

1. Pour one gallon of water in a glass or stainless steel bowl

• (DO NOT USE cast iron or aluminum bowls)

1. Add 1 tablespoon of food grade sodium bisulfite.

2. Mix ingredients to create solution.

3. Add the fruit to the solution and let sit for 10 minutes.

4. Remove fruit from solution and rinse with cold tap water.

5. Ready to place in dehydrator

Sulfiting will also preserve the color and texture, but not as well as sulfiting. It will also leave an aftertaste. If you don't want to use sulfur at all, try Syrup Blanching.

Syrup Blanching:

For each 1 1/2 pounds of fruit follow the steps below:

1. Pour 1 cup of sugar or 1 cup of corn syrup in pot.

2. Add 2 cups of water.

3. Add the 1 1/2 pounds of fruit.

4. Let ingredients simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes.

6. Ready to place in dehydrator.

Syrup blanching will not leave the sulfur aftertaste but the texture is not as great as the two previous methods. The heat also reduces the vitamin A and C.

If the previous pretreatments are not your favorite, there is an alternative called Steam Blanching.

Steam Blanching:

1. Create an ascorbic solution such as lemon juice

2. Dip fruit in solution

3. Place dipped fruit in a steamer until it the fruit is heated through

4. Remove from heat and rinse with cold tap water (this will stop the cooking process)

5. Ready to place in dehydrator

Steam Blanching is an easy and inexpensive way to pre treat your food, however, keep in mind that the texture will be poor, along with the color, and flavor. Nutrients will also be lost during the process. If you want to extend the shelf life even more, you can add one tablespoon of sulfite to the boiling water, the steam will permeate the fruit, this is called Steam Blanching with Added Sodium Bisulfite.

Once you have pre-treated your foods and dehydrated them, store them in an air tight container. To extend their life even longer, try refrigerating your dried food.