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Try drying summer produce

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Cooperative Extension Corner

Last summer my parents dried bunches of apples in dehydrators, and throughput the winter it sure was good to enjoy fried apple pies and stack cakes made from that dried fruit. My dad even won a prize for the quality of his dried apples at a local food competition.

Have you tried drying as a food preservation method? It's one of the oldest ways to keep food for later use and it's simple, safe, and easy to learn.

Dried foods are popular with campers and backpackers because they are lightweight, don't have to be refrigerated, and they take up little space. Think trail mixes with dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. Or how about fruit leathers and meat jerkies?

Dried fruits and vegetables are handy for families to have on hand and can be reconstituted as needed.

You can dry foods in an oven, in the sun, or in a food dehydrator. However, you have to have the right conditions: warm temperature, low humidity, and air currents.

Favorite foods for sun drying in Western North Carolina have traditionally been apples and leather britches (dried green beans). Vegetables (except for vine-dried beans) and meats aren't recommended for drying outdoors. Fruits, because of their high sugar and acid content are safe to dry outdoors When the conditions are right. But, because of the high humidity in our mountains, sun drying is less reliable than some other methods of drying. High humidity slows down the drying time (as does cooler temperatures) and may allow for mold growth. Fruits dried outdoors must be covered or brought under shelter at night. The cool air condenses and could add moisture back to the food, slowing down the drying process. And, foods dried in the sun need to be protected from soil and pests so it's important to cover them with a clean and sanitary protective netting/screen.

If you want to try sun drying, we have information on making your own solar dryer, an improvement over the traditional method.

In recent years, food dehydrators like my parents used for the apples have become quite popular. Dehydrators are small electrical appliances that dry food quickly at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. With the use of an electric element for heat and a fan and vents for air circulation.

There are two types of dehydrators. One has horizontal air flow and the other has vertical air flow. Some people prefer the horizontal air flow type because you can dry several different foods at one time in it without mixing flavors, there is equal heat penetration, and juices and liquids don't drip down into the heating element.

Many fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable leathers, and meat jerkies can be dried successfully in the dehydrator. Drying times varies based on the density of the food.

Oven drying is another way to dry foods, particularly meat jerkies, fruit leathers, and banana chips. However, it takes two times longer to dry food in an oven than in a dehydrator. The oven just isn't as efficient as a dehydrator and uses more energy.

If you'd like to try your hand at drying with the season's late produce and fall fruits, contact us at Cooperative Extension. We have information that you'll find useful on drying methods, times, recipes, and storage of dried foods.

Also, just a quick reminder that the Gathering In Food Competition at Western Carolina University's Mountain Heritage Day is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 26, and I want to encourage you to enter your best canned fruits and vegetables, pickles, jams, jellies, preserves, sauces, dried foods, and baked goods. Don't forget the "Best in the West Cornmeal Recipe" contest, too. Entry information is available at the Extension Office and at WCU's Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

Remember, you can call us with your food preservation questions at 586-4009.

Cheryl Beck is extension agent for family and Consumer Sciences.



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© 2009 The Sylva Herald & Ruralite Sylva, North Carolina. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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