Drying Guide
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| APPROX. |
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FRUITS | VARIETIES BEST | PREPARATION | DRY TIME | TEST FOR DONENESS |
| FOR DRYING |
| at 140° F ** | AT MIN. DRY TIME |
Apples* | Firm varieties: Graven | Wash, peel if desired, core and slice | Pliable to crisp. Dried | |
| Stein, Granny Smith, | into 1/8” slices. |
| apples store best when |
| Jonathan, Winesap, |
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| they are slightly crisp. |
| Rome Beauty, Newton. |
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Apricots* | Blenheim/Royal most | Wash, halve, and remove pits. | Soft, pliable. | |
| common. Tilton also good. |
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Bananas* | Firm varieties | Peel and cut into 1/4” slices. | Pliable to crisp. | |
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Cherries | Lambert, Royal Ann, | Wash and remove stems. Halve and | Pliable and leathery. | |
| Napoleon, Van or Bing. | remove pits. |
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Nectarines | Freestone varieties. | Halve and remove pits. Peeling | Pliable and leathery. | |
and Peaches* |
| is optional but results in |
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Pears* | Bartlett | Peel, halve and core. | Soft and pliable. | |
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Pineapple | Fresh or canned. | Wash, peel and remove thorny eyes. | Canned: | Soft and pliable. |
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| small core. Cut crosswise into | Fresh: |
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| 1/2” slices. |
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Orange and | Select | Wash well. Thinly peel the outer | Tough to brittle. | |
Lemon Peel | Do not dry the peel of fruit | 1/16 to 1/8” of the peel. Do not use |
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| marked “color added”. | the white bitter pith under the peel. |
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VEGETABLES |
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Tomatoes | Plum, Roma | Halve, remove seeds. Place tomatoes | Tough to crisp. | |
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| skin side up on rack. Prick skins. |
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Carrots | Danvers Half Long, | Do not use carrots with woody fiber | Tough to brittle. | |
| Imperator, Red Cored | or pithy core. Wash, trim tops and |
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| Chantenay | peel if desired. Slice crosswise or |
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| diagonally into 1/4” slices. Steam |
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| blanch for 3 min. |
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Hot Peppers | Ancho, Anaheim | Wash, halve and seed. Prick | Pods should appear | |
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| skin several times. |
| shriveled, dark red and crisp. |
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HERBS |
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Parsley, Mint, |
| Rinse in cold water. Pat dry with a | Brittle and crumbly. | |
Cilantro, Sage, |
| paper towel. Leave stems on until |
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Oregano |
| leaves are dry, then discard. |
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Basil |
| Cut leaves 3 to 4” from top of plant | Brittle and crumbly. | |
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| just as buds appear. Rinse leaves in |
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| cold water. |
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*Fruits requiring an antioxidant to prevent discoloration and loss of nutrients. Refer to the notes on page 26 for specific methods.
**12 Hour Off will not occur during drying functions.
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