Fresh apricots are sweet and delicious at harvest time in summer. For a few weeks, they are offered in every supermarket at a reasonable price. Feel free to grab large quantities, because the delicious fruits can be dried well.

Apricots can be air dried in summer

Prepare apricots for drying

Only use ripe fruits that have developed enough sweetness. Only then will you get tasty, high-quality dried fruit. Before the actual drying process can start, a few preparatory work are waiting for you:

  1. First, sort out any damaged and overly soft fruit.
  2. Wash the apricots thoroughly under running water.
  3. Pat the fruit dry with paper towels.
  4. Using a sharp knife, cut each apricot along its natural "seam" and remove the stone.
  5. Chop the apricots into equal-sized pieces or slices.

drying options

There are several ways to dry apricots:

  • in the air
  • in the oven
  • in the dehydrator

Air dry apricots

If temperatures allow, you can dry apricots in warm air.

  • Thread fruit on a string
  • leave some space in between
  • hang in a sunny and airy place
  • let it dry for about two days

In winter you can also spread the apricot pieces on baking paper and dry them on a heater.

Dry in the oven

Fresh apricots dry even faster in an oven. The individual steps are described below:

  1. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Spread the fruit on the tray. The individual pieces should not touch each other.
  3. Dry the fruit at 75 degrees Celsius with top and bottom heat. Leave the oven door ajar to allow moisture to escape.

The drying time can last from 3 to 10 hours depending on the size of the pieces.

Drying in the dehydrator

If you want to dry fruit more often, it might be worth buying a dehydrator. You can use it to dry several layers of fruit at the same time. The drying takes place at low temperatures and is therefore particularly gentle. You can find detailed information on the process in the manufacturer's instructions for use.

How to recognize the optimum degree of drying

No exact time can be given for the drying of the apricots. The size of the fruit and the drying conditions have a significant influence on the duration. It is therefore important to know when the drying process can be stopped. How to recognize optimally dried apricots:

  • they are dry and still pliable
  • no more juice comes out
  • dark spots are natural after drying

tips

Pack dry apricots in cans or jars to protect them from humidity.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Trees