Usually, ripe apricots cannot be stored for a long time, so dried apricots are made from them. From one fruit, not one dried apricots are obtained, but two at once. For its manufacture, they take fruits from which the stone is easily separated.
Please put your likes and subscribe to the channel "About Fasenda". This will allow us to publish more interesting garden articles.
Secrets of choosing a product
Soft, rotten and damaged fruits are not suitable for drying, you need fresh apricots plucked directly from the tree. They should be firm to the touch. Drying is best done in July, during this period the fruits are most suitable for it, and the sun is the most active.
Drying temperature
Temperature required to dry the apricot:
- In the oven, it should first be 45 degrees, and then it must be slowly raised to 60-75 °.
- Outside, under the sun, apricots should lie for 12 days at a temperature of 30 °.
- In an electric dryer, the temperature should be 55-70 degrees.
- In the airfryer, 65 degrees is enough.
How to dry apricots
You cannot wash the ready-made dried apricots, otherwise it will lose all its useful properties, therefore, the apricots are washed before they are dried. Then they are divided into two halves and the bones are removed. If during this time larvae or dark spots are found inside, the fruits are immediately thrown away, because they are not suitable for drying.
In the oven
Put a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet and place the apricots with the pulp facing up. Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf. Set the temperature to ~ 40 °. After 3 hours, increase it to 60 ° and open the oven door slightly so that the vapors can escape freely. 2 hours before cooking, you need to reduce the temperature by 10 °. In total, the entire cooking process should take about 10 hours.
To make the color more beautiful, you need to hold the apricots in a colander over boiling slightly sweet water.
Before drying, it is still worth holding the apricots in a solution of water and citric acid (1 spoon per 2 liters). This will make the color brighter.
Under the sun
The fruits should be spread out with the pulp up, not too tightly to each other. They should lie in the shade for 3 hours, and then they should be transferred to a metal grate and placed in the sun. If it starts to rain, the fruits must be brought into the house. After 10-14 days the dried apricots will be ready.
In the microwave
The process must be constantly monitored so that the fruits dry out, but do not burn out. Power should not exceed 300. The starting time is 3 minutes. If dried apricots are not ready, you need to put them on for another 30 seconds.
In an electric dryer
Drying will take 8.5 hours. The first 1.5 the temperature should be 50 °, then 6 hours - 65 °, and the last hour is also 50 °.
Outdoors
You need to string the apricots on a thread or on skewers. Place or hang them to dry in a well-ventilated place. Drying will take 10 to 12 days.
You can also spread the fruit between two plastic nets. In addition to drying, it will also protect against insects.
How to store dried apricots
After a while, dried apricots can darken, sometimes bugs start in it, so it must be stored in a dark and cold place.
A plastic or glass container with a lid is suitable as a storage place. You can store dried fruits in a wooden box or in the refrigerator.
A good dried apricot should be elastic, and when pressed, in no case should juice be released from it. The color should be bright orange.
Other cooking tips
- Fruits should be chosen as medium or small, large ones are more difficult to dry.
- Dried apricots in the oven are not as tasty and beautiful as the one dried under the sun.
- During drying, you need to periodically turn the fruits over.
- If you dry your apricots outside, be sure to cover them with gauze to keep out insects.
- During drying in the oven, care must be taken that the temperature does not exceed 70 degrees, otherwise they may burn.
If you bought dried apricots from a store, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes so that all preservatives come out of it. Remember that homemade dried apricots are much safer and healthier than purchased ones.
Do you cook homemade dried apricots?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
Read about the treatment of apple trees from pests in the following article:How to treat apple trees from diseases and pests in early spring