Description
Dried apples, they are the most common drying, one of the easiest and fastest preparations for the winter. Also, this treat is also incredibly useful, because apples, even after drying, will retain all their useful qualities. There are really a lot of varieties of this dietary fruit, so you can safely choose the apples that you like the most according to your taste. The only thing to remember is that after drying, the flavor characteristics of the apple will become very concentrated. In this case, if you have chosen too sour apples, they will become several times more sour when dried. Keep this in mind when choosing fruits to create a blank.
As for the drying process itself, then you should not have any difficulties, because below we have prepared a step-by-step photo recipe that will clearly show you everything. There are several ways to cook dried apples: you can dry them in a special electric dryer or in a conventional oven. In this recipe, we will use the oven, because every home probably has it. The calorie content of dried apples is very low, so absolutely everyone can eat them and in almost any quantity. Our recipe turned out to be somewhat extraordinary, because we will dry apples with lemon and cinnamon, which will give the finished dryers an unusual taste and pleasant aroma. Let's start cooking dried apples for the winter at home.
Ingredients
Dried apples - cooking recipe
How to cook dried apples in the oven? The first thing to do is to choose the fruit itself. It is best to choose moderately sweet fruits with a slight sourness, then the finished drying will turn out to be balanced in taste. You also need to prepare all the other ingredients..
We wash the selected apples in cold water several times, remove the stalks, cut the fruits in half and carefully cut out the cores. The thin skin of apples can not be peeled.
Cut the peeled and prepared halves into not too thin slices as shown in the photo. It is best if all the slices are the same size. We put the slices in a deep bowl or just leave it on a plank.
You don’t need to wash the lemon before cooking, just squeeze all the juice out of it in any convenient way. A manual juicer is perfect for this purpose.
At this stage, we need a fairly voluminous and deep enameled pan, we put all the prepared apple slices into it, each layer, if it is not one, is covered with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Also, the layers must be moistened with lemon juice squeezed out by us in advance..
On top of the last layer of apples, we expose a flat plate, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the pan, on top of it we put a glass jar filled with water. We send the blank for the whole night in the refrigerator or on the balcony, if it is cold enough there.
After the specified time, we remove the oppression, pass the contents of the pan through a colander and thereby separate the apple slices from the resulting liquid. This very juice can already be preserved for the winter: you will get very tender and tasty apple nectar.
You can store such a blank both in glass and tin cans, very often drying is also stored in fabric bags, which is also very convenient. Dried apples at home for the winter are ready.
In winter, the body experiences an acute shortage of nutrients, which usually leads to spring outbreaks of disease as a result of beriberi. You can prevent vitamin deficiency by eating a large amount of fresh fruits, vegetables and berries in the summer, as well as harvesting them for the winter in the most gentle way.
Jam and preservation have significant drawbacks: heat treatment leads to the destruction of carbohydrates (by 60 * C) and organic acids (by 80 * C), and the addition of stabilizers and preservatives reduces the benefit of the product to a negative value. Therefore, drying is rightfully considered the most effective and simple method of creating winter stocks.
general information
Drying is a process of evaporating moisture from a product, as a result of which it loses up to 80% of its mass and half of its volume, while retaining up to 90% of all useful substances.
The most common drying method is traditional drying in the sun. The main advantages of this method:
- Environmental friendliness. Fruit does not need any additional processing, even sugar is not required;
- Cheapness. No electricity or gas costs;
- Benefit. A product saturated with solar energy has increased benefits for the body.
This method also has its drawbacks.:
- Weak availability. Only owners of private households can afford drying outdoors;
- Low speed. Drying can take up to 2-3 days depending on the weather;
- Lack of hygienic conditions.
Flies that carry various infectious diseases sit on shields with dried fruits, and wasps that eat up to 5% of chopped apples.
However, technology does not stand still, and today other tools for fruit drying are available for residents of megacities:
- Microwave;
- Electric or gas oven;
- Special drying cabinets.
Benefit
Dried dried fruits have a number of advantages over other types of preparations:
- Retain natural taste and smell;
- Easy to prepare;
- Stored for a long time (from 6 to 12 months);
- Doesn't require a lot of storage space.
How to dry apples:
Dried apples contain a variety of useful substances for the body:
- Vitamins of groups A, B, C, as well as vitamin PP;
- Minerals: potassium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, copper. They have a beneficial effect on the processes of digestion and hematopoiesis, improve metabolism;
- Pectin. Lowers cholesterol, accelerates metabolism and normalizes peripheral circulation;
- Iodine. An indispensable building element for many hormones, improves the functioning of the thyroid gland, increases the body's immune defenses;
- Sugar in the beneficial form of fructose. Has a direct impact on the energy balance in various organs and tissues;
- Cellulose. A vital component of food, necessary for the activation of gastrointestinal motility.
IMPORTANT: In addition, dried apples retain most of the phytoncides that inhibit the development of pathogenic fungi and bacteria.
Suitable varieties
For drying, apples that meet the criteria are best:
- Firm, with well-structured pulp;
- Sour or sweet and sour.
The most common varieties used for drying:
- Antonovka. Medium-sized fruits (120-300 grams). Mature skin color is green. The shape of the apple is oval-conical with pronounced ribbing. A characteristic feature is a specific sour taste;
Ripens in early autumn.
- Jonathan. American variety of red apples. The shape is a classic flat-round. The fruits are small - from 100 to 150 grams. Differ in saturated wine-sweet taste;
- Golden Delicious. One of the most popular varieties due to its juicy and tasty pulp. Medium apples - up to 200 grams. The crop is harvested in October-November;
- Antey. Winter red hybrid weighing about 200-300 grams. The shape of apples is conical. A characteristic varietal feature is a bluish wax coating on the peel;
- Pepin saffron. Oval-conical red-green apples. More than 140 grams do not grow. Creamy pulp has a pronounced sweet and sour taste and spicy aroma;
- Mekintosh. A popular American autumn-winter variety. The mature skin is pink with a striped blush. The taste is sweet and sour with a candy aroma.
Drying Recipe:
Fruit preparation
Step-by-step instructions for preparing apples for drying:
- Select whole and not overripe apples;
- Wash them under running water using a soft brush;
- Trim bumped, wrinkled, rotten or wormy fragments;
- Remove the core with a special cylindrical knife. In the absence of this tool, you can use an ordinary knife, but then the apple must first be cut into quarters;
- Depending on the purpose of drying, remove or leave the peel. If dried fruits will be used for cooking compotes, it is better to leave the skin, in other cases, remove it;
- Cut apples into pieces 2*2 cm in size, no more than 8 mm thick.
REFERENCE: In most cases, apples begin to darken even before drying, therefore, to preserve their presentation, it is recommended to first hold them in a weak saline solution for 2 minutes. The salt concentration is taken at the rate of 10 grams per 5 liters of liquid.
How to cook at home?
In the sun
Prepared apples are laid out on boards in one layer with a small distance between the pieces. Shields are most often made of plywood with sides of stuffed glazing beads. Then the container with future dried fruits is placed in a well-lit, ventilated place. Roofs of outbuildings are best suited for these purposes.
In the southern regions, drying can last up to 48 hours in good weather, in the middle lane - up to 72-96 hours. It is necessary to remove the shields under the canopy in a timely manner during rain, as well as at night.
You need to make sure that chopped fruit does not become a delicacy for birds.
In the oven
A gas or electric oven allows you to dry fruits in an apartment environment in a short time. Baking trays are not suitable for drying, as they lead to burning of apples on one side. Therefore, the process is carried out using a grid.
Drying is carried out in 3 stages:
- At a temperature of 50 * C with ajar door. There is an intensive evaporation of moisture within 2 hours;
- In a hermetically sealed oven at 70-80*C. Apples lose half their mass and almost reach the condition. The process takes up to 3 hours;
- Final drying on low mode (40-50*C) for 1-2 hours.
IMPORTANT: Ovens equipped with convection mode can reduce the drying time by 2 times
.In an electric dryer
The electric dryer simulates the natural conditions for drying apples and allows you to process a large number of fruits at the same time. These devices are equipped with special program modes, thanks to which the user only has to spread the fruit on special pallets, set the appropriate program and close the lid.
Recipes with and without sugar
Popular recipes for drying apples:
- The sliced \u200b\u200bsections are placed in a saucepan, sprinkled with sugar, and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Then the juice is drained and the fruits are laid out on the grate in one layer;
Drying is carried out for 3-4 hours in the mode of 60-70*C until fully prepared.
- Different varieties of apples are cut, sprinkled with sugar with the addition of citric acid. Leave overnight at room temperature. In the morning they begin drying in the open air;
- Sliced fruits are soaked for a day in strong sugar syrup. Apples prepared in this way, after drying, become like candied fruits and are ideal for making desserts.
And other dried fruits.
- Firstly, dried apples are stored for a very long time and without problems.
- Secondly, they take up very little space compared to other methods.
- Thirdly, dried fruits are useful. When dried, almost all useful substances and sugars are preserved in apples, because the fruits are not exposed to high temperatures.
- Fourthly, drying apples requires a minimum of labor if modern housewife tools are used.
Variety selection
We choose large or medium apples with a thin skin and a small seed box. This choice gives a small amount of waste and a large amount of raw materials.When choosing apples for drying, first of all, pay attention to the autumn varieties of sweet and sour taste. Not only taste, but also a large amount of solids distinguishes these apples from others. Sweet apples very often do not have a pronounced taste after drying, which many may not like.
The best varieties for drying are Antonovka, Pepin, Aport. I tried to dry Sinap Orlovsky, but I was disappointed with the taste. Probably because this is a winter variety, and for drying it is worth taking good quality carrion, if you really want to dry winter varieties.
At the same time, my summer varieties passed the drying test well. And the taste is what you need, and the quality of the raw materials. Maybe due to the sour taste of some varieties.
But this is not the only secret! The main thing is to properly prepare the apples.
How to prepare apples for drying?
- Process apples not all at once, but in portions. Half a bucket is about a serving. This is necessary so that they do not have time to oxidize and darken. Better yet, use a saline solution to stop the oxidation and keep the apple slices nicely light in color (more on the saline solution below).
- Before drying, apples need to be washed and wiped, excess moisture will lengthen the drying process.
- The next step is to remove the core. You can do this with a special device in the form of a tube with sharp edges, or you can do it the old fashioned way, cutting it into quarters and cutting out the inedible parts with a knife. If you cook dried fruits exclusively for compote, then you can not cut the core at all.
- I believe that peeling is an unforgivable blasphemy in relation to nutrients, but this is only for my apples. If we are talking about bought in a supermarket, it may make sense to peel the fruit.
- Next, cut the apples with a knife or, for advanced ones, using a household slicer. The thickness of the pieces in the cut should be no more than 5 mm.
- Salt treatment. Sliced apples are kept for 4 minutes in a solution of 1% sodium chloride (100 g of salt per bucket of water). Here is a natural brightener that will make your dried apples look both lighter and prettier. It will also protect against insects and, as a preservative, will increase the shelf life of the slices.
- Treatment with sulfuric acid solution. Before drying, apples can be kept for 3 minutes in a 0.2% aqueous solution of sulfurous acid (1 g of acid per 1 liter of water). This will preserve the color during storage and scare away those who are ready to eat the fruits of your labors. Use the basket as you would for blanching. For those who like to gnaw on ready-made dry raw materials, I recommend scalding the "chips" with boiling water before use.
Drying methods
1. Outdoor drying
Drying apples in the sun is the oldest, but not the most convenient way to harvest dried fruits. It is suitable for hot regions with a lot of sunny days. It is unlikely that it will be possible to dry apples in the open air in autumn, the air must be hot so that the apples do not rot, but quickly wither. Therefore, summer varieties are usually dried this way. The advantage of this method is that in a practically unlimited space for drying, you can dry everything at once. The disadvantages are many.Apples are cut into thin slices or circles and laid out on wide baking sheets or grids in one layer. They need to be turned over every day.
Another option is to string apples on strings or sticks and hang them up. To protect against others (no one likes wormy dried fruits), you need to cover the apples with fine gauze folded 1-2 times (which, however, is not a guarantee). It is unacceptable for rain to fall on the fruits. If all conditions are met, then the apples will dry in the hot sun in 3-4 days. If dried in the shade, it will take a little longer, up to 7-8 days.
2. Drying in the oven, on the stove, in the oven
In the oven apples are harvested by many housewives. Apples need to be spread out evenly in 1 row on baking sheets or better on grids. We turn on the oven on low heat or set the temperature to about 75 ° C, slightly opening the door to the size of the palm of your hand. At the end of drying, the temperature can be lowered to 50-55 °C. Check and, if necessary, stir the apples every one and a half to two hours. After about 7 hours, the slices will dry. At the end of cooking, the apples should be pale, in no case brown or burnt.Some dry apples over gas stove, stringing slices on threads, spreading them on high wire racks or directly on a baking sheet - as desired. Such drying is quite fast, it takes 2 hours, but it requires constant attention and experience: until you determine the empirically necessary burner mode, drying height, cooking time, you can ruin a lot of fruits and nerves.
3. Drying in an electric dryer
Having tried the above methods, this year I found the best one: electric drying. With the help of such a simple device, in a short time, dry apples not only for your compote, but also for your neighbors and friends.This is the easiest way to dry apples. Cut into slices no more than 5 mm thick, lay evenly in an electric dryer, set the required temperature, and in a couple of hours you will get the finished product! Apples will not burn, insects will not eat them, they will dry quickly and correctly.
You can choose a convenient electric dryer for fruits and vegetables in our catalog, which contains offers from various online stores.
Dryer - self-assembly 50x50 cm
1 100 rub
Russian Garden
Dryer for vegetables centek ct-1657
2 460 rub
All tools are new
Do not be afraid of the different colors of finished raw materials. The color depends on what variety you have: summer, winter or autumn. The pulp of winter is darker, summer is lighter, and summer ones dry faster than winter ones. The color also depends on the drying method and pre-treatment and can vary from greenish cream to dark brown. But still, it should be borne in mind that vitamins are destroyed in overdried brown fruits, but in lighter and more elastic vitamins are preserved, such fruits are dried correctly.
How to store dried apples?
Finally we dried as much as we could. But how can we save our work?After drying, you need to select pieces separately, which should still lie down and dry, the rest I pour into a pillowcase from a pillow so that the whole friendly company lies down and acquires the same level of humidity. So they lie for a couple of weeks, and then crumble into cloth bags.
You can also use paper or cardboard boxes, but don't store apples in plastic bags or plastic containers as they can suffocate and become moldy.
So, I hope, thanks to these tips, you will dry up delicious apples for the whole winter for your family, if you have not already started this activity. If you make such blanks every year, share your secrets for drying apples. What varieties do you use and how do you dry them? Tell us about all the successes and failures in harvesting so that others do not step on the same rake :)
Dried tomatoes with herbs.
Ingredients:
- 2 kg small fleshy tomatoes
- 20 g garlic
- 10 g salt
- 5 g dried Italian herbs
- 3 g ground black pepper
Cooking method:
To cook sun-dried tomatoes at home, you need to cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and partitions. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, place the tomatoes cut side up, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Put in an oven preheated to 100 ° C for 4-5 hours. Heat the vegetable oil, but do not boil. Put sun-dried tomatoes in a jar, sprinkle with finely chopped garlic, pour hot oil so that it completely covers the tomatoes. Immediately close the jar with a lid. Store the sun-dried tomatoes according to this recipe in a dark, cool place.
Sun-dried tomatoes with pepper and garlic.
Ingredients:
- 1.5-1.8 kg small fleshy tomatoes
- 100 g garlic
- 100 g fresh hot pepper
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 10 g salt
- 5 g dried herb mixture
Cooking method:
Before cooking sun-dried tomatoes, they need to be washed, cut in half, the seeds carefully removed with a spoon. Cut the hot pepper into rings 1 cm thick, removing the seeds. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, place the tomatoes, cut side up, and sprinkle with salt and herbs. Place in an oven preheated to 100 ° C for 2 hours, leave the door ajar. Then put hot pepper rings on a baking sheet, dry for another 2 hours. Transfer warm tomatoes and peppers dried in the oven into a prepared jar, sprinkling with finely chopped garlic. Ignite the oil, cool, pour over the vegetables. Keep refrigerated.
STEP #1 
STEP #2
STEP #3 
STEP #4
STEP #5 
STEP #6
STEP #7 
STEP #8
Sun dried tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 3 kg tomatoes
- 5-7 g salt
Cooking method:
Wash, dry, small fleshy tomatoes, cut each in half and carefully remove the seeds. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on parchment paper-lined trays, sprinkle with salt, cover with cheesecloth and place in the sun. The air temperature should not be lower than 32-33 °C. Dried for 7-8 days. Clean up the room at night. Place sun-dried tomatoes in an airtight container and store in a cool, dark place.
Microwave dried tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 2 kg tomatoes
- 150-200 ml vegetable oil
- 10 g garlic
- 10g salt
- 3 g ground black pepper
- 5 g dried herb mix (basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram)
Cooking method:
To prepare sun-dried tomatoes for the winter, cut small firm tomatoes into quarters and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, pepper and herb mixture. Lay in a single layer on a platter. Put in a microwave oven and heat at maximum power for 2-3 minutes. Then remove, drain the released liquid, let the tomatoes cool. Repeat the procedure 3-4 times. At the last heating, sprinkle the tomatoes with finely chopped garlic. Ready-made tomatoes should be elastic, but when pressed, juice should not stand out from them. Transfer sun-dried tomatoes to a clean, dry jar. Ignite the oil, cool and pour over the tomatoes. Cover the jar of dried vegetables with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
See photos of dried tomatoes according to these recipes:
Dried eggplants in oil.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg eggplant
- 15 g garlic
- 10g salt
- 10 g dried basil
- 10 g dried dill
- a pinch of ground hot pepper
- 5 g ground paprika
- 5 g ground black pepper
Cooking method:
Peel the eggplant, cut into slices 5-8 mm thick, sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes. Then blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Dry, put on a baking sheet covered with parchment in one layer. Sprinkle with a mixture of salt, herbs and spices. Dried eggplants in an oven preheated to 120 ° C for 2.5-3 hours. Put warm eggplants in a sterilized jar, sprinkling with chopped garlic, do not compact. Pour the calcined vegetable oil into the jar. Store dried vegetables according to this recipe in the refrigerator.
Dried bell pepper.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg red bell pepper
- 20 g garlic
- 10 g fresh hot pepper
- 3-5 g dried Italian herbs
- 5 g salt
- 250 ml vegetable oil
Cooking method:
Before drying vegetables, bell pepper must be cleaned of seeds, cut into medium slices. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with salt. Dried in an oven preheated to 1-20 ° C for 2.5 hours. Then sprinkle with herbs and keep in the oven until cooked. Place dried peppers in sterilized jars, sprinkle with chopped garlic and hot pepper rings, pour over warm oil.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg zucchini
- 500 g sugar
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 15 ml cognac (optional)
Cooking method:
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, remove the peel and seeds, cut into half rings 1.5-2 cm thick. Add half the norm of sugar, lemon zest and juice, leave for 5-6 hours. Stir gently from time to time. Pour the resulting liquid into a separate bowl, add the remaining sugar to it, bring to a boil. Dip the zucchini in syrup, pour in brandy (optional), cook over low heat until transparent (2-3 minutes). Then remove from heat and leave the zucchini in syrup for 5-10 minutes. After recline in a colander, allow excess liquid to drain. Put prepared zucchini on a baking sheet or electric dryer grate. Dried at a temperature of 60-65 ° C until cooked. Store dried vegetables in a dryer or baking sheet in a dry, airtight container.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg tomatoes
- 500 g eggplant
- 500 g bell pepper
- 250 ml vegetable oil
- 20 g garlic
- 10g dried herbs to taste
- 5 g salt
- ground black pepper
Cooking method:
Cut the tomatoes in half, remove some of the pulp with seeds. Bulgarian pepper cut into slices, peeled eggplant - thick semicircular slices. Place vegetables on a baking sheet lined with paper, sprinkle with salt, pepper, dried herbs, chopped garlic and brush with a little oil. Dried in a slightly preheated oven for 3 hours. Take out some of the vegetables that have already dried up. Keep the rest in the oven for another 2-3 hours. Check readiness every hour. Put dried vegetables for the winter in jars, pour warm calcined oil, seal tightly. Keep refrigerated.
Dried apricots with sugar.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg apricots
- 1 kg sugar
- 500 ml water
Cooking method:
Dense apricots cut lengthwise into 2 parts, remove the seeds. Make syrup from water and sugar. Dip apricots into it, remove from heat and leave for 8-10 hours. Then drain the syrup. Put apricots on a baking sheet covered with parchment, leave in a warm, dry place for 10-12 days. You can also dry in an oven preheated to 100 ° C or in an electric dryer for 6-7 hours. During drying, the fruits must be turned over once. Store dried apricots in a glass container in a dark place.
Home dried apricots.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg apricots
- 650 g sugar
- 350 ml water
Cooking method:
Wash slightly unripe fruits thoroughly, cut lengthwise, remove the seeds. Put in a wide basin, sprinkle with 300 g sugar and leave overnight. Drain the released juice (it will no longer be needed, it can be used to make compotes). From the remaining sugar and water, boil the syrup. Pour apricots with hot syrup, leave for 7-10 minutes. Then recline in a colander, let the syrup drain. Lay the apricot halves on a wire rack, place in the oven, place a baking sheet underneath to catch the dripping syrup. Dried at a temperature of 65 ° C for 5-6 hours. Then let cool, turn over, place in the oven again and continue to dry until cooked. Dried at home store apricots in an airtight container.
Dried plums with sugar.
Ingredients:
- 2 kg plums
- 1-1.5 kg of sugar
Cooking method:
Dense plums cut lengthwise into 2 parts, remove the seeds. Put in a wide basin, sprinkle with sugar and leave until the juice is released. Put on fire, heat for 3-4 minutes. Plums should change color, but the skin should not separate. Remove from heat, leave the plums in the syrup for 5-6 hours. Then drain the syrup. Put the plums on a tray or baking sheet and dry in a warm, dry place for 10-1 2 days. You can dry in an electric dryer at a temperature of 60 ° C for 9 hours or in an oven at a temperature of 100 ° C for 7-8 hours.
Dried spicy plums.
Ingredients:
- 2 kg plums
- 20 g garlic
- 10 g salt
- 10 g dried Italian herbs
- a pinch of ground black and allspice
- 200-250 ml vegetable oil
Cooking method:
Cut plums in half, remove pits. Lay on a sheet cut side up, sprinkle with a mixture of salt and spices. Put in the oven, preheated to 100 ° C, for 4-5 hours. Then sprinkle with finely chopped garlic and keep in a warm oven for another 30-40 minutes. Ignite the oil, let it cool. Put dried plums in clean, dry jars and pour oil over them. After cooling, the dried plums according to this recipe are stored in the refrigerator.
STEP #1 
STEP #2
STEP #3 
STEP #4
Ingredients:
- 2 kg ripe plums
- 1 liter of water
- 10 g soda
Cooking method:
Wash the plums, remove the stones through a cross-shaped incision from the side of the stalk. Bring water with soda to a boil, remove from heat. Place part of the plums in a sieve or colander, dip in water with soda for 30 seconds, then immediately rinse with warm water. Blanch all plums in this way, let the liquid drain. Dry the plums, put on a baking sheet covered with paper and put in the oven, heated to 50-55 ° C, for 3-4 hours. Then remove from the oven, mix and let cool. Place the plums back in the oven for 4 hours, but raise the temperature to 70°C. Remove, stir and let cool. Raise the oven heat to 90°C and cook the dried plums until tender.
Dried pears in sugar syrup.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg pears
- 300 g sugar
Cooking method:
Before drying fruits, they must be peeled and core, cut into pieces, sprinkled with sugar and left for 8-10 hours, until the juice is released. Then recline in a colander, let the liquid drain (do not pour out the liquid!). Dry the pears in an oven heated to 65-80 ° C until the color changes and part of the liquid evaporates. Put dried pears in sterilized jars. Bring the syrup released from the pears to a boil, pour it into jars and immediately roll them up.
Dried pears.
Ingredients:
- Ripe pears of summer and early autumn varieties
Cooking method:
Small pears can be dried whole, large ones cut into 2-4 parts, remove the core. Put the pears on the grate of the electric dryer or oven. Dried fruits are cooked for 6-7 hours at a temperature of 80-85 °C. Then you need to turn the pears over to the other side and dry for another 6-7 hours at a temperature of 60-65 ° C. When drying in natural conditions, put the pears on a tray covered with gauze, cover with a cloth and put in a warm place for 7-10 days, turn the fruits over once a day.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg firm apples
- 50 g sugar
- 3 g ground cinnamon
Cooking method:
Cut the apples into slices or rings 5-7 mm thick, remove the core. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that they do not touch each other, sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Put in an oven heated to 65 ° C for 3-4 hours. Remove, let cool, turn over and put back in the oven. Repeat the process until the apples are ready. Dried apples should remain soft and elastic, but no juice should be released when pressed. Store home-dried apples in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
- dense apples
Cooking method:
Cut the apples into slices or rings 5-7 mm thick, remove the core. Blanch for 2 minutes in hot salted water (7 g of salt per 1 liter of water), then drain in a colander and let the liquid drain. Dry the apples, put on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at a temperature of about 100 ° C. Leave the door ajar. Stir apples from time to time. Store dried apples in an airtight container.
Dried peaches.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg peaches
- 1 liter of water
- 20 g soda
Cooking method:
Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits. Bring water with baking soda to a boil. Blanch the peaches for 1 minute, draining the liquid. Put the prepared peaches on a sheet covered with parchment and dry in the oven at a temperature of 65 ° C for 1 hour. Then turn over and let cool. Put back in the oven and dry at the same temperature for another 1 hour. Repeat the process until the peaches are cooked. Put home-dried fruits in an airtight container and store in a cool place.
Dried melon.
Ingredients:
Cooking method:
Cut the melon pulp into thin slices, put on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Place in a preheated oven at 120°C for 15 minutes. Leave the oven door ajar. Then reduce the heat to 70-80 ° C and dry the melon for 5-6 hours, turning it over from time to time. Store dried melon in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg pitted cherries
- 300 ml water
- 200 g sugar
Cooking method:
Before drying the berries, bring the water to a boil, add sugar. Dip cherries in small portions into syrup and blanch for 7-8 minutes. Drain in a colander, let the syrup drain. Arrange the berries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave in a warm dry place for 10-12 days. Ready dried berries should be stored in a glass container with a lid in a dark place.
In everyday life, you probably often heard the expression "dried foods." But have you ever wondered how a dried product differs, say, from a dried one? In fact, drying is a type of cooking that is quite close to drying, which differs from it in only two features:
Insignificant participation of heat or its complete absence in the drying process;
.gradual, slow drying, and not complete, but 
partial. At the same time, the dried product, unlike the dried one, retains a soft texture and elasticity, while the dried product becomes brittle, brittle and hard.
In the past, products were dried, as a rule, in the open air, in strong winds, but today this process is increasingly carried out in special heating installations: drying cabinets, gas or electric stoves, or a Russian stove (if any). If this year has turned out to be extremely fruitful, and there is no way to process all the vegetables and fruits, the drying method is just what you need. The main thing to remember is that only juicy products that cannot dry completely are dried. The drying process itself looks like this: from fresh fr 
uktov and vegetables, first the juice is separated, and the remaining mass is dried at a temperature not exceeding 65 ° C. As a result, two types of blanks are obtained at once: juice and dried vegetables and fruits. It is very important that during such processing fruits and vegetables are not exposed to high temperatures, which allows them to fully preserve their valuable substances.
Dried product is ready to eat immediately, without any processing. It is quite capable of replacing candy. It can be consumed, for example, with tea or coffee. If you pour dried berries and fruits with hot boiled water and let them brew for two hours, you will get a very tasty and healthy compote. But that's not all. Dried fruits and vegetables are used to prepare fillings for pies, desserts and main courses, added to salads, used as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes, used to decorate cakes, and the juice obtained during the drying process is used to preserve vegetables and fruits or added to compotes. Store home-cooked dried foods in sealed glass jars or paper bags. In such packaging, they are stored for a long time, the main thing is to monitor the temperature and humidity, otherwise the dried food may become damp and moldy.
For any housewife who decides to take up such a simple way of harvesting her crop, it will be useful to find out how dried vegetables and fruits are useful. First of all, drying is good because it almost completely preserves fiber, complex carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, which are so important for the life of the body. In addition, dried foods are a great addition to the diet of women during pregnancy. For those who want to lose weight, it will be useful to know that these wonderful preparations can be eaten at any time of the day, replacing dried foods, such as a sweet bun or chips. This will bring much more benefit to the body.
If you are interested in such an interesting and, in general, inexpensive way as drying vegetables and fruits, it's time to turn to recipes.
Ingredients:
1 kg carrots
200 g sugar
3 g citric acid,
vanillin on the tip of a knife.
Cooking:
Rinse the carrots, peel and cut into slices 0.5 cm thick, then sprinkle with sugar along with citric acid and vanilla, set the oppression and let the carrots stand until the juice is released. Then put on a slow fire and bring to a boil. As soon as the mass begins to boil, remove it from the heat, drain the juice, and place the carrot circles on a baking sheet and dry in the oven so that the carrots remain elastic.
Dried zucchini
Ingredients:
1 kg zucchini,
200 g sugar
5 g vanillin,
5 g citric acid.
Cooking:
Wash the zucchini, peel, remove the core with seeds and cut into equal pieces, sprinkle with sugar, add vanillin and citric acid. Set oppression and put in the cold for 8-10 hours. Then drain the separated juice, boil, pour into sterilized jars and roll up. Dry the remaining zucchini in the oven, put in glass jars, close the lids and store. In the same way, you can wither a melon.
Dried pumpkin with apples
Ingredients:
1 kg pumpkin,
1 kg of apples
400 g sugar.
Cooking:
Wash the pumpkin and apples, peel and core, cut into pieces, sprinkle with sugar, put oppression on top and put in the cold. Soak for 8-10 hours and drain the released juice. After boiling it, pour it into sterilized jars and roll it up. Dry the remaining pumpkin and apples in the oven at a temperature of 60 ° C and place in a glass container.
Ingredients:
1 kg sugar beet,
3 g citric acid.
Cooking:
Wash the beets, pour over with boiling water, peel the skin (like a young potato), cut into slices and place in a saucepan with a thick bottom, adding citric acid. Evaporate the beets under a lid over low heat, making sure that they do not burn, for 2 hours. Then cool the beetroot without removing it from the pan, spread it in one layer on a baking sheet and dry it in the oven at 60°C. Store the dried beets in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Ingredients:
1 kg physalis,
200 g sugar.
Cooking:
For drying, it is best to use physalis varieties "Confectioner" and "Berry".
Remove the covers from the plants, pour over boiling water, wipe each fruit with a cloth, cut in half, sprinkle with sugar and put in the cold for 8-10 hours, then heat to 85 ° C and cool. Remove the fruit from the juice with a slotted spoon and dry in the oven at 65°C. Place in glass jars, close with lids and store. Boil the remaining juice, pour into sterilized jars and roll up.
Ingredients:
1 kg rhubarb stalks,
300 g sugar.
Cooking:
Wash rhubarb stalks in cold water, cut into pieces, sprinkle with sugar, put oppression on top and leave for one day. Drain the juice that stands out, place the remaining petioles on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at a temperature of 60 ° C. Boil the juice with sugar and immediately roll it into a sterilized jar. Place the dried rhubarb in a box or linen bag and store at room temperature in an odor-free place.
They are very good as a preparation for the winter and, moreover, an inexpensive, but tasty snack for all occasions. They can be added to various dishes: soups, meat dishes, pizza.
In the fall, when there are a lot of tomatoes, and nobody eats salted and pickled ones, you can cook delicious tomatoes for the winter in a new way. They came to us from Italian cuisine and every year they gain more and more admirers.
Ingredients:
1.5 kg of tomatoes,
1 tsp provencal herbs,
1 tsp coarse salt,
odorless vegetable oil
garlic - to taste.
Cooking:
Wash the tomatoes, cut in half and remove the stalks at the base of the tomatoes.
Scoop out the seeds along with the juice. Grease a baking sheet with oil or line it with parchment paper. Lay the tomato halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with Provencal herbs, salt, brush with vegetable oil. Put in the oven, heated to a temperature of 100-120 degrees, for 3-4 hours. Open the oven a little to allow the evaporating moisture to escape. Remember to check the tomatoes periodically to make sure they don't dry out (they should stay moist and pliable, but still baked). In the process of cooking, the tomatoes will decrease in size by about 3-4 times. The tomatoes may also cook unevenly, so some may need to be pulled out earlier. Put the finished sun-dried tomatoes in a jar, shifting them with thinly sliced cloves of garlic. Pour in odorless vegetable oil and leave to infuse in the refrigerator. Such a savory snack of sun-dried tomatoes can be stored for quite a long time, up to 3-4 months.
Dried eggplant
Ingredients:
500 g eggplant (preferably young).
For filling:
120-150 ml vegetable oil,
1/4 tsp red hot pepper,
2/3 tsp paprika,
1 large garlic clove,
0.5 tsp basil and rosemary
salt to taste.
Cooking:
Wash and clean the eggplant. Cut into thin slices, about 5 mm thick. Salt and leave for 15-20 minutes to release bitterness. After that, drain the juice and blanch the eggplant for a few minutes. Take out the prepared eggplants and arrange on a baking sheet. Dry at 50°C for 2.5-3 hours. While the eggplants are drying, prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients. When the eggplants are dry (dry on the outside, but soft on the inside), put them in a jar not too tightly, fill with filling and refrigerate for at least a few hours. The longer they stand, the tastier they will be. There is only one remark regarding sun-dried tomatoes and eggplants: you need to store these products only in a filling of oil, since without it they quickly deteriorate. These are the only products that require exactly this method of storage.
Dried apples
Ingredients:
2 kg apples,
200 g sugar.
Cooking:
Wash the apples, peel and core, sprinkle with sugar and put in the cold for 8 hours, putting oppression on top. Drain the juice that stands out, and dry the apples soaked in sugar syrup in the oven at 60 ° C and place in glass jars or boxes. Store at room temperature. Use apple juice immediately or prepare it for the winter, as in previous recipes.
Ingredients:
1 kg pears,
200 g sugar.
Cooking:
Wash the pears, peel, remove the core, cut into slices, sprinkle with sugar, set oppression 
and refrigerate for 8-10 hours. Remove the pears, dry in the oven, put in a glass container for storage, closing it with a lid. Boil the remaining juice with sugar, pour into jars and roll up. In the same way, you can wither plums, apricots and even juicy peaches.
Using the drying method, you can also prepare berries for the winter. They turn out to be no less tasty and healthy than dried vegetables and fruits. And for those who love muesli for breakfast in the morning, this is just a godsend! I added a handful of various dried fruits or berries to the cereal, poured it with yogurt, brewed a little - and a delicious, and most importantly, healthy breakfast is ready!
Dried gooseberries
Ingredients:
1 kg gooseberries,
200 g sugar.
Cooking:
For drying, it is desirable to use a large green unripe gooseberry. Wash the berries, cut along each of them or prick with a fork, sprinkle with sugar, put in the cold for 8-10 hours. After separating the juice, heat the berries to 85 ° C, then remove with a slotted spoon, dry in the oven, put in a glass container, cover with a lid and store in a cool, dry place. Boil the juice, pour into jars and roll up.
Dried cherries can be used in muffins, Easter cakes, various pastries. It can easily replace the usual raisins. Often found in old recipes, “cinnamon” is just dried cherries.
Ingredients:
3 kg cherries
800 g sugar
1 liter of water.
Cooking:
Remove the stalks and rinse the cherries, then remove the seeds in any way convenient for you. Dip pitted cherries in portions (1 kg each) into boiling syrup for 7-8 minutes. Then put the boiled cherries on a sieve, meanwhile lowering a new portion of the fruit into the syrup, thus boil the whole cherry. Let the boiled berries cool down. Once they have cooled and the syrup has drained from them, arrange them on a baking sheet or a large dish, then put them in a dry, shady place. Use the remaining syrup to make compotes or simply add to tea. Turn the berries over after 2-3 days. The cherries will shrink in size and can be transferred to a smaller dish. Literally in 2 weeks, dried cherries are ready. Put it in jars and close the lids, it is stored quite well.
If you do not have an oven or you are concerned about the safety of vitamins in products, use an electric dryer with a temperature controller for drying. Our site has repeatedly presented to your attention reviews of a variety of dryers for vegetables and fruits, so choosing the right model for you is not difficult. Harvest dried vegetables and fruits at a temperature of 30 to 45 ° C, this will slightly increase the cooking time, but the vitamins will be preserved most fully.
Everyone knows that in winter all supplies are good, just prepare, do not be lazy. For some, dried vegetables and fruits will be new. But you should not be afraid of something new, because if you follow our recipes and put a piece of your soul and good mood into your work, everything will certainly work out!
Good luck preparing!
Larisa Shuftaykina
