Dehydrated Apple or Fuyu Persimmon Slices
Preserving apples or Fuyu persimmons through dehydration renders very sweet dried fruit that will keep for up to a year. Enjoy on its own or add chopped dried fruit to other recipes, such as muesli, granola, quick breads, muffins, salads and so on.
Ingredients
- Apples or Fuyu persimmons, unpeeled
Instructions
- Wash and pat fruit dry. Remove the cores from the tops of the persimmons. Cut fruit crosswise into slices a scant ¼-inch thick. Remove seeds from the apples. Fuyu persimmons may or may not have seeds. Remove any.
- Spread the fruit slices on metal cooling racks set on cookie sheets to allow air to circulate around the slices. Dry in the oven at a very low temperature (at least 140°F; our lowest temperature is 170°F). Your fruit may dry out in 3 hours or in 8 hours or longer, depending on the fruit type and oven temperature. Check its progress after 2 hours. If you have prepared several trays of fruit, rotate them in the oven every 2 hours.
- The fruit is ready when it no longer feels sticky and has become leathery. Apples will be more brittle than persimmons and both will still remain somewhat pliable.
- Allow the dehydrated fruit slices to completely cool. Store packed loosely in glass jars at room temperature. For the first week, check the jars for condensation. If you notice any moisture, return the fruit to the oven to dehydrate further. Moisture can cause mold to develop. Once completely dehydrated, the fruit will keep for up to a year, depending on your kitchen temperature.
Notes
The less moisture these contain, the longer they will keep.