Drying fruit and flowers

Autumn is traditionally the time for preserving produce, and there is a process which has been around since time immemorial, although may be a new one for most of us now: drying.  Efforts now can be aided by the arrival of a new food-drying machine - like an efficient-looking minature white chest of drawers with a wire and plug attached to one side (http://www.shopwiki.co.uk/l/Food-dehydrators).

In Italy in particular many families possess such a machine, which they use mainly for drying their porcini mushrooms or preparing such delicacies as sun-dried tomatoes, peppers or herb mixtures, which can be given away as presents or stored for enjoyment during the winter.

Drying works by eliminating the moisture in which the enzymes, bacteria, yeasts and fungi that might otherwise start to destroy the produce thrive.  You don't, stricly speaking, need a spcial machine to do the job.  Many people dry produce ina low oven (45 - 55C) or an Aga, or even in an airing cupboard, though the latter can take several days.

The advantage of a dryer is that the produce can be kept well ventilated at a constant temperature.  From the moment you first turn on themachine, it gives off a reassuring whirr as warm air is passed over the fruit or vegetables, which you have washed and sliced and spread out in the drawers.  All you have to do is check the produce form time to time, and turn it occasionally.

There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to drying times, but it's recommended to try seven to nine hours for sun-dried tomatoes, although less time would produce jucier produce.

If you can resist the temptation to devour the fruits of your labours straight away, dried tomatoes can be stored in air-tight jars with a dousing of extra virgin olive oil.  

Bananas can be sliced and dried for a couple of hours 'til they are the consistency of sticky toffee, whilst apricots, plums and peaches all preserve well.  Dryers also make a more efficient (if less picturesque) alternative for drying herbs and flowers than hanging them in bundled branches from the ceiling.  Roughly chop the leaves and spread in the drawers for one to two hours; they can be crumbled or whizzed through a blender when dry.

Delicious though the dried produce undeniably is, the produce is not a shadow of its former juicy hydrated self, and the vitamin content is severely depleted.  But the dryer comes into its own for preserving food such as mushrooms, which have a poor shelf life and are always good to have around in dried instant format; and to make the most of a seasonal glut, either in the garden or at the market.

Drying is just one of the methods of preserving food (see How to Store Your Garden Produce, by Piers Warren, from Green Books 01803 863260 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Store-Your-Garden-Produce-Self-sufficiency/dp/190032217X). 

Other ways of preserving produce include freezing, bottling, salting, fermenting and dry storage, also wine, jams, pickles and chutney.  


Another useful book is Simple Pleasure of the Garden by Susannah Seton (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Pleasures-Garden-Stories-Abundant/dp/1573245011).

See also: http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipes/drying-food