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Drying Fruit

© Vickie Ferguson

As a follow up to my last article on making swags using dried flowers, fruits and vegetables, I thought it would be helpful to supply instructions on drying your own fruit. A variety of dried items can be purchased from your local craft store, but sometimes it's fun to experiment and make your own. There are several methods for drying, from natural air-drying to the use of dehydrators. But for our purposes, we'll be doing the oven method. Quick and easy. My first experiment with drying oranges was only 50 percent successful. I sliced the orange, and set them out to dry naturally. The end pieces, which had little pulp, mostly skin, dried nicely in several days. The other pieces, though drying daily, had too much moisture and did not dry properly and started to mold. I realized that I did not do anything to remove the moisture. Right now I'm in the process of drying apples, oranges and lemons using the process described below. It's an easy process and unlike drying flowers, it doesn't take as much time. If you have excess fruit and you don't think you'll use it before it spoils, dry it. Store the items in sealed plastic bags or containers and you'll have a surplus of goods whenever you decide to be creative.

Here's what you do to dry apples: First wash and core the apples then cut the apples into ¼" thick slices. Next, mix a solution of equal parts fresh lemon juice and water. Dip the slices into the solution, then place on a cookie sheet. Set your oven at 200 degrees (keep in mind ovens vary). Keep the door slightly ajar as this helps regulate the heat inside the oven as well as keep the air circulating. Place the cookie sheet on the oven rack and be sure it's not close to the oven element, otherwise, the fruit may burn. Bake the slices for eight to ten hours. Turn the slices every so often so they will bake evenly. Remove the slices, let cool completely and, just like that, you have dried apples. String or glue them with other items to create a hanging swag or garland, or use them to accent a dried creation you're designing.

To dry oranges, lemons and limes: Place a thin layer of silica gel on a cookie sheet. Place the orange, lemon and lime slices (about ¼" thick) on top of the gel. Use the same baking procedure described for the apples. Bake eight to ten hours in a 200 degrees oven with door ajar. Turn occasionally for even baking. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Brush off any silica gel that may be attached.

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