Dried Strawberries
How to Make Your Own Dried Strawberries
Dried strawberries make a tasty treat that is good for you. They are a lot easier to carry around for snacks than fresh strawberries. And there is no mess to clean up from dripping juices. Drying is the oldest method of preserving fruit and it has many advantages in today’s busy world.
A strawberry is 90% water. What making dried strawberries does is remove a large percentage of the water without compromising the nutritional content. The moisture content will go down to around 20-25%. There will probably be less vitamin C, but all of the other vitamins and anti-oxidants that are so healthy will remain pretty much unchanged.
Drying fruit is the oldest method of preserving it and is a convenient way to add sugar and fiber to a diet. Being lighter to carry than fresh fruit with no messy juices or peelings, a handful of dried fruit can give an instant energy boost with an injection of vitamins and minerals too.
To produce dried fruit, the water is removed from fully ripened fresh fruit, by circulating air around it, either naturally with sunshine and wind, or with the aid of hot air drying. The moisture content of the evaporated fruit is cut to about 20-25%. The nutritional value of food is only minimally affected by drying. However, dried fruit generally does not contain Vitamin D and only contains small amounts of Vitamin C.
In case you haven’t noticed, dried fruits are becoming very expensive. If you like to cook and have the time, you can learn to create your own dried strawberries. If you grow your own strawberries, even better. You can create the entire product from start to finish.
The first step on the way to dried strawberries is selecting your fruit. Make sure to choose strawberries that are ripe but not too ripe, that have no bruises, mold or any hint of less than perfection. The strawberries next need to be washed and cut up. The smaller the pieces are, the least amount of time they will take to dry. Also try to make them all close to the same size so they all will need a similar amount of drying time.
Pre-treat the strawberries by putting a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Put 2 tablespoons of ascorbic acid in the water. Place your strawberries in a colander and suspend it into the pot of boiling water for five minutes. Remove and place fruit immediately in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry the fruit on paper towels.
The easiest way to dry the fruit is in the oven. Place the strawberries on a 100% cotton sheet or cheesecloth over oven racks. Preheat the oven to 145-degrees and prop the door slightly open to let steam escape. Allow between 4 and 12 hours to dry the fruit. The strawberries should be dry yet still pliable when cool.
Put the dried strawberries in a dry open pot, and place the pot somewhere that is warm, dry and airy. Stir the berries once or twice a day for two weeks. If you intend on storing the fruit for a good length of time, you will need to pasteurize it to destroy any insect eggs. When the drying is complete, return the strawberries to the oven and heat at 175-degrees for fifteen minutes. Your dried strawberries can now be stored in a cool, dry place. For containers you can use zippered plastic storage bags or glass containers kept in a brown paper bag. This protects the dried strawberries from light. The only thing left to do is enjoy!