Some years the peach harvest is so plentiful that you can't eat all of the fresh fruit. By kilning you can preserve them and even intensify the taste.
How to dry peaches?
To dry peaches, choose fully ripe, unblemished fruits with no bruises. Blanch them briefly and cut them into slices. The peaches can be dried either outdoors at 20-30 degrees Celsius, in the oven at the lowest temperature or in a dehydrator. Turn the fruit slices regularly.
What do I need to dry peaches?
The following applies: the slower the fruit dries, the more vitamins are retained. This speaks for drying outdoors.
Using a dehydrator is very practical because its temperature can be finely adjusted to suit the food in question. Alternatively, you can dry the peaches in the oven at the lowest setting.
What do I have to pay attention to when choosing fruits?
Always use flawless and fully ripe peaches without bruises. Only these develop the full aroma as dried fruit. Since the appetizing color of fruit suffers somewhat due to the drying process, you can soak the fruit in hot syrup for ten minutes beforehand:
- Cook a syrup from 600 ml of water, to which you add 300 g of sugar and 200 g of beet syrup.
- Once all the crystals have dissolved, add the washed fruits whole to the liquid.
- Blanch the peaches for ten minutes.
- Take out, rinse briefly, cut in half, remove the seeds and cut the fruit into slices.
Air drying peaches
The outside temperature should be constantly between 20 and 30 degrees. So a few midsummer days are ideal:
- Place the peach slices on wire racks and place them in a protected place on the terrace or balcony.
- Cover the fruit with gauze and turn the fruit slices occasionally.
Drying peaches in the oven or a dehydrator
If the weather doesn't cooperate, you can dry the fruit relatively quickly in the oven:
- Place the pieces on the wire rack.
- Set the device to the lowest temperature.
- Place a wooden spoon in the oven door so that the moist air can escape.
- Turn the peaches every two hours and re-layer them if necessary.
If you have a dehydrator, place the peach slices on the racks and dry according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Tip
You can enjoy dried peaches on their own as a he althy snack every now and then. Cut into small pieces, they fit wonderfully into muesli. The dried fruits are great as a sweet flavor in savory dishes.
