Though, as much as I love fruit, it could be such a pain to eat it. I like my fruit cut up, so I almost never take the time to that. I always make a mess with eating/cutting, so I usually only eat fruit just at home. I also hate buying it because I always forget about food and then it goes bad and I waste money. So I just stayed away from fruit.
But then... my sister, Sam, and her boyfriend, Dan, visited with BAGS full of dehydrated fruit. They told me Dan's Mom bought a dehydrator and it's their new obsession. They brought us different kinds of apples, bananas, beef jerky, and a bag of assorted left over fruit they wanted us to try. I fell in love. I also ate both bags of fruit in two days. Ben hid the beef jerky from me so we could save it and snack on it throughout the week, haha. But I couldn't resist with buying one from Amazon.
Best 35 dollars I ever spent.
The best part is, there is no right way to dehydrate. It's all preference. Apples are probably me and Ben's favorite. We experimented with leaving them in for different times (we like to leave apples in until they're crispy like apple chips, but I like mangos and bananas a little softer so I take them out a little sooner than the recommended time), different preserves (they suggest putting an acid on the fruit to prevent browning, like pineapple juice on bananas and apples to keep them fresh looking, but it's all preference), skin or no skin, putting cinnamon on the apples, and even just cutting the fruit in different ways.
But prepared to be listening to a fan, A LOT. Dehydrating isn't an hour process. You need to cut your fruit, prepare how you like, record when you put them in and make a note to check it at the recommended time (the dehydrator comes with a booklet of recipes and directions and suggestions). I've gotten up at 3 AM to check on my fruit because I accidentally put them in at time it'd be inconvenient to check them. Usually I do all my drying on the weekends because it's when I'm most available. Time is the biggest challenge. Trust me, you get pretty bent out of shape when you spend hours preparing/waiting for your fruit and you over dry it and it's leathery :(
Here are some pictures to see! Enjoy!
When I first got my dehydrator, yay!
Mangos and Kiwis
Dehydrated mango, kiwi, and apples
Apples! Taken via Instagram
Strawberries and blueberries. Taken via Instagram
Strawberries and blueberries added to my organic red berry cereal :) Delish! Edited with PicStitch and uploaded via Instagram
So now I get to buy fruit, dry it, and eat it before it goes bad. I seriously bring a baggy with me everywhere. I LOVE it. Saves the mess and no more worrying about it perishing :) Perfect snack! :)
Also, if you have some extra blueberries (I can't decide if they're worth it to dry or not, you have to blanch them and then wait like 12 hours for them to dry) throw them in the freezer! Eating them frozen is so good and addicting. Personally, I can't eat fruit if it has any bruises or isn't completely firm so them being frozen completely eliminates that problem! Seriously frozen blueberries are my obsession right now!
Taken via Instagram
I think I'll start documenting my fruit drying. This way I could keep a record for myself and let you know the best way to dry fruit/how different ways come out! The Dehydrator Series!
Hope I inspired someone to think about getting one :)
Take care!
xx V
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