“When I was in middle school, I spent a lot of time at my best friend, Melissa’s house. She lived out on what was once a productive family farm, though by that time the goat pens and chicken coops were empty and we had turned them in to forts. Her great uncle though did still keep an amazing garden and there were many fruit trees and grape vines on the property. I still remember him out in the field with the old fashioned apple press making fresh pressed apple juice straight from the tree. There is absolutely nothing like it. There was one tree though that none of us cared for … the Hachiya persimmon tree. The fruits were gross and slimy and we use to launch them towards our brothers’ fort while we ran back to take cover in our own. Fast forward to 2018 and I was at a Christmas party where someone had brought some dried fruit to share and it was delicious! And guess what, they were persimmons! Turns out, if you dry them they turn into an addicting treat. So when I bought my food dehydrator during a Black Friday sale, the first thing I did was go out and buy a bunch of persimmons to dry! ” – April Ferre
Dehydrated Fruits without Pretreament
Instructions
Kiwi
- Peel kiwi and slice 1/4-inch thick. In this case it is easier to use a knife than a mandolin slicer.
- Dehydrate until dry like paper, but still flexible and slightly chewy.
Persimmons
- Both Fuyu and Hachiya varieties are suitable for dehydration. The Hachiya variety, which is shaped like an acorn, is an astringent persimmon, meaning it has high levels of tannins and are inedible until soft like jelly. However, for dehydrating, select fruits that are still firm with just a bit of give so that they can be easily sliced with a mandolin slicer. After dehydration, these persimmons will loose their astringency and become a sweet treat! The Fuyu variety, shaped like squat tomato or mini pumpkin, is non-astringent and is ripe while still firm and crisp like an apple. Select firm, brightly colored fruits to be dehydrated.
- There is no need to peel the persimmons. Use a mandolin slicer to make even slices between 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick.
- Dehydrate until flexible and leathery.
Pineapple
- Peel, core an slice pineapple into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices.
- Dehydrate until dry like paper, but still flexible and slightly chewy.
Dehydration
- Place fruit slices in a single layer on food dehydrator trays and dry at 145 degrees for 1 hour and then lower temperature to 125 degrees until they show no signs of moisture.
2020 Recipe – April Ferre
