How to make dried apricots at home

Dried apricots are appreciated for their beneficial properties, which are preserved in the fruit even after drying. As a rule, the procedure is carried out through an oven, an electric dryer, often apricots are dried in the sun. Dried apricots decorate desserts, add to breakfast and use as a snack for tea. Compotes and fruit drinks are prepared on the basis of dried fruits, and you do not even need to add sugar. If you want to enjoy all the delights of dried apricots, you must do it right. Let's consider the main aspects in order.

What is the use of dried apricots

1. Dried fruit draws heavy impurities and metals from the walls of internal organs, which often settle in the intestines and stomach. Due to the large amount of pectins and organic acids contained, the product removes radionuclides.
2. Dried apricots is famous for a large accumulation of vitamins of all groups, in particular A, B, C, PP. If we talk about minerals, dried apricots are rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus.
3. Dietitians advise using dried apricots to prevent the digestive tract, as well as treat gastritis and ulcers. Often, dried fruits of this kind are prescribed for anemia of the extremities.
4. If you take the habit of eating dried apricots in small portions daily, you can prevent clogging of capillaries and blood vessels. Also, dried apricots has a healthy effect on the body, heart.
5. To tighten the skin, improve blood circulation, smooth out fine wrinkles, it is enough to eat about 85-90 gr. dried apricots per day. In this case, the product is used alone or as part of dishes.

Preparing apricots for drying

1. Go through the fruits, exclude all worms, rumpled and partially rotten. Overripe apricots should not be used to make dried apricots.
2. Evaluate the fruits by touch, they should not be too soft. The best option is a solid fruit of a saturated yellow-orange color.
3. After a careful selection, proceed to washing. Rinse the apricots with cold water to remove the film. Cut each fruit into 2 halves, evaluate for wormholes.
4. If you find pests, immediately throw out the spoiled apricots (even if at first glance the fruits look good). Otherwise, after drying, the larvae will turn into full-fledged worms.
5. Experienced housewives do not recommend washing the apricots after they are divided into 2 halves. Such a move will wash the beneficial enzymes, making the fruits softened.
6. Do not discard apricot kernels. In the future, you can also dry them, chop them, and then add 1 teaspoon to cakes or cereals.
7. As a rule, during the drying process, apricots darken. To maintain a beautiful orange tint, send halves of the fruit to a colander. Hold them over a pot of boiling water for a quarter of an hour.
8. Steam treatment is extremely relevant for any drying method (sun, oven, electric dryer, etc.). At the end of the time, fold the fruits on a towel, leaving a small distance between the fruits. Wait until it is completely dry.

Method number 1. Cooking dried apricots in the oven

1. Have a thorough preparation. Sort and rinse the apricots in advance, chop them into equal parts.
2. It is important to understand that fruits are washed well in advance. Do not rinse the dried apricots with water immediately before drying. Otherwise, the moisture will not evaporate the cavity.
3. Try to separate the bones without damaging the pulp of the fetus. Otherwise, dried apricots will not look aesthetically pleasing after final cooking.
4. Now discard the fruits in a colander, hold the steam for 15 minutes.Put on a cotton towel, leave for 45-60 minutes. Prepare a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper.
5. Arrange the apricot halves with the slices up. Preheat the oven to 60–65 degrees in advance. Send the baking sheet with the fruits inside, set the timer for 8-9 hours.
6. Open the appliance door every 1.5 hours to help excess moisture come out. For convenience, install a wooden block in the hole, it will fix the door.
7. Remove the pan from time to time to assess the readiness of dried apricots. It should not be overdried and dark. Quality cooked fruits retain rich color and density.

Method number 2. Cooking dried apricots in an electric dryer

1. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations for the electric dryer. Choose the appropriate program, adhere to the temperature regime and the duration of the procedure.
2. Prepare fruits in advance (washing, cutting, steam treatment, drying). Remove the appliance grill, lay the apricots on it with the seams up.
3. Do not allow the fruits to come into contact, otherwise they will stick together during the drying process. Send the grate inward, connect the device to the network. Set the drying time to 1.5-2 hours at a temperature of 45 degrees.
4. When the specified time has passed, turn on the appliance 55 degrees, dry for another 6 hours. After that, lower the temperature again to the first mark, continue the heat treatment for 1.5 hours.
5. After all the manipulations (8.5-9 hours of drying), open the appliance, put the dried apricots to cool on a cotton towel. Move to a linen bag or wooden box with good air circulation.

Method number 3. Cooking dried apricots on a rope

1. This technology is the most gentle and natural. Fruit drying is carried out in a natural way. Pre-process apricots. You need to rinse them, sort through, cut into 2 sections and hold over the steam.
2. Put the future dried apricots on gauze or cotton cloth, then prepare the nylon thread (you can use the fishing line). Start stringing apricot halves, keeping a distance of 1.5-2 cm from each other.
3. Hang the rope in direct sunlight for a day. At night, take the fruits to the apartment, again in the morning send for drying. It is worth patience, because drying apricots will take 12-14 days.

Method number 4. Cooking dried apricots on a pallet

1. The cooking option is similar to the previous one, drying is also carried out in the sun. To do this, cook apricots by washing and chopping them. Like all other technologies, hold the fruit over boiling water.
2. Line a wooden or plastic tray with album sheets (you can replace with parchment paper). Put the apricots "butt" down. Arrange the fruits freely so that they do not touch each other.
3. To start, leave the fruit at a temperature of 20-23 degrees for 3 hours. Then move under the scorching sun until dark. At night, remove the trays into the apartment, take them out again in the morning to dry.
4. Cooking dried apricots with this method will take you about 10 days. To prevent insects from crawling on dried apricots during aging in the apartment, cover the fruit with gauze, place the legs of the trays in a container with water.

It is easy to make dried apricots, if you adhere to practical tips. Make dried apricots using an oven or special appliance. Try to dry the fruits in the sun by stringing them on a rope or laying them on pallets. Store the finished product in a cloth bag, cardboard box or wooden box.

Video: drying apricot