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Dried Fruit

post #1 of 22
1/6/08 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
It is the best way to cure the 'sweet tooth' craving without eating junk!

Just wondered if anyone esle out there buys the stuff and, if so, which type. I was in China earlier this year and bought the most amazing dried kiwi fruit from a market stall. Second only to that would be these babies (below). I also find it is a good way to get children to eat something that is actually good for them!

All from here -

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/Browse....egory=HSN_Sale







So here is to dried fuit with NOTHING added into it
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post #2 of 22
1/6/08 at 1:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by P__G View Post
It is the best way to cure the 'sweet tooth' craving without eating junk!

Just wondered if anyone esle out there buys the stuff and, if so, which type. I was in China earlier this year and bought the most amazing dried kiwi fruit from a market stall. Second only to that would be these babies (below). I also find it is a good way to get children to eat something that is actually good for them!

All from here -

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/Browse....egory=HSN_Sale







So here is to dried fuit with NOTHING added into it

You could buy a dehydrator, and over time save money. We dry our own fruit... it's really easy. You just cut it up, and stick in the dehydrator for a day or so, and voila.
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post #3 of 22
1/7/08 at 4:15pm
Saw this recently, anyone ever tried dried persimmons?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dail...or-hoshig.html
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post #4 of 22
1/7/08 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 
Drying your own fruit sounds kinda fun but I reckon after youv'e bought the fruit and the items (minus the time and effort) I erckon I'd be better off getting em from the store. Good idea though (like it)
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post #5 of 22
1/7/08 at 4:54pm
I guess it's good. I'd rather eat the whole fruit.. especially if you're watching your calorie intake. You can eat a lot more raisins than you can grapes for instance. I tried some dried lychee and rambutan. Interesting complex flavor.
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post #6 of 22
1/7/08 at 6:36pm
If you dry your own, you can avoid the sulphur dioxide.
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post #7 of 22
1/8/08 at 1:33am
Or just buy unsulphured fruit. Getting a dehydrator sounds neat, but much too impractical for me, unfortunately.
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post #8 of 22
1/8/08 at 1:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arethusa View Post
Or just buy unsulphured fruit. Getting a dehydrator sounds neat, but much too impractical for me, unfortunately.

That's what I thought, but it's really not that impractical. I mean I dry fruit probably once a week, and dry enough that it lasts a week ( i don't eat it everyday). It saves me money over time, since it's cheaper to buy fresh fruit, and also the dried fruit is better dried fresh than bought in store.

Then again, if you only eat dried fruit when the mood strikes, having your own dehydrator probably isn't too smart.

I use it for a lot more than drying fruit... I do jalapenos, habaneros, sometimes I make beef jerky. Lots of stuff.
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post #9 of 22
1/8/08 at 4:56am
Huh. How much is a decent one and what's the energy consumption like? I'm still not sure how buying a machine and then a giant bag of fresh apricots could be cheaper than $5 for a 1 lb bag of dried, unsulphured apricots at Trader Joe's.
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post #10 of 22
1/8/08 at 5:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arethusa View Post
Huh. How much is a decent one and what's the energy consumption like? I'm still not sure how buying a machine and then a giant bag of fresh apricots could be cheaper than $5 for a 1 lb bag of dried, unsulphured apricots at Trader Joe's.

It might not be any cheaper to do it yourself but it'll taste better for sure. Plus, you could make your own beef jerky.
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post #11 of 22
1/8/08 at 8:51am
buy my dried fruit and nuts from costco or just eat some craisins or raisins
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post #12 of 22
1/8/08 at 10:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arethusa View Post
Huh. How much is a decent one and what's the energy consumption like? I'm still not sure how buying a machine and then a giant bag of fresh apricots could be cheaper than $5 for a 1 lb bag of dried, unsulphured apricots at Trader Joe's.

Good one would be right about $50. That'd last you a very long time.. We bought ours for $65 six years ago, and there are no signs of it pooping out anytime soon.

Like I said earlier, if you only grab 1 lb every now and then, then for you it probably isn't that smart or money saving.... or at least, if it saved you money, it wouldn't be enough to put a noticeable difference in your pocket to make it worthwhile.

But on the other hand, you could buy a bag of apricots at my local grocery store in season for about $2.80/lb. That's savin you 3 bucks right there. It takes you what, maybe 10 minutes to cut it all up, and then you shove it in the dehydrator and just wait it out for a day and a half.... So if you do this, it really doesn't take too long to make your money back.

But honestly who gives a shit? I just like the taste and texture of my dried fruit better when I make it at home... so i do it. It works for me, but if might not be your kidna thing.
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post #13 of 22
1/8/08 at 10:25am
well if you buy 1lb dried apricot by weight then you'd need more than 1lb of fresh apricot to make up for the loss in water wouldn't you?
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post #14 of 22
1/8/08 at 10:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Musselma View Post
well if you buy 1lb dried apricot by weight then you'd need more than 1lb of fresh apricot to make up for the loss in water wouldn't you?

True. I can't tell you what the exact ratio is for lbs fresh to lbs dried, but you will need more than 1 lb. Cheaper fruits like bananas and apples I do about once a week, but more expensive fruits I buy in bulk generally at the beginning of the summer, like a whole bushel, which is going to be much cheaper than $5 per pound, even after you make up for the moisture lost.


Edit: It sounds like a lot of trouble just form reading the posts... but it's really not. But like I said earlier, it isn't for everybody... and I enjoy it.
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post #15 of 22
1/8/08 at 10:58am
I like dried kiwis.
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