How to properly dry plums for the winter: a step-by-step guide

In Cooking
2 min read

First, let’s select plums https://greenelly.com/ that are denser and sweeter – they contain more sugar. The best varieties are Hungarian, Renklod, Blue Bird and some others. The color of prunes depends on the color of the plum: the darker the blue hue, the richer the black.

Before drying, wash the plums, discard low-quality ones, and place them on towels. Then comes the important stage of blanching: immerse the fruit in boiling water for a couple of minutes. This destroys oxidants in cells, but preserves everything useful.

How long should you dry plums outside?How to properly dry plums for the winter: a step-by-step guide
Now – how to dry plums in the sun outside. Place the plums on trays and cover them from wasps and flies. In the evenings we clean the house. After 4-5 days, turn them over and dry them for anoth er 2-3 days. The specific period for drying fruit depends on many parameters: the type of plum, their humidity, size and temperature.

How to dry plums in the oven
If desired, you can dry the plums in the oven: first 5-6 hours at 50°, then the same amount at 70°, then bring to readiness at 80°. It is important to first cover the baking sheets with parchment: this will prevent the plums from sticking to the metal.

In an air fryer – 2 hours at 80°, then at 95°. The air fryer method is the fastest, but it is important to understand that you will not achieve perfect prunes this way.

In the microwave – 20-30 minutes in defrost mode. And the electric dryer produces the highest quality option.

Store the prepared prunes in a cool place, in bags or jars.