Dried fruits are an excellent harvest for the winter. Firstly, such dryers do not have an expiration date, they can be safely used after two years and after five, of course, provided that they are properly stored. Secondly, this method is suitable for most sweet fruits. Thirdly, they do not contain additional sugars, but retain vitamins. And fourthly, it's just a tasty treat. Pears and apples are especially good for this. That's how to dry pears, and we will figure it out.
We select the best
Before you dry the pears, you need to determine which fruits are suitable for this, and which is better left for something else. To prepare dried fruits, you should choose varieties with a small amount of juice, the so-called dry ones. Their flesh is usually dense, hard, and a chamber with seeds takes up little space. You cannot use overripe, soft or tart pears for such a harvest, and you should not take fruits that were picked more than two days ago. If the pears are too hard or unsweetened, they can be boiled in syrup. The selected fruits must be washed and thoroughly wiped.
Drying pears
How to dry pears: slices or whole? It depends on their size. Medium-sized specimens are quite suitable for drying in their original form, however, this will require a longer time. In this case, they should remove the tails. If you prefer slices, then remember that the optimal thickness of each slice is 1 cm. It is with this cutting that the future drying will receive the correct ratio of meatiness and taste and will be stored for a long time.
Oven or sun
How to dry pears better: in the oven or in the summer sun? It largely depends on the weather. For residents of the south, the natural method is quite applicable. To do this, the fruit should be cut into pieces, laid out on trays or another substrate and put in a place that will be as sunny as possible throughout the day. To prevent flies from eating, you can cover them with clean gauze. At night, the trays will have to be brought into the house so that the moisture does not nourish the slices dried up during the day. The time of complete drying of the pear slices will be approximately a couple of days and the same amount will be required until the condition is fully achieved in the shade. After that, they can be packaged in linen clean bags and sent for storage.
For those who live in less sunny regions, another way of drying pears will be more convenient. In the oven, this procedure takes about a day. Fruits or their slices should be laid out on a baking sheet in one layer and dried over low heat, often turning over. For those who are used to focusing on a thermometer, 70-90 degrees is considered the optimal mark. Ready drying should be viscous on the teeth, and when bent, do not release moisture. Of course, it will take more time to prepare whole pears than to cut ones.
It is not enough to know how to dry pears for the winter; you still need to save your work. Best of all, any dried fruit is stored in cloth bags, pouches, you can also put them in glass jars or plastic containers with a tight lid. But bags made of polyethylene can be attacked by insects or rodents. Such a blank does not tolerate moisture well and easily absorbs foreign odors. It is preferable to store dried pears in small portions, since if a pest is introduced in one of them, then the rest may not be harmed. Check stocks regularly to locate and clean up spoiled products on time.