Prunes are a very healthy dried fruit, which is made from plums of different varieties. Not only is it available to everyone on sale, it is very easy to make at home. This will require a lot of fresh plums and knowledge of the features of the cooking process.
Some facts from the history of prunes
Mankind has learned for a long time about how to make prunes. The recipe comes from Asian countries. In the old days, the tradition of drying fruits was very common, because they could not be stored, for example, frozen.
For the first time, plum tree is mentioned in writings dating back to the 6th century BC. There is an opinion that a plum tree is the result of the crossing of wild thorns and cherry plum. Varieties that are suitable for drying are unpretentious, therefore they grow throughout our continent. In Europe, plum appeared only in the 17th century.
Useful properties of prunes
What is this dried fruit useful for and why is it so widely used in cooking?
Plum, like prunes, is rich in special substances - phytonutrients, namely, neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids. They have antioxidant properties.
Prunes contain fiber, so blood sugar levels normalize. This product is useful for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Also, dried fruit helps to reduce appetite. In many diets, it is included in small quantities, so it is useful to know how to make prunes.
Dried fruit lowers cholesterol and also protects the intestines, supporting its healthy microflora. Reduces the risks of serious diseases such as colon cancer and hemorrhoids.
Prunes are rich in potassium, a complex of vitamins that can stabilize the water-salt balance and kidney function, normalize metabolism in the body; possesses diuretic and choleretic properties, is used to treat anemia and vitamin deficiencies. Its antibacterial function is not inferior to some medications.
How to choose the right kind of plum for drying
Before you start harvesting plums in dried form, you need to find out the features of how to make prunes properly at home and which varieties of plums are suitable for this. After all, not all fruits are suitable for harvesting of this type.
A variety of fruit must be given great attention. To do this, you need the fruits of those varieties that ripen last. Such a plum will be fleshy and sweet.
If you understand the varieties or there is an opportunity to ask those who understand, then choose Hungarian (Italian, ordinary, Azhansky, violet), Greenclod, Raisin-Eric, Stanley, Croman and Burton.
Hungarian is best suited because its fruits are large, have a dense skin, and the flesh is elastic. The stone is easily separated from the pulp, there is little acid in it, and a lot of sweets.
How to prepare plums for drying
Now the plum needs to be prepared for the drying process, let's look at how to make prunes at home.
It is important that the fruit storage process is not delayed for more than 3 days, as ripe plums begin to deteriorate and wander.
The plum should be thoroughly washed. Rinse until water is clear.
Fruits must be sorted by size, since the time of their preparation depends on this. You also need to take out the bones.
Also, before making prunes at home, it is necessary to blanch plums in a 1% soda solution. In other words, douse them with hot water and soda for 25-30 seconds. This is necessary so that the plum tissue becomes softer, and their cells are larger, and so that the fruits lose excess air. Next, the drain must be thoroughly washed again.
At the last stage, the fruits will need to be cooled. After you complete all these processes, you will see small cracks on the skin. This is correct, since they will contribute to the release of water during drying, the juice will remain inside.
How to make prunes in an electric dryer
For the preparation of dried fruits, not so long ago, special equipment was invented - an electric dryer. This appliance can be used for cooking not only prunes, but also for drying any other fruits and vegetables.
Before making prunes in an electric dryer, it is necessary to arrange the fruits on the bowls so that they do not touch and overlap each other.
Depending on the type of equipment, up to 600 grams of plum can be placed on the tray, and the dryer can be designed for different volumes, for example, for 14 kg. In total, the electric dryer must be turned on for 41 hours before the prunes are completely cooked. The processing temperature will be 55 degrees Celsius.
After cooking, the finished product is easy to separate from the trays, they are well dried and ready to eat. From 16 kilograms of plums, you can get about 2.5 kilograms of prunes.
How to make prunes in the oven
A more popular method of making prunes is in the oven. No special equipment is needed for this. And the process itself is different from how to make prunes in a dryer.
It is necessary to spread the plums on a baking sheet in one layer. The temperature regime for this is also selected in the range of 50-55 degrees at the initial stage. The plum should be dried within 3-4 hours.
After the first interval, it is necessary to get a baking sheet, turn all the fruits over on the other side and allow them to cool (for 4-5 hours, so that the product turns out to be of high quality).
The next step will also take 3-4 hours, but the drying temperature will now be higher - 60-70 degrees. After the set time has elapsed, you need to get the prunes again, mix and leave to cool.
The last stage will take at least 5 hours. Prunes will need to be dried at a temperature of 90 degrees. To obtain a shiny surface at the end of drying, you can raise the temperature to 100-120 degrees.
Thus, the question of how to make prunes is resolved. The procedure is simple and does not require special knowledge, but only the availability of time and a little patience.