Dried Watermelon
Ok, so I'm a dried fruit addict. No, really, I am. I also am picky on my dried fruit....I don't want my dried fruit pumped full of sulfur dioxide. Kinda defeats the purpose of a healthy snack right? I also love that my little kidlet and hubby will gobble up bags and bags of my homemade dried goodies. Why buy FAKE fruit snacks when you can make your own at home? The cost is MUCH cheaper than buying prepackaged mass produced stuff (plus, it's pretty tough to find just PLAIN dried fruit without any additives. Just watch your local grocery store produce sales and shop your local farmer's market. Now, this is a fruit I had not thought of drying. I mean, watermelon? Isn't it like 80% water or something? I had a friend who is big into the raw food thing tell me how totally awesome dried watermelon was...and to be honest, I really didn't think it would work. Anyway, I made it a few years back and BOY let me tell ya. I'm addicted. The stuff tasted like candied fruit leather. It has a wonderful chewy texture and the sweetness of one piece rivals that of any sugar and corn syrup laden FFS (fake fruit snack). You WILL need a food dehydrator that has temperature control. I tried it on an older model that is just plug in with no controls and my fruit drying attempt failed miserably :(
Ok, so here is how to make your tasty scrumptious all natural dried watermelon:
Lightly brush dehydrator trays with a teensy tiny bit of oil (to prevent watermelon from sticking when dried) Slice watermelon into 1/4"ish slices, remove the rind, then cut into strips or chunks. I normally cut them into 1" x 3" strips. Place them on the dehydrator trays. Turn dehydrator to degrees 135 and dry for about 16-20 hours. Every couple of hours, rotate your trays, moving the bottom to the top and all the ones in between). Lower temp to 105 and dry for another 1-2 hours or until watermelon is thoroughly dry but still pliable.
You can store this in a ziplock bag in your pantry for a few weeks. It will keep for months if frozen. Just remove and set on the countertop for a couple hours before eating ;)
I REALLY hope you guys get a chance to try this out. It's SO tasty and such a healthy snack for your family. Thanks for reading my internet friends :)
Must Try!!
ReplyDeleteIs your dehydrator one that has the blower in the back or on the bottom? I have one on the bottom and it takes FOREVER to dry even the simplest things :( I want to upgrade and get a nicer model with the fan in the back.
ReplyDeleteThese look mighty tasty!!! :)
It's one that blows from the top and has a temperature control. I have an older one that warms from the bottom and the watermelon drying with THAT one failed miserably ;)
ReplyDeleteahhh I see! Yeah I did some dried apples last fall with my bottom blower one.. they were quite tasty but I HAD to eat them all then, they wouldn't have kept long because they would NOT dry thoroughly. Can't wait to get a decent dehydrator!
ReplyDeleteMy Nesco FD-35 food dehydrator is a cheap, simple dryer that blows down from the top. It doesn't have any temperature control. I just turn it on and most things cut fairly thin are dry in about 12 hours. I'm as surprised as you were how great my dried watermelon chips taste.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful that your dehydrator works so well and that you like the watermelon! It's fun to try drying new things isn't it?
DeleteI do this in my Excalibur dehydrator. Been drying food in the old kind for years but when I got my Excalibur it paid for itself the first year. I've since bought my second and am looking for a third. I grow all our food and either dry, can or freeze everything. BTW each of mine is a 9 tray. And NO I don't have any connection with Excalibur but as a very happy customer.
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