Apricots, fresh or dried, are a delicious, healthy addition to your diet.
Dried apricots make a nutritious snack or tasty addition to baked goods, such as muffins and cookies. Dried apricots are more flavorful since the moisture has been removed from the fruit, causing the flavor to become more concentrated. Though you can purchase ready-to-eat dried apricots at the store, it's possible to make your own dried apricots. One method used to preserve dried apricots is pretreating the apricots with sodium bisulfite. Sodium bisulfite preserves the color of the apricots and helps increase their shelf life.
Instructions
1. Remove apricot skins to decrease drying time.
Slice 12 apricots in half with a paring knife, then remove and discard the pits. Peel the skins off the apricot halves with a vegetable peeler. Cut each half into uniform slices of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in width.
2. Pour 1 tsp. sodium bisulfite into a bowl. Add 1 qt. lukewarm water and stir the two ingredients until the sulfite is completely dissolved.
3. Place the sliced and peeled apricots in the sodium bisulfite solution. Allow the apricot slices to soak for five minutes, then rinse the slices with cold water.
4. Shake the excess water off the slices and lay them on drying trays that have been sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Lay the in a single layer, making sure there's space between each slice.
5. Sun-dried fruits and vegetables have been made by people for many centuries.
Set the drying trays in a sunny location where they can dry undisturbed. Check progress after 24 hours, then every six to 12 hours after that.
6. Test the apricot slices for dryness by cutting one slice in half. Squeeze the slice to see if moisture comes out and bend the slice to see if it sticks together. If either occurs, allow the apricots to dry a while longer.
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