Home prepared dried apricots for the Winter

This velvety, fragrant and delicious fruit is still in season so why not prepare your own dried apricots at home? It's so easy to do and while the sun still shines you should take advantage and try it out!

 

Adapted from an article of Evi Voutsina,

from "KATHIMERINI" newspaper

The apricot season will come to the end soon but there is still time to dry your own fruits and stock up for the Winter months.

Those who are lucky enough to live out in the countryside and of course in places where the sun stays out for a few hours have the chance to dry the apricots under the sun. For those who live in places with less sun even during the Summer period and/or those who live in large cities the only solution is to use their oven.

In the first case people will need to spread the apricots either on wide, shallow baskets or grills (no metal other than stainless steel) and muslin cloths to cover the fruits.

In the second case the home oven will be needed using the hot-air fan function. The apricots can be spread over as many as three racks, one above the other, placing a shallow tray beneath to catch the liquids.

In both cases, though, choosing the fruit is very important! The apricots should have ripened on the tree but not be too ripe. Organic fruits usually have a better taste and aroma.

First wash the apricots well and dip them into boiling water for 20 seconds. Cut them in half and remove the pits. Place the halves alongside each other with the cut-side up.

The length of drying time depends on the firmness of the flesh and the temperature of the sun or the oven. The average for sun-dried apricots is 5-6 days, during which time you should turn them two or three times.

In the oven, wedge the oven door open with a metal knife so no steam is allowed to build up. Preheat the oven to 100-120°C (depending on the oven) and leave the apricots to dry for four hours. Test the fruit and if necessary extend the time for another hour.

Of course you should not expect the home prepared apricots to look like the store-bought ones! The home prepared will be darker and duller but much tastier, which is what we really are after.

Regardless of the method you will follow, the best way to store the fruits is in a cloth bag so that they can get air. Also a plastic or glass jar is suitable as long as you lay a piece of greaseproof paper in between the layers.

Dried apricots will soften during the cooking anyway but, if you prefer, you could soak them in water first and the hotter the water is, the faster they will soften. If you soak them add the fruits into the pot later than if added dry.

And just a cooking tip to try out. A handful of soaked and finely chopped dried apricots are great in the minced meat for the pastitsio recipe! If you reduce the amount of tomato in this dish, the result will be even better.