Make Your Food Dollar Go Further: Dry Your Own Fruits and Vegetables at Home!

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To dry pears, all you have to do is quarter the fruits and place them on the rack, skin side down. The same goes for apples, which you can also slice into rings, if you prefer. (Coring is optional.) Apples will turn brown (due to oxidation) when dried, but the color change doesn't affect the fruits' flavor.

To make your own raisins, simply pull seedless grapes from bunches and spread them out on the drying tray or table.

All of the above fruits should be hard dried: That is, they should contain no moist spots when done. (Remember, bacteria and mold can only grow where there's water.) Hard dried fruits can be softened by soaking them in water or juice before they're eaten . . . or they can be left lying out in the kitchen for a while to be softened naturally by the moisture in the air.

One of the most satisfying things you can do with your fresh fruit (or with softened dry fruit) is make fruit leather . . . the kind that sells for up to 79¢ a roll at the grocery store (but that you can produce for pennies at home). To make your own leather, simply:

1. Cut one or more kinds of fruit into chunks.
2. Throw the pieces into the blender.
3. Blend until smooth
4. Pour the puree out onto plastic wrap or wax paper to dry. (Note: As the sheet of pulp dries, it'll begin to curl up . . . so be sure to tape the corners of the "carrier sheet" down, or put pennies on each corner to hold the plastic or wax paper flat.)

If the fruit is extra-juicy (as is the case, for instance, with most berries), you may want to add apple chunks — which are high in pectin — to the puree while it's still in the blender to "stiffen up" the leather. (Alternatively, you can use one tablespoon of ground flaxseed for each cup of blended fruit.) For added fun, try stirring small seeds or chopped nuts into the fruit blend before you dehydrate it.

When your leather is finally dry, peel the plastic or wax paper off its back, roll the sheet of pulp into a "scroll", and rewrap the scroll in the plastic wrap or wax paper to keep for future use . . . if you can resist eating the whole thing right then and there!

You Can Also Dry Vegetables

In addition to fruits, many kinds of vegetables — including beans, peas, peppers, beets, carrots, turnips, potatoes, yams, onions, squash, and cereal grains — can be dehydrated. Corn can be dried on the cob (after which the kernels come off easily). Even the corn's silk is useful either as an herb or powdered and added to soups. Dried onion and leek tops, likewise, make fine condiments for use in soups and salads. Zucchini and cucumber slices can be dehydrated to make delightfully good-tasting chips suitable for dipping or just plain nibbling.

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