Using Dried Fruit - The Vegetarian Resource Group

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Dried FruitTreasures to Savor All Year RoundBy Debra Daniels-ZellerWITH ALL THE LOUD CHEERS FOR FRESH ANDlocal foods today, I assumed dried fruitswere benched players in the fruit world.But I was wrong. After strolling the aisles of a grocerystore recently, I found a variety of dried fruits that mygrandmother never dreamed about. Near the producedepartment, bulk bins were filled with three kinds ofraisins—Sultana, Flame, and Thompson; there werealso currants, Turkish and California apricots, prunes,dates, and dried peaches. On a nearby display werecolorful bags of dried berries, cherries, figs, cranberries,and mangos and super-sized bags of crispy banana chips.Later, I visited a natural foods store and discoveredan extensive dried fruit assortment, most boasting‘certified organic’ labels.Drying is the oldest form of food preservation, anddried fruits have roots that extend back to 2900 B.C.in the Sumarian civilization. Figs were the first driedfruit mentioned in written records. Everyone lovedthem; even Cleopatra adored them. In ancient Egypt,ripe figs and dates fell from trees and dried naturallyin the hot, dry climate. The first dried grapes (raisins)were probably plucked and eaten straight from thevine. The Egyptians incorporated the dried fruits intofruitcakes. In Rome, dried figs and raisins were awardedto winning Olympic athletes.Raisins, figs, dates, and dried apricots sailed intoforeign ports and became coveted trade items. Theyenhanced cuisines everywhere they were traded.Germans kneaded raisins into stollen, a traditionalChristmas bread. Italians blended raisins, citron, pinenuts, and anise into panettone (yeast cakes). Russiansstirred candied fruits and raisins into kulich (traditionalEaster cakes), and the British were crazy about fruitcakesduring Victorian times. In France, pruneau (prunes)were used as filling for rich tart shells. (Plums are calledprunes in France, while prunes are called pruneau.)In India, dried apricots were chopped for chutneysand stirred into curries.Spanish explorers brought dried fruits across theAtlantic to the Caribbean and North and CentralAmerica. In Jamaica, minced dried fruits were blendedinto batter for rum-soaked cakes. In North America,in the mid-1800s, emigrants who traveled the OregonTrail frequently stewed a pot of dried apples, peaches,raisins, and currants for compotes, savory and sweetpies, or crullers.In 1873, William Thompson’s seedless grape cropin California accidentally dried, and the first commercialraisin crop was created. These ‘accidental’ raisinswere supposedly sold as exotic Peruvian delicacies inSan Francisco. Now, Thompson grapes are the mostwidely cultivated grapes in California.During World War II, prunes played a curious partin British military spy history. Prunes were soaked andsoftened, and the pits were extracted. After the prunesdried, miniscule maps of escape routes sealed in waxedpaper were stuffed into the empty cavity. Then, theprunes were packed in Red Cross parcels and smuggledto prisoners of war. Two of the original prunes withmaps weren’t sent but saved as souvenirs; they weresold at an auction in 2006.In my family, my grandmother added raisins tocookies and pies, and my mom put dried fruits in thejelled salads of the ’50s. In the ’70s, I made trails mixesand granola with dried fruits for quick snacks. In 1978,after purchasing a thin yellow book called Dry It—You’ll Like It by Gen MacManiman, I decided todehydrate our own bumper crop of plums. I riggeda small metal platform over our wood stove to drythem, but after our German Shepherd upset the trayand devoured the evidence, I invested in a dehydrator.My dehydrator still dries cherries, apricots, nectarines,figs, and apples.VARIETYBig nutrition in little packages, dried fruit containsabundant minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Each piece6 Issue Three 2008 VEGETARIAN JOURNAL
contains the same amount of calories as its fresh counterpart.This list highlights some common dried fruitsand discusses their varieties and characteristics:• Apricots provide some beta-carotene. Turkishapricots are very sweet and soft; California apricotsare tart with a chewy texture. Both varieties aregrown in California.• Cherries come in either sweet or sour varieties.Like other fruits, sweet cherries and sour cherriescontain phytonutrients that could reduce the riskof cancer. The sour pie cherries are so fragile theynever make it to the grocery store fresh but areavailable at farmers’ markets in May to July. Mostdried sour cherries are sweetened; look for thefruit-sweetened varieties in natural foods stores.• Cranberries have been used for decades to preventurinary tract infections.• Currants are very small, intensely flavored fruitsmade from Zante grapes. (See raisins.) They arenot usually eaten raw but used instead for makingraisins and occasionally wine.• Dates are a good source of iron and potassium.Intensely sweet, there are many varieties; DegletNoor is a popular super-sweet North African date.Medjools are fresh dates sold in the produce aisle.• Dried figs offer calcium and provide more fiberthan prunes. They also contain potassium, iron,and manganese. Black Mission, Kadota, Calimyrna,and Brown Turkey are common dried varieties.• Prunes provide magnesium and copper. Althoughany plum can be dried, commercial growers tendto use the sweetest varieties for prunes. If you havea plum tree, it’s fun to see how your own plumvariety stacks up.• Raisins (and currants) provide iron, potassium,and fiber. Muscat raisins are rumored to be the besttasting, but 95 percent of the California raisin cropis from Thompson seedless grapes. Tender, withdelicate flavors, Sultana raisins are made fromwhite grapes.SELECTIONWhen selecting dried fruits, I choose organic driedvarieties because, as the fruits dry, they lose up to 90percent of their moisture, and everything (includingtoxic pesticide traces) becomes more concentrated.Fresh apples, imported grapes, peaches, nectarines,pears, and cherries contain the most chemical residues,so when possible, purchase organic varieties or dehydrateorganic fruits at home. Also, organically grown,dehydrated fruits are not treated with sulfur, an additivethat maintains colors and helps to keep driedfruits fresh. Sulfur may cause allergic reactions.Dry It --- You’ll Like ItIn the book Dry It—You’ll Like It, Gen MacManimansays you don’t really need a dehydrator. Places toconsider setting up drying trays include on top ofthe refrigerator or near a hot water heater or furnace,but remember most dehydrating is done inseason, which means summer and autumn. However,a dehydrator can be invaluable; the sweet rewardsare worth the investment. Approximate drying timeis two or three days. Much of the timing dependson how thick the pieces of fruit are and how dryyou want the fruit to be.• Rinse fruit thoroughly. Remove pits and cutlarger fruits, such as apples and peaches, intoequal slices, less than a half-inch thick. Slice figsand plums into halves.• While you prepare the fruit, preheat the dehydratorto at least 115 degrees. Fill each rack withprepared fruit, and then reduce the temperatureto 100 degrees. As the fruit dries, the sugar concentrates,and soon you have the most temptingsweet treats.• Check the fruit daily; do not over-dehydrate it,or it loses some flavor. Remove pieces when theyare done. Store in covered containers in therefrigerator or freezer. Figs and large fruits thatare only partially dehydrated are best stored inthe freezer. The fruit stores well for at least sixmonths.VEGETARIAN JOURNAL Issue Three 2008 7
Page 1 and 2: VOLUME XXVII, NO 3Fast Sandwich Spr
Page 3: MANAGING EDITOR: Debra WassermanSEN
Page 9 and 10: APPLE-CARROT-CELERYSALAD WITH DRIED
Page 11 and 12: An Update on RennetBy Jeanne Yacoub
Page 13 and 14: no cheese made with microbially-der
Page 15 and 16: • Road’s End Organics Cheddar S
Page 17 and 18: NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF VEGANCHEESE
Page 19 and 20: NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF VEGANCHEESE
Page 21 and 22: whole grain cold cereal; thinly sli
Page 23 and 24: When you eat out, do you ALWAYS ord
Page 25 and 26: link between childhood dairy intake
Page 27 and 28: SIDE DISHESGarlic Mashed Potatoes:
Page 29 and 30: BAKED ONIONS(Makes 50 portions)Fift
Page 31 and 32: THE ASIANVEGANKITCHENBy Hema Parekh
Page 33 and 34: VRG CatalogBooksMeatless Meals for
Page 35 and 36: IDON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN I

Using Dried Fruit - The Vegetarian Resource Group

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?