How to Dry Figs

Fresh as well as dry figs are of great nutritional value since they are a loaded with a number of essential vitamins and minerals. Dried figs taste delightful. Besides the nutritional value, there is also a yummy taste factor attached with it. They find a place in cakes, cereals, cookies and there your taste buds can't just seem to get enough of it. In fact, powdered form of dried figs are also used in milk shakes and so your kids have something healthy to drink, pertaining to figs nutritional value.

Drying Figs in the Sun
One of the best ways to dry figs is Sun drying, the most natural means of drying any fruit. In case of fig fruit, allow them to ripen completely. Once the ripened figs fall off, wash them thoroughly. Cut the fruit in half and place the halves on a rack. Place the rack in the sun. Two days are adept to dry figs. For a faster drying, a wooden platform/slab built over fire, is used. The platform (built of the trunk of a beetle nut tree), has gaps through which the hot air touches the wooden slab, thereby aiding in drying the figs.

Another way is to take some ventilated boxes and line them with a double layered cheesecloth. Arrange the cut pieces of figs in a way that they are not touching. Place the entire setup out in the Sun and cover it with tuille netting as a means of pest control. In case, the temperature at night does not drop below 20 degrees, then it is best to keep the rack containing the figs, outdoors. Otherwise, figs can be dried indoors as well. Now every morning, turn the figs to check for a reduced size. Of course, fruits shrink on drying. So once they are reduced in size and the skin texture becomes leathery and the inside content is soft, cut them open. In case the inside is a little sticky, then heat these dried fruits in an oven at 110-115 ºF, for at least 2 hours. Cool them and pack them in air tight containers or in closed plastic bags and freeze it. To avail fig fruit benefits, this is one of the best ways!

Drying Figs in the Oven
If you are planning to dry figs in an oven, then take at least 1 pound of fresh figs. Preheat the oven to at least 250 degrees. Wash the figs well and rub off any dirt, if attached to it. Now tie them up in a paper towel or a cloth and roll them well so that all the wetness gets absorbed in the towel. Cut the figs lengthwise into half and place them in a shallow baking dish (with rim). Make sure, they are not packed very closely together. Now place the baking dish in the oven and set the timer to 1 hour. Within an hour, the juices will squeeze out of the figs and it appears purple in color. This can be observed when you check the dish after an hour. Now after this, remove the dish from the oven and turn over the figs. Place the dish back into the oven and set the timer again to 1 hour. Repeat this procedure in 1 hour time intervals, until all the juice has been squeezed out.

When the figs are darkened and wrinkled completely, reduce the heat to 200 degrees. Slide the dish back into the oven, and keep checking in every 30 minutes. The figs will solidify further. Switch off the oven and let the figs cool down. Once they are cooled, you will observe that they are dried completely. Store them in air tight jars and you may use them whenever your taste buds ache for a chewy appetizer or a dessert. It takes about 36 hours through this method to dry figs. To make your dried figs more scrumptious, stuff them with roasted almonds and some goat cheese. Serve with port wine and there, you have your perfect evening snack ready! Make sure you store these figs in refrigerator.

Drying Figs in a Dehydrator
Figs can be dried in a dehydrator too. All you need for this are - a large bowl, fresh figs (at least 3 pounds),1 quart water, paper towels, knife, ascorbic acid (2½ teaspoons), dehydrator and an air tight container. Now take the bowl and mix the1 quart water with the ascorbic acid until the acid dissolves in it completely. The purpose of making this solution is to prevent the figs from browning. Wash the fresh figs with cold water and wipe them dry with paper towels. Slice the figs into each ¼ inch pieces and immerse them into the ascorbic acid solution. Soak for approximately 10 minutes. A dehydrator, as the name suggests, draws out all the moisture from the food. So place these slices in dehydrator trays and place them in the dehydrator. Dry them for 12-24 hours until the figs are squeezed dry and have a leathery texture. Once they are dried, cool them and pack them in air tight containers and refrigerate. Relish them whenever you feel like munching on something sweet and yes, healthy too!

One can also dry figs in the microwave, although oven is a better alternative, being fast in drying. Also if climatic conditions are warm and humid, oven drying is the best option. Hope, this article has given you an insight on how to dry figs by the various methods listed above. So what are you waiting for? Pick up some freshly picked figs, dry them, make a delectable snack out of it and make your tummy happy!