Nice winter snack - dehydrated pineapple

Whole, fresh pineapple was on sale recently for a dollar each.  I should have purchased more than 2.   This is all of it dehydrated and fits nicely into a quart jar, naturally sweet and crunchy. No added sugar.   Unsweetened canned pineapple can be used also but I haven't tried that version.   

Great idea! I LOVE dried pineapple - but only the unsweetened kind, and I only found it at Trader Joe's. I have a dehydrator.....why did I never think to do this myself?

..I thought this might make someone's day??  Lol !  And I barely posted this a couple minutes ago.    Enjoy!

I have included pineapple in my dried fruit mix which contains bananas (my staple ingredient) to which I add red and golden plums, apples, pears, cherries, grapes or whatever comes my way in the form of freebies, self-grown like blueberries and strawberries, grapes, nuts, whatever is on sale and in season. I don't add M&Ms.

I have just finished dehydrating forty pounds of free bananas that yielded five pounds of finished bananas so those will divided into baggies and then I add whatever i get as it comes in. I always have a healthy snack to take out when I am walking etc.

Now in the middles of dehydrating the surplus Christmas oranges I have before they dry up of their on accord.

This sounds delicious, how would you prepare pineapple for dehydration ?
I purchased a dehydrator last year and haven't used it yet.

Oh, YUM!  Dehydrated pineapple is wonderful!!!

Jimmy - just cut it into chunks/slices/whatever about 1/4" to 1/2" thick, put it on the trays and dry at 135F for several hours.

Canned is just as good as fresh.  We got a gallon can of tropical fruit mix & dried it.  REALLY good! 

Try mangos & papaya if you get the chance.  And watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew...  Oranges SMELL divine when dried....

Cherry tomatoes, chocolate mint, spearmint, Greek basil(!)

Can you tell I like to dehydrate?

Thanks Marie

Oranges?? My ears perked up when I read that. Do you slice them instead of just using the sections! We have a Washington Navel orange tree that produces more than we can eat. Daughter gave me her dehydrator that she never used. I need to clean it up and try it.

Jimmy C
The following link with pictures was very helpful to me in preparing pineapple for the dehydrator.
I would also add that I washed off the pineapple real well before getting started to remove whatever was sprayed on it.  Second, my pineapple sat around for several days and was very ripe before I cut it up.  The writer suggested that waiting like I did the fruit becomes rather acidic and burned her mouth after dehydrating.  I didn't have that experience. It was the sweetest I've had so far and didn't burn my mouth.  Her pineapples looked rather green and raw to me in the pictures. Mine were lighter in color and smelled delicious before I cut into it. Maybe you simply have to decide for yourself.


http://arewecrazyorwhat.net/how-to-dehydrate-fresh-pineapple/

I wouldn't  put a load of fresh cut up scraps in a worm farm. The bromelain in the fruit is a protein digesting enzyme. Same ingredient as meat tenderizer that breaks down meat fibers. Worms. Thin skin.... ouch


Kelejan
That's a lot of fruit, wow.  I'd love to have your stock of dehydrated fruit.  I read where putting it in the freezer for a week pasteurizes the finished product. But I don't know if thats true.  You do anything to yours after dehydrating?  I keep mine in the fridge because I don't have a lot and its going to be eaten within a month or so.

Sanderson, yes, I slice my oranges.  You can leave the rind on or take it off.

LLM & Jimmy - after I dehydrate my fruit, I'll put it in a large jar/bag for a few days and shake it once or twice/day.  That allows any remaining water to equal out within the pieces.

If you see any condensation, you need to put the fruit back on the dehydrator for a while.

Once it's dry, I put what I'm going to eat fairly quickly in a jar or bag.  The rest gets seal-a-mealed and put away till needed.

Mary Bell & Denise Long(? - I'll have to double-check the last one) have some good books out on dehydrating.

And, of course, there's lots of recipes on the internet.

I like the idea of unsweetened food being dried & vac packed in heat sealed bags .

The diabetic clinic i attended said just remember it has the same natural sugar & almost the same carb content as fresh fruit so don't go overboard & go eating a big hand full every day .

" Think more like a dessertspoon of it or less if it is really high sugar veg or fruits."


So ...........   the next thing for food processing / long term keeping of food on our list has to be  ......  a dehydrator .

Atlanta-Marie, I follow exactly what you do. This stuff can keep for years if stored properly. No light, no heat etc.

Did I mention that forty pound of bananas dehydrates to 5 pounds in weight? Takes up no room at all.

The only trouble with dehydrating forty pounds of ripe bananas  is getting it all done before it turns to mush.

I have a six-tray Baby Berron, my friend who gave me the bananas has two  ten-tray Berrons so has over three times my capacity.

Sadly. the Canadian Made Berrons are no longer made.

Plantoid, you are right to point out that only a small quantity should be eaten at a time.  Also make sure you are hydrated yourself, or drink liquid at the same time.
I can't imagine what would happen to you if you ate the equivalent of six bananas at once and did not drink any liquid.  I doubt you would do it twice.

Oh, +1!  Boy, I'd hate to even think about that...!

Just FYI Kelejan - 10 lbs of Vidalia onions dehydrates into a gallon.  As does 8 lbs of oranges.

If you dehydrate onions, leeks, garlic, etc - BE SURE your windows are open wide.  And MAKE SURE you store them in glass or ceramic.  The fragrance will migrate thru plastic...  Quickly...

Inspired by this Topic, I am going to dehydrate some of my oranges. The free dehydrator I received is an American Harvest Snackmaster with 5 trays. Totally dusty and with food bits stuck on the trays, I need to clean it thoroughly first. I think I will stick to dehydrating onions and garlic in my summer outdoor boxes! I'll give an update later.

sanderson, just soak the trays for a while and the old food will easily wash off.

My hydrator is all ready to go once more.  I was expecting some more bananas but that fell through and to be honest, I am not unhappy.  One can only enjoy so much before it becomes a bore and you have other urgent things to do because you were spending so much time with bananas.

Kelejan, The unit cleaned up easily, thank goodness. I think the original owner dried kale, herbs, and mystery bits. I started up the base and even more bits and dust bunnies blew out! This one-owner, low mileage unit came with instructions, roll and herb inserts. I'm so glad daughter passed it on to me when she was moving this summer. DH wants me to go Razoring in the mountains with him tomorrow so I will start the oranges on Wednesday.

What is Razoring?

2-seater big boy toy.  Something like this "Googled" Razor Dune Buggy. Some have a small flat bed and can carry a couple bales of hay on a farm or ranch.  
I didn't go with him today - I worked outside instead. Maybe I will go with him on Friday.

sanderson wrote:2-seater big boy toy.  Something like this "Googled" Razor Dune Buggy. Some have a small flat bed and can carry a couple bales of hay on a farm or ranch.  
I didn't go with him today - I worked outside instead.  Maybe I will go with him on Friday.

 Thank goodness for that .
 I was thinking of razoring :face:as per , "Sweeney Todd , The demon barber " .

sanderson, thanks for the explanation of Razoring. Of course, I could have googled it but much more interesting to get a reply here.

You would have had a hard time Googling it. I had to try all kinds of key words to get into the right subject.

Question on when the oranges are properly dehydrated. I can still get a squish of thick liquid out of some bites. More hours needed?

Yes.  The juice will mold if you don't dehydrate all the way.  It should look almost like hard candy but still be a little flexible.

Agree Atlantamarie.  But if you just want a nice snack, then you can eat them if not thoroughly dried but do not delay too long.
When I do my bananas for long time storage, I always have a few on hand that are a little softer and they are soon eaten.
Properly dried fruit needs your own saliva to eat out of hand. Better than water. IMO.

Thank you.