When we heard the first murmurings of the back to school ads, we were prompted to find a way to preserve the luscious bounty of the summer harvest. What better way of preserving that summer fruit than putting our famous San Diego sunshine to work and sun-drying them! Follow these easy steps:
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Choose which fruits you want to dry. The obvious choices are apricots and plums from R& L, peaches and nectarines from Hillside. But, why not get adventuresome! Be sure to give cherries from Smit farms, strawberries from Valdivia farms and citrus peel from Paradise Valley a try. Why not preserve the outrageously delicious yellow and red watermelons from JR organics or the meaty Stupice tomatoes from Suzie's farms.
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Wash and thoroughly dry the chosen fruit. Cut large fruits into narrow slices about 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thick. Small fruits such as grape tomatoes or berries can be left whole. For watermelon and cantaloupes you'll need to remove the seeds.
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Spread the sliced fruit out on a stainless steel cookie rack atop of a baking sheet and cover with cheesecloth to keep away the insects. Let sit in full sunlight for approximately two days, taking them inside at night to prevent the fruit from absorbing the moisture from any dew. Turn them over once each day to promote even drying.
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The fruit is done when it is no longer sticky. Store the dried fruit in plastic bags or airtight containers and freeze it.
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Open it on a cold rainy January day, we bet you'll be able to taste the summer sunshine!
