Prefer the old-school sun-drying approach? We’ve got you covered. Keep in mind, however, that it’ll take a lot longer for your fruit to dehydrate in the sun as opposed to a dehydrator or oven.
Supplies
You’ll need a few things to ensure optimal results from this approach. First, you’ll need some drying racks. You can use cooling racks, but be sure to set them on cookie sheets.
You can also use plastic drying racks. Alternatively, you can make your own. Just be sure to use something that’s well-ventilated.
Second, you want some cheesecloth to cover the fruit in order to keep bugs off of it. You’ll also need a lemon-water mixture.
Grab a bowl, mix four cups of water with one cup of lemon juice, and use the mixture to pretreat the kiwis so they don’t brown.
Last, you’ll need a spot outdoors that’s both dry and warm where you can dry your fruit. Ideally, the temperature should be over 85 °F, and the humidity should be under 60%.
Preparation
Got all the supplies you need? Sweet! Now it’s time to prepare the kiwifruit for sun-drying. First, you want to wash the kiwifruit real good, peel them, and then cut them into thin slices.
As mentioned earlier, the thinner the slice, the faster it’ll dry. Be sure to slice the kiwi into equally thin slices so they all dry up within the same timeframe.
Next, you want to soak the slices into the lemon-water mixture for a few minutes. Thereafter, put the slices on the drying racks while maintaining enough space between each slice to allow air to flow between them.
Make sure to put something underneath the racks like a piece of foil to prevent dripping. Lastly, cover the racks with cheesecloth.
Sun-Drying
All you have to do now is set up your drying racks somewhere warm and dry in the sun. For the fruit to be completely sun-dried, you’ll have to turn it every once in a while.
Ideally, it should take the fruit around two to three days to dehydrate. Please be sure to bring the drying racks inside at night, though.
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