5 lbs. Italian Plums = $5.
I have the sweetest memory of my 5th grade teacher, (a hobby farmer in the summertime) who would bring his home-grown, home-dehydrated, Italian Plums to school in his lunch. Several students, including myself, would joyfully give up our recess time to circle around his desk, our 10-year-old hands outstretched for treat...a tangy-sweet, leathery plum. Poor man! We gave him no lunchtime peace whenever we caught a glimpse of that baggie full of dried plums sitting on his desk.
Thirty years later, I know how truly patient he was to share his lunch, and moreover, his lunch time with us, when likely there were copies to be made, prep work to do, and what should have been a few precious moments of peace and quiet in the classroom. The lesson I remember, deeply etched, is that good, healthy food from the earth is a treasure and a gift.
One of my favorite books on the subject of food dehydration is called Food Drying with an Attitude, by Mary T. Bell. In it she relates her early experience as a demonstrator of electric dehydrators at an appliance store. I've always loved this quote:
"I'd set up my table, fill my dehydrator, and offer passersby samples of dried bananas, apples, applesauce, and pineapple in hopes they would want to purchase a dehydrator. Adults would politely say they were full, or it was Lent, or they simply didn't like fruit. It was the children who relished my samples. Again and again they returned, showing me the palms of their hands, and ask(ing) for more dried fruit. Those little hands gave me the encouragement and resolve that food drying was something important."
I think of this quote all the time, in regards to the children in my life. Seems like most of us have children in their lives, one way or another...children of our own, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends, or students. We are all "teachers", whether we want to be or not. The little hands in our lives are always outstretched to us, palms up. What shall we put in those little hands?
Will we hand them real foods, whole foods; things that grow in the soil, and graze in the grass; things that will really nourish them?
Maybe we will show them how to love the kind of good food that loves them back.
One way or another, we do convey a message. We do have far-reaching influence, in terms of how they will one day choose to nourish themselves.
Dehydrated Italian Plums
(If you do not have a dehydrator, I think the best thing would be to just EAT the plums, fresh. They are delightful, just like that. I have never tried to dehydrate in the oven, but if you have done it successfully, then chime in the comments and tell us about it!)
Step 1: Select ripe plums. These were nice and soft, when gently squeezed. If they are hard, please wait a few days until they are definitely ripe, or they will be sour.
Step 2: Wash and dry the plums, and then cut them in 1/2 and remove the pit. Then cut each 1/2 into 3 even pieces. These plums were fairly large, but if you get smaller ones you could even 1/4 them. You want them to be about 1/2" thick, and as even as possible.
Step 3: Line them up on your drying racks, skin side down.
Step 4: Put them into your dehydrator at 130 degrees. (And here's where the science of dehydration meets the art of dehydration)...for about 18-24 hours. If your dehydrator has a timer, set it for 18 hrs. When it goes off, let the plums cool, and then check for doneness. They are softer when warm, so letting them cool first is important. Maybe, as you pass by, every so often you could rotate the trays a 1/4 turn. If you don't remember to do that, no biggie.
Step 5: Your plums are done when they are "leathery". You don't want them "wet" in the middle, but you don't want them hard and crispy. So you just gotta check 'em til they are leathery. The time varies a lot depending upon how full your dehydrator is, the humidity of the day, or your house...lots of factors. It was a humid day, so mine took 20 hours.
Step 6: Eat and enjoy! I can just about guarantee your children's classmates will clamor for a taste if you send these dried plums in the lunchbox. So send a few extra so everyone can sample them. You may inspire the next generation of food dehydrationists!
Keep out the dried plums you will eat in the near future and put them in a jar with a lid. I go ahead and bag and freeze the ones we will not be eating in the next few days, just as a safety precaution. All it takes is for one to be underdone and wet, and next thing you know, if they are left on the shelf, mold can develop, and then you've lost your whole batch. So best just to freeze them and take them out as desired.
One thing to note is that 6 pieces (if you sliced the plums into 6ths) = one plum. Just wanted to mention that, because they shrink up really small, and it's easy to sit there and eat the whole bag! Even though these are a healthy snack, like anything, they can be over-consumed. They are still fruit, and still contain sugar, and fiber, so don't let that sneak up on you.
Have fun, this is a great project for kids to help with. These plums work beautifully in a trail mix with nuts of all kinds. Two indispensable resource books for dehydrating are: The Dehydrator Bible, by Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt and Don Mercer, and Preserve it Naturally: The Complete Guide to Food Dehydration, by Excalibur. And the best website I've ever seen for dehydration is www.dehydrate2store.com. There are ALL the step-by-step videos you could ever dream of on that site. Fantastic info, and free! Have a beautiful plum season.
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