As you may know, Harvest of the Month (HOTM) offers nutritional resources for students, families and community members — those resources being fruits and vegetables that follow a seasonal schedule delegated by Mother Nature. Normally, the goal is to learn about the importance of eating seasonally; interestingly, though, March’s HOTM is an odd-ball in that it can be enjoyed anytime of the year … once we dry it. This month HOTM underscores a wide variety of seasonal produce: dried fruit. However, to honor HOTM’s and Mother Nature’s dogma, the fruit in season that we’ll hone in on are berries (which we can dry, of course).
Berries are high in antioxidants, which are known to improve memory function and help reduce the effects of aging. Escaping the grasp of winter, berries also provide several vitamins and minerals our immune system needs to keep the body functioning in tip-top shape. If you survived the winter without getting sick, you might agree with Benjamin Franklin when he stated, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Getting a couple ounces of berries throughout the day is never a bad idea.
The history of drying fruits is rich and complex. The earliest known use of dried fruits can be found on Mesopotamian tablets (from as early as 1700 BC), which are most likely the oldest known written recipes. Flash-forward to today: drying fruits continues to be a practice in our culture’s cooking peripheral. Dried fruits can be added to seeds, nuts, cookies, pastries, salads, cereals, chocolate, and breads, just to name a few, or they can be eaten on their own as a portable, healthy snack.
Most dried fruits are made in a dehydrator, but you can get similar results using a conventional oven. Once you dry any fruit in the oven, however, it is important to make sure there is no residual moisture. To check this you want to “condition” the dried fruit, which is very easy. Just place the dried, cooled fruit into a glass container, two-thirds full. Cover and shake the jars a couple of times a day for one week to move the pieces of fruit around (this also moves moisture that may still be hidden). If you find condensation in the jars, your fruit should return to the oven for another half hour.
Are you ready? Try making a batch of dried strawberries today and add them to something you haven’t before.
Remember, it is always best to get the freshest (and most local) fruit possible because that will make the dehydrated version even better. If you follow HOTM, this will be no issue. Visit GrownLocalMendoLake.com for more information about HOTM and how you can eat great seasonal food year-round.
Juston Jaco is a 2015-16 Community HealthCorps Health Educator within the Mendocino Community Health Clinics. He provides nutrition and dental instruction in bilingual immersion elementary schools
