The Frugal World of Doc: December 2007

...dry, dry and dry again.

Got surplus fruit, veg or herbs?

Make this dryer and dry your excess.

To make this you need:
4 small buckets or similar containers full of water
4 pieces of polypipe to stand proud of the buckets of water
As many bread trays as you can get your hands on
Net curtains
Surplus fruit, veg and/or herbs

Step 1
Place a tray on the polypipe tubes in the water.

Step 2
Take a tray and line it with a piece of curtain.

You could use shadecloth but I find the curtain allows for better airflow.

Step 3
Choose your fruit, veg and herbs for drying.

Prepare by chopping or halving.

You can dip apples, bananas, pears and apricots in pineapple juice to prevent discolouring.

I don't usually bother since it is only a cosmetic thing and I do not believe my fruit is that vain.

Step 4
Repeat steps 2 and 3 as required. We (me and Scarecrow) have around 15 trays but that number keeps rising.

A safe number stacked seems to be about 6.

Step 5
When stacked as needed, cover the whole dryer with net curtain.

This allows air flow but keeps out the flies, ants, birds and antelopes.

It must work because since putting the curtaining on I have never seen an antelope.

Place in sunlight and check on it a couple of times a day to get your fruit just how you like it.

I like my bananas halved and soft (leathery) or sliced and dried to make banana chips.

I like the sun-dried tomatoes leathery as well to put in jars of olive oil.

I like my apples soft and leathery but the kids used to love them as chips.

Remember to allow a few days to achieve your outcome.

Experiment, you have nothing to lose but your fruit.

Where do you get your trays from, I hear you ask.