Dehydrating Pineapple
Remove the fibrous skin. If you have a coring tool, you can remove the core before cutting. Otherwise remove the core as you slice the pineapple. Cut the pineapple crosswise into ¾ inch thick rings first and then slice the rings crosswise into thinner ⅛ inch thick pieces. Smaller pieces dry faster than larger chunks or rings and are the perfect size to use in recipes and trail mixes.
Dehydrate at 135° until pliable (12 – 18 hours). If drying canned pineapple, it will take up to twice as long because of the pineapple being saturated with extra juices. Shorten the time by running the dehydrator at 145° for the first two hours.
Yield: 4 pounds of pineapple (1 medium to large pineapple before trimming) yields approximately 3 cups dry.
Combine one cup of any assortment of dried fruit with one cup water. Soak for ten minutes and then heat slowly for ten more minutes. Try ½ cup pears, ¼ cup bananas, ⅛ cup pineapple, and ⅛ cup mango or peaches. You will have plenty of sweet juices to enjoy with the fruit without needing any sugar or corn syrup. I heat mine up in a fry pan lid over three tea light candles.
You can enjoy fruit cocktail cold if you have a container with a lid. Soak overnight. If you include a little extra water, say 1½ cups of water with 1 cup of dried fruits, you’ll have a little shot of fruit juice to enjoy in the morning. Eat reconstituted fruit cocktail “as is” or serve with cereal and milk.
