How To Dehydrate Peaches

Contents

Q. What happens when you order a case of peaches from your local co-op?

A. You get stuck with a bunch of peaches.

Not that this is a bad thing. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t enjoy a peach from time to time. But when you have a case of peaches, staring at you from your countertop, it’s like a ticking time bomb of fruit waiting to pass from ripe to rotten.

You must do something with them. But what?

Here at It’s a Love/Love Thing, I’m going to show you! One of the easiest ways to deal with an abundance of peaches (again, not a bad thing) is to simply dehydrate them. How do we do that? Here’s the tutorial. So let’s get busy, time’s a wastin’.

Materials Needed:

Fresh, ripe peaches (freestone is preferred)
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Dehydrator – I love this one.
Towel and spray for cleaning workspace and fruit

Start off Clean

First order of business: cleanliness. As I’ve mentioned in my Dehydrating Tomatoes Tutorial, when dehydrating, you must work in a very clean environment. So grab a clean towel and your kitchen spray, and start cleaning. (Vinegar cut with water works well here for killing germs.)

Clean your countertop, your dehydrator lid, even your sink faucet and handles. Just think of anything you might have to touch while you’re working, and give it a good wipe.

After you’ve sanitized your workspace, go ahead and wash your hands well. (I know you know this, but I just have to mention it for the tutorial’s sake. 🙂 )

Wash your peaches also. Again, a water and vinegar spray will get the job done, as long as you rinse well.

Cut and Slice

Next, take your knife and make a deep slice in the peach’s flesh, circling all the way around. Then twist the halves apart. Flip your peach over and start slicing. Try not to slice narrower than 1/4″ slices. Then, take the other half, (the half still containing the pit) and slice through the center and again, twist to separate. If you like, take whimsical artsy Instagram photo of pile of peach pits.

How to Dehydrate Peaches — Peach pits, you are not really that photogenic.

Here’s where many tutorials for dehydrating peaches will tell you to soak the peach slices in water with lemon juice. I challenge you not to waste time doing this. It’s only for aesthetics; your peaches will be absolutely delicious if you skip this step, and they will also be excellently preserved without the help of the lemon juice. I don’t see it as a help at all, just an extraneous step. So I advise you to skip it!

Arrange in Dehydrator

Now simply lay the slices flat in your dehydrator. Dehydrate at 135 – 140 degrees (if your dehydrator has temperature settings) for 5 to 24 hours, until your peaches are done. They will be pliable, but usually, once they cool off they will end up stiff.

Dehydrated Peaches, Ready for the Taking

Bend the mesh into a circle, and the slices should pop right off.

There, wasn’t that easy? Dehydrating peaches is so rewarding. It’s quick and painless, and as a bonus, you now have fewer peaches staring you in the face, waiting for you to preserve their peachy goodness.

Something fun you can make with dried peaches: fruit powder.

Have a peachy keen day. Yes I did say that.

Much love,

Danielle