Dehydrating figs
I love figs..fresh or dried! Last time I went to farmers market I bought too many fresh figs that wouldn't have lasted without dehydration. Now the dried figs can last longer in a sealed jar and I can eat them in my breakfast yogurt.
For the best result will need a food dehydrator. I just got mine and I'm super excited to dehydrate all kinds of fruits and veggies.
Many instructions say that figs in halves will dehydrate faster, but slicing decreases the shelf life of dried figs. Sliced figs will benefit from an ascorbic acid (lemon juice) before drying, and should be stored in airtight containers in the fridge until you plan to eat them.
1. Select only fully ripe figs for drying. Under-ripe figs will be too tough to adequately dry.
2. Wash the figs in cool water.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and put the figs into the boiling water for 30 seconds. After removing the figs from the boiling water, immediately plunge them into another container of ice-cold water. This will weaken the tissue in the skin, allowing the fig to dehydrate faster.
4. Figs can be dried whole but because the whole ones wouldn't fit to my dehydrator I cut them in halves.
5. Place the figs into dehydrator trays, a single layer thick.
6. Dehydrate for 6-12 hrs in a food dehydrator set to 140° F (60C).
7. Allow a sample fig to cool to room temperature before judging if it is finished. It should be leathery, chewy, and completely dry to the touch.
Conclusion and my personal preference:
I did soak half of the figs in lemon juice and water for 10mins instead of boiling them. I wanted to test which way gives the best result and noticed boiling worked better. Also, the figs needed 12-13hrs and were not nearly done after 6hrs. When dehydrating you should keep checking the figs after 6hrs as there are differences in the dehydrators.