Register  |   | 
 
Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Making dried figs
 
 


Reply
  Author   Comment  
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #1 
The are some of my Celeste figs I am dehydrating.  It is a lot less trouble than canning and I enjoy the dried figs more than the canned ones. [31Dv98y]
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
Charlie

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,214
Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Looks easy enough, do they stick to the tray? 
__________________
Zone 7A ~ Fort Smith area Arkansas 
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Charlie, they don't stick if you place them facing up.  I slice them in half and set the skin side on the tray
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
SoniSoni

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 777
Posted Reply with quote  #4 
  ohhh Charley, how you will love these in winter,  if you dont eat them all now testing to see when they're dry .   
__________________
Soni   GA. 7-8.  
 seeking Galicia Negra, Bianchi Guido, Violette de Sollies, Emerald Strawberry
FMD

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,327
Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Charlie, how long does it usually take to get good results using your dehydrator?
__________________
Frank
Tallahassee, FL Zone 8b  
 

North Florida Figs
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Frank, I have been leaving them in for 16 hours at 135 degrees.  They come out pretty dry but still chewy.
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
Hershell

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 650
Posted Reply with quote  #7 
That is exactly what I have been wanting to know. Now I can put it in production mode. Thanks Chapman.
__________________
Hershell Zone 8. Ray City, Ga.
GeneDaniels

Registered:
Posts: 1,014
Posted Reply with quote  #8 
You've got me drooling! I've been looking at canning recipes online and they all look great, but your post reminded me that I much prefer dried figs to canned ones.

I have been stalking dehydrators for several months now. There are soo many choices. I am right on the edge about pulling the trigger on a Nesco FD-80, square shaped one. But since my trees are still small I don't know if I would really use one this year. But looking at your pic reminds me that even if I only dry a few trays I would be happier than if I had canned those same figs considering all that syrup.

 
__________________
Zone 7b (Central Arkansas) Seven trees in the ground: Hardy Chicago, Celeste(?), LSU gold, Italian Black, Southern Brown Turkey(?), Strawberry Verte, and Unk yellow.  Trees in pots: VdB, CdD, and Sicilian?
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Gene, I was looking at buying another one.  It looks like some don't have adjustable temperatures which I think I need.  Mine is a Nesco American Harvest with temp settings.  It has 4 trays and I just ordered 2 more trays off Ebay to add on to it.  Hopefully it will still work good with 2 more trays added.
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
Chivas

Registered:
Posts: 1,675
Posted Reply with quote  #10 
If you leave them whole, it becomes a pain, the weight from the tray above with squish them and they leak out honey making a mess, taste good though.
__________________
Canada Zone 6B
waynea

Registered:
Posts: 1,886
Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Looks like I have a new project.
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #12 
These are the same figs after 12 hours at 135 degrees.
[LZauYQ2]
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
jerrybrother83

Registered:
Posts: 25
Posted Reply with quote  #13 
I have this same dehydrator.  When I wanted to expand I got a used one from ebay.  I got four extra trays and now have a spare bottom.  Works great and I have had mine for over twenty years.
ako1974

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 299
Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Chapman - do you cook with your dried figs or just snack on them? I just dehydrated a bunch, too, but I don't have any cooking recipes. I guess may you could add them to a roast pork or something?
__________________
Arne
Zone 6a - NJ
Chivas

Registered:
Posts: 1,675
Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Fig bread is really good with goat or sheep cheese, it's not really a bread though, something you would spread or slice on bread.
__________________
Canada Zone 6B
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Arne, I have been eating them as snacks, in salads and I like to put 7 or 8 in a bowl of oatmeal before I microwave it.  I'm sure you could do a lot of things with them.
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
TucsonKen

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,298
Posted Reply with quote  #17 
I'm drying them too. I find that if I squeeze them a bit to flatten them a little before slicing them, they're a more uniform thickness and dry more evenly.
__________________
Ken
Tucson, Arizona
Zone 8b
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Ken, do you think they need a certain dryness to preserve them or does it mater how dry you get them?  I store mine in the fridge and freezer to avoid mold problems.
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
Rewton

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,946
Posted Reply with quote  #19 
That's was what I wanted to know too - how do you all store them once they are dehydrated?
__________________
Steve MD zone 7a
pino

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 2,117
Posted Reply with quote  #20 
I dry a lot of fruit (peaches, apples, apricots, figs, cherries, nectarines ..) so I got myself an excalibur dehydrator.  It is a real workhorse with stainless steel trays.  Have had it for over 10 years.

My problem was getting them too dry since then they are tough to chew.  Still great in recipes though and they contain omega-3 when dried (although this may only be true of the Smyrna figs with seeds).

Now I also freeze a whole bunch.  I fill up my floor chest freezer with frozen figs and other frozen fruit and veggies.

I  just put the whole figs on a cookie tray, let them freeze overnight and then put in zip plastic bags and store in the freezer.
I find I eat more frozen figs then dry ones, use them in smoothies and recipes. 
__________________

Pino, zone 6, Niagara,  JCJ Acres
Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.
Chivas

Registered:
Posts: 1,675
Posted Reply with quote  #21 
If you make a simple syrup with ripe figs or frozen then roll them in crepes they are delicious.
__________________
Canada Zone 6B
pino

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 2,117
Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Fig crepes sounds delicious!
__________________

Pino, zone 6, Niagara,  JCJ Acres
Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.
GeneDaniels

Registered:
Posts: 1,014
Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Chapman, how many watts is your dehydrator?
__________________
Zone 7b (Central Arkansas) Seven trees in the ground: Hardy Chicago, Celeste(?), LSU gold, Italian Black, Southern Brown Turkey(?), Strawberry Verte, and Unk yellow.  Trees in pots: VdB, CdD, and Sicilian?
GeneDaniels

Registered:
Posts: 1,014
Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Pino, do  your frozen figs get really watery when thawed? I freeze lots of berries, but when I tried figs last year they were not so good thawed. They were watery and some even molded within hours of thawing. Any suggestions on how you do yours would be appreciated.
__________________
Zone 7b (Central Arkansas) Seven trees in the ground: Hardy Chicago, Celeste(?), LSU gold, Italian Black, Southern Brown Turkey(?), Strawberry Verte, and Unk yellow.  Trees in pots: VdB, CdD, and Sicilian?
Chapman

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 351
Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Gene, I believe it is a Nesco FD-60 which shows 500 watts when I look it up on the internet.   Mine doesn't show the model or watts on it, but the FD-60 looks just like mine.
__________________
South Louisiana, Zone 9
TucsonKen

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,298
Posted Reply with quote  #26 
The dryer they get, the longer they'll last, but as has been pointed out, they can get too chewy if over-dried. I guess everybody has to find the right balance--I'm still learning, and picking up tips wherever I can. I personally tend to err on the side of being too dry, just to be safe. Even so, last year I dehydrated a batch of figs and sealed them into ziplocs, only to find some little moths crawling around in the bag a few weeks later--so now I put them in the freezer for a few days after drying just to try and kill any bug eggs that may have survived the dehydrator.

I got an old, used Excalibur with 9 plastic trays from a neighbor whose fruit trees ended up not yielding enough to bother with. It works great, but my wife noticed it gets drier on one side than the other, so for some fruits we rotate the trays 180 degrees halfway through. I'm really a fan of drying--it's so much easier than canning, and you can extend the harvest for as long as you have the self-discipline to keep rationing your snacks!
__________________
Ken
Tucson, Arizona
Zone 8b
pino

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 2,117
Posted Reply with quote  #27 
Gene, mostly I use frozen figs in smoothies.
I take the figs, berries ... out of freezer and let them thaw for 5 minutes that is long enough for them to soften a bit and can be added to the mixer with some peaches, yoghurt (whatever you like).  Blend them up a few minutes and that is my morning drink before my coffee.  I find that adding figs makes the smoothie a bit thicker.

For experiment I just took out a black fig (- 1 bite) and a green fig and let them thaw.  They tasted a little jammy like they had been blanched but still had a nice taste.  My green figs (Italian honey) are very juicy so I can see them getting watery after defrosting for a long time but the black are not as juicy and they hold their texture better.  I think best thing is once defrosted you need use them soon.

green fig.jpg 
 

__________________

Pino, zone 6, Niagara,  JCJ Acres
Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.
rcantor

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 5,724
Posted Reply with quote  #28 
The best dehydrator I've ever owned is the Nesco FD1010  http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-Harvest-FD-1010-Gardenmaster-Dehydrator/dp/B004512HOM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405198517&sr=8-1&keywords=nesco+dehydrator+1010

Much more powerful than the others and more reliable than the digital.  The only problem with the Nesco is that if you dehydrate wild mushrooms the spores build up on the fan and it stops working.   For anything other than mushrooms it's as good as the Excalibur at 1/3rd the price.  You definitely want a model with a temp control as some things will taste burnt at higher temperatures.
__________________
Zone 6, MO

Wish list:
Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
Previous Topic | Next Topic
Print
Reply