First Batch Completed

Our first batch of the fruit is done and we have double bagged it and boxed it up 2 bags per box and stored it in the walk-in. We figure the boxes weigh about 20 pounds each. Our dried-to-fresh ratio was about 5 pounds fresh to make 1 pound dried. Wow, I didn't think we would lose that much in the process.

But let me tell you, the nectarines are fantastic. The peaches remind me of apricots because they are a little tangy. Everything is so good we are going to have to tape the boxes shut just to keep us out. We are so tickled with the dried fruit that I can hardly wait to sell it.

Dried Pears

We are drying another batch of mixed fruit this time. We have ripened some red Bartlett pears and removed the stems, cut the fruit in half (leaving the seed cavity) and will sulfur them with more peaches and nectarines. We are cutting some white peaches and nectarines too. My son loves figs and put out several baskets of the white fig on the trays to be processed with the other fruit. But I'm not sure if the figs need to be sulfured, I guess we will find out.