Drying Apricots

We have an apricot tree that produced bountifully this year. So did many of our neighbors’ trees. That makes it harder to give them away. Our family prefers dried apricots over eating them straight from the tree so I made a couple of drying racks. I’m drying as many as I can but we still will not be able to harvest all we have.

To make a drying rack I got a 2’ x 2’ piece of pressed board from Home Depot for a dollar. I had old two by fours that I split, lengthwise, and cut them to line the perimeter of the pressed board (secured by screws). Finally I bought mesh screen to place on top of the rack to keep bugs out. I secured one end of the screen to the wooden perimeter using a staple gun. I did not fasten the remaining screen so that I would be able to lift it and access the tray. To keep the screen tight on the edges, I cut the screen larger than the rack. On the end opposite the side I stapled, I fasten a section of wood. I let this piece of wood hang over the edge to draw the screen tight. I also lay sections of two by fours on the remaining two edges to hold the screen in place on the sides.

To dry the apricots, I pick a batch, lightly rinse, and cut each in half. The pit should be easy to remove. I then place the halves in the rack and sprinkle a little “Fruit Fresh” on them. My first batch took three days to dry.