10 Ways to Keep Farm Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for the Winter Months

Dried Fruits (Photo by Reza/Getty Images)

Dried Fruit

I love snacking on dried fruit. It is totally nature’s candy. (Fight me.) I like to dice it up for muffins and quick breads, or to mix with my morning oatmeal or granola. Dried fruit makes a delicious compote, too. Just add diced dried fruit to boiling water and simmer until the fruit is plump and the water has evaporated.

If you want to use a dehydrator, but don’t want to buy one, you can use this technique from the always inventive Alton Brown. First you’re going to need to buy a box fan and a bunch of air conditioner filters.

It’s probably easier, but maybe not as fun, to use an oven rather than make your own dehydrator. But the nicest way to make dried fruit is the old fashionest way: with the power of the sun. Fruit is high sugar and acid (relative to vegetables),which keeps it from going bad during the relatively long sun drying process. It’s not that long, though–just a few days. But you need dry, sunny weather. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a wonderfully concise and comprehensive guide to drying fruit indoors and outdoors. This handy publication also has instructions for vegetables and, even how to make your own fruit leather. That’s some lunchbox perfection.