Does anyone here know where to source burning sulfur for drying fruit? My brother has been using soil sulfur prills from amazon and getting good results. Is this safe to do? I think its the same but really hard to find info. Anyone dry fruit like this here? Thanks!
I tried burning once and couldn’t get it lite. Just won’t burn. I tried two kinds, a powder and the prilled stuff. Neither burned for me.
A friend in CA used it. Not the easiest to work with. He just had it in metal cans as I recall.
Lately I’ve just been drying things without treatment. The dried product tastes wonderful and looks pretty good. You certainly don’t need it for figs.
Here’s some idea what this yrs looks like. The nectarines are superb…!!
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So after running out of burning sulfur last year I used sulfur prills this year and it worked out great. This is a family tradition we have done since we were kids. We used to pick Blenhiem apricots in Tracy and made a fun day of it. We would be done picking around noon and then went for a picnic at the park. We usually picked 250lbs and ate and dried them up using sulfur at our grandparents place. We did this every year and we all loved it. Of course we would get a few apricot pies out of the bounty as well. Anyways, in the book my brother has it says the main reasons for using sulfur cure are 1, it preserves the vitamins and nutrients, 2, it preserves the color, 3, keeps fruit from spoiling. Here are some pics of the process…
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Is there any science to support #1 and #3 reason? #2 is obvious- though a dunk in pineapple juice also works (though not as well).
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Yes Mike, this is how large commercial operations dry their fruit. Its fine to not dry this way of coarse and that works fine. I was just trying to show others how they can dry fruit and obtain the advantages above. Next time I dry fruit I will show how to get the sulfur to burn, seems that is the hardest part.
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Have you tried using a drying tray like the ones that some use for jerky? I want a different option than canning and freezing this year. Clearly I am being optimistic with the strange weather we are having that I will still get a fruit crop. Can you describe your drying process? Have you used this for other fruit?
Thanks for any ideas.
It’s simple, just cut up the fruit in thin slices, put it on the trays, and dry at 135F or lower. I am right now half way thru eating the Honey Blaze nectarine pictured above from 6-5-19. It still has the wonderful Honey series flavor. It’s been in the freezer for 8 months.
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Do you need to store the dried fruit in the freezer? I thought dried fruit can be stored at room temp.
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I haven’t stored at room temperature. The dried fruit is best somewhat moist. If storing at room temp I’d want it drier than I like to eat. So I’ve stored in fridge or freezer. If freezer is where I have space that’s where it goes.
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@californicus, I always store my dried fruit in the fridge, and it is lightly sulfur cured.It stays nice and moist. You can take a bag out and let it come to room temp if needed, just refrigerate when done. Some fruits like pears and apples don’t need as much care, but I still recommend putting them in the fridge.
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