We have been doing solar food drying for many years and have even started a small business around it (http://www.solarfooddryer.com). Fruit trees in particular are great for any type of drying. They produce in great abundance in a short span of time and it is always a challenge to manage the production without a lot of waste. Have others tried solar drying? I thought I'd initiate a discussion and would love to hear from others having success with this.
Dried apples and pears are fantastic and we solar dry as many as we can. In the Pacific NW we tend to get plenty of sunshine around harvest time, so solar works pretty well. However, backup electric is handy to have if it becomes overcast or rainy.
Semantics: As opposed to "open-air sun drying," solar drying uses a cabinet of some sort to efficiently capture solar energy, direct heat and airflow to the food, and protect everything from weather and pests.
I’ve dried fruit for years, using a ‘commercial’ nine-rack plastic unit, occasionally augmented by a ‘homemade’ plywood, light bulb and fan unit. I dry everything on our unfinished second floor as it’s naturally warm and dry up there most of the fall.
It’s been a great way to preserve my seven trees worth of figs. I’ve also dried persimmons, but must admit, Bartlett pears and ‘overripe marked down’ bananas are some of the tastiest. Apples are nice, with a subtle flavor and a ‘melt in your mouth’ quality.
I’ve not dried either ‘fuzzy’ or ‘hardy’ kiwi, yet ... but felt the hardies would be good candidates, if I didn’t gobble up the crop while fresh. The fuzzies are such good keepers there seems little reason to preserve them.
I’ve gallon glass jars with nice wide lids, former commercial condiment jars. Kept in a cool, dark and dry ‘fruit cellar,’ they may outlast me! They make excellent gifts. Just tell kids it’s a form of ‘fruit leather,’ or ‘natural candy.’
A very important aspect of even home orcharding is having the ability to utilize the fruit when it comes on - and drying’s one of the cheapest and easiest!
Good work and good luck with your business 
Does the food in your solar dryer retain much color after being in the sun while it dries? I contemplated building a solar food dehydrator with a solar collector down low and a "chimney" cabinet where I place the food. The cabinet would be solid walls with mesh racks that exclude the sun. Would have screen over an air inlet at bottom end of the solar collector and outlet at top to keep out fruit flies.
Hi Dubyadee,
The food we solar dry consistently looks great and has great flavor, which are indicators of high nutrient content. The color looks better than anything I see in stores. We don't blanch or pretreat, but do try to dry food immediately after processing it (washing/slicing). Direct solar drying dries faster than indirect drying, which I believe results in some quality advantage.
I have tried to attach a couple of photos showing our solar-dried apples in the dryer and our dried Asian pears -- both from our yard. Very little browning and outstanding flavor. Other solar-dried food photos of strawberries, peaches, plums, tomatoes, and herbs can be found on our website (http://www.solarfooddryer.com).
Sun dried tomatoes with olive oil are amazingly delicious! Expensive if you don't grow them.
We have been slicing and drying quinces which works quite well. They are amazing croppers. Tons of fruit on a small tree. They are a pretty dry fruit anyway, so they dry quickly and efficiently.
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