How to Dehydrate Fresh Figs
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I love figs.
No, let me rephrase that – I adore figs. Even more than peaches, those succulent incarnation of summer itself, figs make me swoon with sweet delight when eaten fresh.
And of course, dehydrating only concentrates that sweetness into a compact little package that stores well for a year or two.
One of my favorite recipes in my book, Restocking the Pantry, is the Fig Newton Butter. It takes dehydrated figs, mixes them with a few spices and some whey, and turns them into a delicious, probiotic spread that is scrumptious on toast, bagels, and anything else you care to smear. (And yes, it does taste just like the filling in a Fig Newton. Yummy! 🙂 )
But the first question is – how do you dehydrate fresh figs?
Question no more! Here's a quick tutorial to help you on your way to sweet delight.
How to Dehydrate Fresh Figs
1. Select fully ripe figs and wash the figs well.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and prepare an ice bath. Dip each fig in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, then place directly in the cold water. This helps loosen the skin and facilitates evaporation.
3. If the figs are large, slice them in half lengthwise. If they're fairly small, say only an inch or two at the widest point, then you may dehydrate them whole.
4. Place the figs on dehydrator trays or baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place in a dehydrator or oven set at about 135°F. With an oven, preheat it at the lowest temperature possible.
5. Dehydrate the figs for 8-24 hours, turning every few hours if using the oven and basting in any accumulated juices. Depending on the relative humidity and size of the fruit, drying times can vary widely.
6. Remove figs when they are fully dry to the touch, but still pliable and chewy. You can best judge the state of the figs by removing one from the batch, letting it cool, then biting into it to judge its texture and appearance.
7. Once finished, cool figs completely before placing in airtight containers. Dried figs will keep for 1-2 years in a cool, dark, dry location.
Remind me next year to give you some figs. We have a GIANT tree in the front yard and had about 200 figs from it this year (there are still a bunch on it that didn’t ripen). I gave most of them to a friend and I had her and her coworkers figged-out by the end of the summer.
Oh, goodness, I may have to make a road trip just for that. Thank you! 🙂
Hi
Thank u very much. There are some fig trees in our garden just for a few weeks we have plenty figs. This year we have decided to follow your instruction, except step 2, because we believe the skin can protect the pigs.
Thanks a lot.
H. nasiri
We must have a different type of fig tree.
Our tree is about 5′ high and 8′ wide (all the way to the ground – more like a bush really.)
The figs are small – about 1 inch – but we get about 100 figs a day for the week or so that it is at its fruiting peak..
Needles to say all our friends/neibors get ‘care packages’..
This year we’ll try to dry some and maybe see if we can make some jam..
We have a very large fig tree that produces an abundance of fruit (lucky us, I know). I’m looking forward to drying them in our oven. One question, though, how do you handle turning them over night? It seems like the techniques I find on line all take long enough that overnight is part of the process.
Thanks.
Yes, it’s at least an eight hour process, but I generally just check them before I go to bed and first thing when I wake up. If you’re especially concerned about it, dehydrate them whole, which will keep more moisture in (and thus slow down the process).
Good luck!
IWe are following your instructions with a dehydrator. This is the first time. Usually we can our figs, soooo here we go.
I am resident of Hyderabad India I am interested in fig drying.please provide all dtails regarding fig drying.please also provide me raw figs fordrying