3 Ways to Dry Fruit for the Birds
As the year goes on and the weather turns a little cooler I find myself drying more fruits and berries for the birds. It is a fairly easy process no matter if you use the sun, oven, or the microwave drying method. All 3 ways to dry fruit for the birds work well.
Birds eat a variety of fruit. If you find your fresh fruit is past its prime, use one of the processes below to preserve it.
Add the fruits to recipes like the dried fruit medley bird food recipe to attract a wide variety of additional birds to your feeders.
Some Fruits To Dry
- Apples
- Cherries
- Elderberries
- Plums
- Oranges
- Mulberries
- Crabapples
- Concord grapes
- Serviceberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Raisins
- Prickly pear
- Banana
- Cranberries
- Papaya
A Word Of Caution
Some fruit seeds are poisonous to birds, like apple seeds. Remove the seeds before serving.
Methods To Dry Fruit
Sun Dry
Have an old window screen? Recycle it into a drying rack for the fruit to feed the birds.
1.) Cut fruit and lay it on the screen in a single layer outside on your deck.
2.) Cover the fruit slices with cheesecloth to keep critters away from it and let dry outdoors.
You can leave the fruit dry all day long in the sun. Simple as that.
Oven Dry
A low oven temperature will get the job done. Keep your temperature at 200 degrees F or lower, this seems to work the best.
1.) Drying times always vary depending on how thick you cut your fruit and the amount of juice in the fruit you are drying.
2.) Start checking the dryness of the fruit at the 30-minute mark. Every 15 minutes thereafter.
Microwave
Microwave drying is the quickest method of the three drying methods but can also be a little tricky with certain fruits. Try a test run on your fruit.
1.) Set your microwave to 2 minutes at low power and run the fruit. Check the dryness.
2.) Gradually add 1 minute of additional time until you reach the desired dryness
Dehydrator
Food dehydrators are always an option. The dehydrator can double for drying flowers and herbs from the garden.
Using one of the 3 ways to dry fruit for the birds is a way to use fruits that are past their prime for us, but will be a special treat for your feathered friends. Add the fruit pieces to cheaper filler seeds and attract a new flock of birds at the bird feeder.
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