Drying Nectarines

The orchardist who sells me my nectarines at the farmers market calls these "big uglies." They are HUGE nectarines--about the size of a softball and I love them. They are sweet and tangy at the same time and really juicy. I love their bright, sweet flavor and the way their silky juice runs down my throat and often down my chin. I usually eat them standing over the sink in the kitchen.

I had been waiting, somewhat impatiently for their first arrival. Last weekend when he told me that cherries might only last another week or so, I new that nectarines would soon be gracing my table. I will miss the cherries (which I also love), but as the stone fruit comes in, my thoughts turn to fall.

And with my thoughts turned to fall, I start thinking about putting up some of the summer's bounty. With that said, I will admit, I do not can. I am a little intimidated by the thought of it. I am sure that someday, and likely sooner rather than later, I will be prompted into a canning class and overcome the fear of botulism. Well, maybe not of botulism, but more of giving myself and others botulism from a canning mistake.

So I freeze and dry. From the strawberries I picked at Greenbluff I chopped and froze about half them. I still even have some tomato sauce from last summer, although the last of the dried tomatoes were used in a pasta salad a few weeks ago. There are some chopped carrots and celery ready for soup in the freezer, too. And some green beans and peas, some spinach, and grated zucchini. My freezer is balanced somewhat precariously, but it does the trick.

I also dry food. A couple of years ago when I started to get into ethics and food my sister bought me a food dehydrator off my amazon wish list for my birthday. Now, February might not be the best time to start learning how to dry food, but in some respects, it is the best time--no pressure just yet. Last fall I dried apples and still have some in a giant, airtight, plastic container in my pantry area, ready to add to quick bread or muffins, and great just as a snack--healthy, local and full of fiber! As Barbara Kingsolver, in her charming book, Animal Vegetable Miracle said, what is preserved in the time of bounty is still local in February when nothing is growing (at least in most parts of the US).

So I am drying nectarines. "Drying nectarines?" you say. Yes, drying nectarines. Sliced when juicy, skin still on, and drying in the food dehydrator. They are sweet and tart all at the same time as dried and just wonderful. My biggest problem is not eating them just after they are dried, but saving them for the long winter days when they can really be appreciated. I buy so many when they are ripe that drying them is the best way to deal with them. I admit I get overzealous at the farmers market stall--and that is what prompted me to try drying nectarines. I had many more than could be comfortably eaten before time got to them last year. And I am always considering what else might dry well and make for more local food in the off-season.

I keep them, and some dried apple in my desk for a quick pick me up during the academic year when grading papers gets tiresome or when I am rushing to class and need something to tide me over. There are no preservatives (save a little lemon juice on the apples) unlike a lot of dried fruit at the grocery store, no oils, no wax, no colors and no added sugar either. It is just fruit minus the liquid!

My pantry might look to some like I am a hoarder--lots of bulk containers. But if hoarding local food for the off season makes me pathological, then take me away. Gives a whole new meaning to "the funny farm" as I am laughing all the way there knowing better what I eat all year round.