How to Make Dried Figs at Home?

An ancient fruit known as the fruit of Gods, much appreciated by Ulysses and Cleopatra, the fig is a deliciously sweet addition to the contemporary kitchen. If you’ve got more figs than you can eat at once, dry them for long-term storage. All you need is an Oven or just the Sun itself. Keep reading to find out how.

There are two ways for making your own dried figs at home:

• Drying Figs in the sun
• Drying figs in the oven.

How you prepare the figs before drying them depends on whether you intend to dry them whole – better for smaller figs – or split and halve larger ones. Figs that have edible skins can be dehydrated, either peeled or unpeeled.

After preparing your figs to be dried, follow these steps for each method to make an excellent healthy snack for yourself at home:

Things you will need:

• Small sharp knife
• Wire rack
• Cheesecloth
• Good netting

How to make Dried Figs in the Sun

For many years the tradition of drying fruit in the sun has been an excellent way of storing figs for the long cold winter, and it’s still a common practise around the world.

• Step 1: Wash the figs to eliminate any contamination and dirt that may be on them.

• Step 2: Remove their stems and cut off any bruised parts with a small sharp knife.

• Step 3: Cut your figs in half from top to bottom.

• Step 4: Cover a wire rack with a piece of cheesecloth and set it outside in the sun.

• Step 5: Place your figs on the rack so that they are lined up to optimise space, but not touching.

• Step 6: Cover the figs with a piece of excellent netting to keep the insects out.

• Step 7: Let the figs lay there drying in the sun for two or three days, checking on them each morning. When the figs are done, they should be smooth and pliable and should provide no juice when squeezed.

How to make Dried Figs in the Oven

Drying is an efficient way to preserve their flavour and quality. While you can dry figs in the sun, oven-drying can be an easy alternative.

• Step 1: Wash your figs to eliminate any dirt and contamination that may be on them.

• Step 2: Remove their stems and cut off any bruised parts with a small sharp knife.

• Step 3: Cut your figs in half from top to bottom.

• Step 4: Order the figs in a single layer on a baking sheet so that none of them are touching.

• Step 5: Put the figs in an oven heated to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit and leave the door slightly open to limit the buildup of moisture.

• Step 6: Leave the figs in the oven for 10 to 12 hours. Check them regularly after the 10 hours to see if they are done. They should be hard, and no moisture should be expelled upon squeezing them.

And voila! Your dried figs are ready to serve. You use different types of figs to provide a wide variety of dried figs with different shapes, colours, and flavours.