Dried Blood Plums

ranch-girl's Note:

Blood plums are delicious Japanese plums with bright red flesh. I usually can them, but I decided to try drying them, even though I couldn't find any instructions for doing so. Here is what I did, which was simple and produced dried plums with incredible flavor. I have included a photo sequence of the process.

• Total Time: 24 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 24 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 48

Yield: 8.0 trays

• 10 lbs of blood plums (or any amount you want to dry. I buy a twenty pound box at the farmer's market)
• water (for washing plums, recipezaar said I needed to have more than one ingredient, lol)

Directions:

1. Wash plums.
2. Cut into wedges, removing pit (quarters or sixths depending on the size of the plum).
3. Place on dehydrator rack (or some ovens have low temperature setting for drying fruit).
4. Dry at 135 degrees for about 24 hours. Drying time may vary considerably depending on humidity levels.
5. They are done when they are leathery and sticky, but no longer juicy.
6. Store them in ziplock freezer bags in the freezer until ready to use.
7. FYI - Some varieties of blood plum are Ruby Blood, Satsuma and Mariposa.