Dehydrated Pears

We love pears.

Fresh, dried, canned, juice, jam, sauce, syrup, etc.  Yes, we love pears.

So out of our 40+ pounds of juicy Bartlett pears recently received, we decided to dehydrate a few to snack on like apple chips.

To prepare pears for drying, wash, core and peel.

An effective way to core a pear is to first cut in half.  Then use knife to cut v-shape under stem and blossom area.  Then use pointed spoon to scoop out core.  Everything should cleanly lift out in one piece.  The stringy parts of the pear are around the stem and core. The grainy parts are around the core and blossom.  By carefully removing these parts, most unwanted textures are discarded.

I core first, then peel.  I find it easier to handle the pear while coring with the skin still on.

Very much used mandolin.

Slice pear into 1/4 inch slices.  Let pear slices drop into bowl of Fruit Fresh solution to protect from browning.  Follow the directions on Fruit Fresh label.

Place pear slices on dehydrator trays.  Dry at 135 degrees until leathery.  Upon cooling pear slices should become very crisp.  If they do not break when bent, dry longer.

If you can resist munching them all immediately, vacuum seal in jars and store.