Italian prune plumsUse as many plums as you have that will fit on your dehydrator.
Instructions
Wash your plums with cool water
Italian prune plums
Slice in half lengthwise and remove pit
Place plums skin side up on dehydrator trays. It's okay to fit them close together, just don't overlap the plums
Turn dehydrator to 145°F and let the drying begin!
Drying will take anywhere between 10-18 hours. That's a huge range, but it really depends on the size of your plums, the moisture level in plums, the amount your are drying and weather conditions.
Where you are drying them. I often set my dehydrator outside under a covered porch. The cooler temperature or higher humidity will increase drying time.
Check your plums every few hours to determine if they are dry enough
I prefer my plums pretty dry but still pliable.
Remove dried plums from dehydrator and place in a large glass jar or plastic bag. Rotate the plums around in the container to help condition the plums. If moisture appears on the jar or on the bag, the plums are not dried long enough. Just place back on dehydrator and dry for a bit longer.
Store prunes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month. For longer storage, place in vacuum seal bags and freeze for up to one year.
Notes
Use Italian plums or European plums for best results. These are a purplish plum with a freestone seed and a firm flesh.
Dry as many plums as you have available and will fit into your dehydrator. I have extra trays from an older dehydrator and I just stack them all up. Sometimes I'll have 8 trays on at one time. The time will take a bit longer, but it still works.
Don't spray your trays. Just add the plums. They will stick just a little, but once dry, they peel right off.
Rotate your trays about halfway through the processing time. I move the ones on top to the bottom.
Check your plums while they are drying. Make certain you know what's happening in that dehydrator. I'll do my first check after about 6 hours and then more frequently when they get closer to being done.
It's okay to turn your dehydrator off and then back on again later. This may happen at night time when you're unable to check on them.