Dried Fruit

Why Should I Eat Dried Fruit? ¼ cup of dried plums, dates, figs and raisins are a good source of dietary fiber and potassium.

What is Potassium? A mineral that helps your brain tell your muscles when to move. Potassium helps keep a healthy blood pressure and helps the body use the energy found in carbohydrates.

More About Potassium Potassium is an electrolyte which is a substance that conducts electrical impulses in the body. Potassium is critical for your heart to work properly. Many foods contain potassium like all meats, salmon, many fruits, vegetables and legumes.

What About Dietary Fiber? Dietary fiber is only found in plants. It is the part of the plant that can’t be digested by humans. Eating dietary fiber helps you feel full longer. Dried fruit is a good source of fiber.

Dietary Fiber…… Soluble fiber (dissolves in water) helps control blood sugar levels and carries cholesterol out of the body. Insoluble fiber (does not dissolve in water) helps move food through the body. Water soluble

Here are the dried fruit we are going to learn about: Dates Figs Plums Raisins

Dates There are about 250,000 date palm trees in the United States, most are in the Coachella Valley.

Iraq is slightly larger than California but has nearly 22 million date palm trees. Why do you think Iraq has more date palm trees than California?

What is a Fig? The fig is an inside out or inverted flower. The seeds are the real fruit!

Figs are easy to grow in areas with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Here are areas in California that grow fig trees.

There are four varieties of figs grown in California. Kadota Mission Calimyrna Adriatic

Prunes or Plums? Did you know that prunes are plums that have been dried? California is the world’s leader of dried plums, producing about 65% of the world’s supply. About 99% of the supply for the United States comes from California.

Fun Fact In 1905 there were not enough workers to pick the prune plums so one farmer thought he had the answer: He brought 500 monkeys to his field from Panama to pick the plums. Organized into crews of 50 with a human foreman overseeing them, the monkeys hit the fields and scampered up the trees to their pickings. But while they proved good at harvesting the fruit, they were also good at gobbling up every prune plum they picked! Today machines harvest the fruit.

Raisins California grape growers discovered raisins accidentally when an early heat wave dried the grapes on the vine. Ninety percent of raisins are made from the Thompson Seedless variety.

How Do Fruits Dry? Fruit becomes dry when their water content is below 20 percent. Fresh grapes are 80 percent water. Dried fruit is the result of either natural (sun) or mechanical processes (dehydrators).

How Do Fruits Dry? Dried fruit is often treated with chemicals such as: Potassium sorbate, to keep mold from growing on the fruit and, Sulfur dioxide which preserves the color. Before being sent to market, most dried fruit is boiled or steamed to add moisture to make the fruit plump and tasty. Plums and dates are mechanically dried. Figs partially dry on the tree.

Grapes are laid onto trays and dry by the heat of the sun. Visit to learn how to dry your own raisins.

Farmers lay the grapes out to dry beginning late August through September. If it rains, the drying grapes will get moldy. This is an example of why a farmer needs to add potassium sorbate.

Here we go! Q and A time 1.Name the four dried fruits you learned about. Figs, Plums, Raisins, Dates 2.Potassium is critical for your _________. Heart 3.What country grows more dates than California? Iraq 4. Fruit becomes dry when the water content is below_____. 20 percent 5.Explain what water soluble means. Anything that can dissolve in water.

Tasting Trio Do-It-Yourself Trail Mix Ingredients 1.Two packages toasted oat cereal. 2.One package dried blueberries. 3.One package dried cherries. What other ingredients could you add to make a healthy trail mix?

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