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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI’ve become officially addicted to the unsulphured, unsweetened dried papaya spears I found in bulk at a local (large chain) health food store. So I decided to invest in a dehydrator so that I could make my own. However, my papaya is coming out thin, lifeless and a lot like an orange bookmark as compared to the store-bought papaya. Mine has little, if any, flavor—so now I’m stumped. If the store-bought kind is both unsulphured and unsweetened, and lists “papaya” as the only ingredient, how is it staying so thick and chewy, and very very sweet? I’m guessing that they’re preparing it with something that they’re not listing on their label, which is really not fair to the consumer. I’ve called their corporate office and a rep is supposed to get back to me—which he probably won’t do if they’re not disclosing all of their ingredients. What I’m looking for is the secret to making my dried papaya flavorful and chewy like the store’s—but according to raw food standards—which I don’t know if the store follows or not. Got any tips?
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Try to slice it a little thicker to see if that helps. It might be the papaya you used too. Taste the next one before you dehydrate it to make sure the flavor is right.
Your instincts are exactly like mine. My second batch I made sure was super ripe and I did slice it thicker. Doing all that helped some, but the difference between the store papaya and my home-dried batches is still significant. The store fruit seems to be candied, although there is no detectable residue or grit. My next batch I soaked in some food-grade vegetable glycerine for several hours (which is not raw, but it’s a syrupy sweetener that’s safe for candida-sensitive folk) and that got a “closer, but no cigar” rating from my family. So frustrating…
They may be dehydrating at a higher temperature, essentially cooking them.