Dry Fruit

• 1). Choose pieces of fruit that are fresh and unspoiled. Drying these prime edibles ensures that they have an ideal taste when you eat them.
  
  
• 2). Wash your fruit under running water and slice the piece(s) in half and pit them. These preparations allow for a quicker drying time.
  
  
• 3). Crush five 1-gram vitamin C tablets and place them in a quart of water. Continue by dipping each piece of fruit in the mixture. This process creates a homemade ascorbic acid dip that retains the colors of the fruit.
  
  
• 4). Place a cheesecloth on your oven rack for small pieces of fruit, or opt to place larger items directly on the rack. Set the oven temperature to 145 degrees and prop a wooden spoon inside the door to allow steam to vent during this oven drying process. The fruit should remain in the oven between four to 12 hours until they become dry, yet malleable. For example, you should be able to bend a cooled piece of fruit without it opening back up. Check regularly after the fourth hour to monitor this progress.
  
  
• 5). Position the food in a pot large enough to hold the contents and place the pot in a dry, warm spot with good air circulation. Move the fruit around one to two times a day for a time span of 10 days to two weeks to ensure that the fruit is completely dry.
  
  
• 6). Pasteurize your fruit by placing it in an oven heated to 175 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Move the fruit to airtight glass containers and stick them in paper bags to guard against the sun. Otherwise, during the summer months, keep your preserved fruit in the refrigerator to protect it against the heat.
  
  

Dry Flowers

• 1). Choose flowers that are healthy and blemish free to ensure that the specimens retain an attractive appearance during the drying process.
  
  
• 2). Put on a pair of rubber gloves and combine one part borax to one part white or yellow cornmeal in a bowl to create a desiccant solution.
  
  
• 3). Pour one inch of the desiccant on the bottom of the air-tight container and place the flowers on top. Position any flat flowers like daisies face down and make sure that the blossoms do not touch each other.
  
  
• 4). Pour the rest of the drying solution in and around the flowers, taking care not to interfere with the petals' natural arrangement. Cover the container with the lid when done.
  
  
• 5). Allow the flowers to remain in the container for up to two weeks and then remove them when the flowers are firm and dry but not brittle when touched.