How to Dehydrate Banana?
How to Dehydrate Banana – Today, let’s talk about the process of producing our delicious, dried banana products.
As we head into the winter months in Queensland, the focus here at Gin Gin and Dry switches to our banana products.
Like all of our healthy treats, the process of producing dried bananas begins with our grower. Banana plants are actually a grass and have runners – similar to a strawberry. Each “grass” grows a number of leaves and then produces a single bunch of bananas. Interestingly, only one bunch of bananas is ever produced per grass. That tree then dies, the runners take over and more are produced.
Our grower is very skilled at determining the optimum time in the growth cycle to care for the bananas and knows the importance of patience! The bananas must be grown and picked at just the right time in their lifecycle to ensure that when they are dried, they are full of flavour and nutrients.
Picking the Perfect Banana
The selection of our produce is unique and specific to ensure that the result is nothing short of delicious.
Gin Gin and Dry uses the variety of bananas known as “Cavendish Bananas” in our dried banana products.
All Gin Gin and Dry bananas are grown right here in Queensland, and an interesting piece of trivia is that 95% of all Australian bananas are Queensland grown!
Our growers carefully monitor all stages of growth of their banana crops because it is known that bananas won’t ripen if they are picked before maturity. Therefore, our grower picks Gin Gin and Dry bananas when they’re mature and green, so that they can ripen naturally after picking.
Our bananas are the highest of quality but can’t be sent to market because of incorrect sizing. Markets require bananas to adhere perfectly to standard size requirements for efficient packaging, and display, so anything that is too small or too large is unsuitable.
Gin Gin and Dry don’t discriminate though! Our exclusive drying process means that size does not matter to us at all! This means that we enthusiastically accept incorrectly sized bananas, and our customers are the ones to benefit from this of course!
Dried Banana Production
At Gin Gin and Dry, we offer three varieties of dried banana products –
2. Dried Banana
After receiving our banana shipment, we wait for them to ripen to the perfect level. Bananas that are too green or too ripe will not dry well. We want them to be full of flavour and have the perfect “chewability” factor for you! It is important that we don’t begin the drying process until the ideal ripening has occurred.
Dried Banana Longs
Our dried banana “longs” are full (entire) bananas. They have been picked, ripened, peeled and then naturally dried in our dehydration tunnels. No additives, no preservatives, just naturally dehydrated.
The banana longs are richly flavoured and quite chewy to enjoy. Such a great treat!
Dried Banana
Our second dried banana product is produced in following the same method as our Dried Banana Longs, but with one small difference. They are sliced in half, lengthways. This is done by hand to ensure quality control.
The result, once dried, is a crunchier banana treat.
Dark Chocolate Banana
Our third dried banana product appeals to those who enjoy a little indulgence from time to time. Still avoiding any additives or preservatives, our naturally dried sliced bananas are coated with decadent dark chocolate by a local chocolatier locally in Bundaberg.
The result is a flavour match made in heaven that is a truly indulgent yet guilt-free treat or gift!
Please note that our chocolate products do contain soy and milk products so may not be suitable for some dietary requirements. The equipment used to coat the products may be used to process products with nuts, so our chocolate products may also contain traces of nuts.
Please note that our chocolate products do contain soy and milk products so may not be suitable for some dietary requirements. The equipment used to coat the products may be used to process products with nuts, so our chocolate products may also contain traces of nuts.
Is Dried Fruit Good for You?
The short answer is YES! Interestingly, when dehydrating fruit, it removes approximately 96 per cent of the water content. This means that dried treats, such as bananas become far more concentrated sources of nutrients.
For example, pound for pound, dried bananas contain four times the amount of fibre, potassium, and carbohydrates than when fresh. This means you need to eat far less to consume the same amount of goodness!
So long as the fruit has been dried naturally, with no added preservatives, or sugar added, they are a wonderfully healthy treat and source of nutrition. Another bonus is that they’re almost completely fat free.
How to Dry a Banana
Today you’ve learned how we grow, select and dry our banana products here at Gin Gin and Dry. Our process is quite unique because we never add any preservatives or additives – they come to you just as mother nature grew them, with the moisture removed. With the exception of our chocolate products, the entire Gin Gin and Dry range is gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free, and 100% suitable for coeliacs.
If you’d like to know more about how we dry our bananas or any of our products, do reach out to our team today, we would be very happy to answer any questions you may have.
Gin Gin & Dry are your team of passionate gourmets and dedicated dried fruit wholesalers in Australia.
Locally grown fruit and a unique drying process, Gin Gin & Dry have no added preservatives, colouring or additives and are the perfect healthy snack alternative.
We supply Dried Fruit, Fruit Powder, Shredded Muesli Fruit Mixes, Sweeter alternatives and Semi dried tomatoes.
Check out our online store and take advantage of flat rate shipping right across Australia.
