Dehydrating Pears

Dehydrating pears is pretty similar to dehydrating apples.  Prep was similar to what I did for the pear preserves, with a couple of exceptions:  I didn't dice them and I only peeled some.  I wanted to try them with skins on and skins off to see if there were any differences.  Obviously, leaving the skins on is easier.

The melon baller is an addition to my kitchen hardware since I cut up the pears for preserves.  It makes it a little easier to get out the hard tissue around the core, but I still use a knife to get out the strands leading up to the stem.  When quartering the pears, a knife works pretty well to cut out the core and seeds, also.  The bowl in the right sink in the picture is where I dunked them to keep them from browning, with much success (the bowl held water with ascorbic acid).

As you can see below, the presence of skins makes a major difference in how fast they dry down.  This was shot just a few hours after starting the dehydrator and running it at 135 degrees.  Those with skins are still fairly plump in the photo, while the peeled ones are shriveling fast.  How's the flavor and texture?

The verdict: I like them--with and without the skin (these are more Kieffers).  They are very gritty when dried, but the flavor is great.  I dried some Seckels a couple of years ago and these are almost as good.  Dehydrated Kieffers are a winner.  I'm still undecided about planting one, however...