Add a Touch of Magic

5 Reasons to Dig into Fruit Dusts

Flavour..! Colour..! Whole ingredients!
And to top it all…made in Albany, Western Australia!

These deliciously dynamic fruit dusts tick all the boxes to boost your home baking and beverages with brightness and totally natural brilliance.

Handasyde’s own fruit dusts are made from 100% whole fruit – freeze-dried and ground into soft, fluffy powder.

Fruit dust might sound like a modern invention…but the process behind this magic powder dates back thousands of years to the ancient Incas of the Andes in South America. During frosty nights at high altitudes, the crops of the ancients would freeze. When dawn broke and hot sun beamed down, these same crops would dry while basking in the daylight. This natural form of freeze-drying preserved the fruits and vegetables of ancient harvests, providing ongoing sustenance for the community who planted it.

Our super-duper freeze drying machine speeds up and regulates this process to deliver reliably dry and delicious fruit snacks that are packed with flavour. Today, by grinding down our freshly freeze dried fruits into dust, we open up a whole new world of opportunities in the kitchen.

So then…what on earth can you do with fruit dust..?!

Quite simply… just about anything! Add it to your cake mixes, cookie doughs and cool drinks to bring a burst of flavour and colour. Think of using fruit dust in the same way you would use cocoa powder..! Imagine… perfectly pink strawberry milkshakes…frozen yoghurt flavoured and topped with punchy passionfruit dust…moorish Meringues made
magically tangy with lemon dust.

These delicious dusts add value to baking and beverages and they pack a punch when it comes to flavour. Here at Handasyde’s Strawberry Farm, you’ll discover that many of our homemade cakes are flavoured and coloured naturally using our strawberry dust, and other flavours too..! The bright pink tinge permeates through our icings and buttercreams, providing great aesthetics and an otherworldly, authentically strawberry flavour.

Nothing at all is added to these pure ingredients, and so a small amount of fruit dust really does goes a long way. In these fine granules of ground freeze dried fruits, you’ll find vitamins and minerals aplenty.

The process of freeze drying removes up to ninety-eight percent of moisture from the fruit. Whilst water is removed, the rich nutrients embedded in the fruit remains, and the fruit’s flavour is locked in and intensified by the freeze drying process. Nothing is added at any stage. No added sugars, no preservatives…just pure fruit! The result is a whole lot of flavour and goodness packed into a product that is versatile and easy to incorporate into all manner of food and beverages.

There’s a whole range of dust flavours to choose from, all using pure fruit. Choose from Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Passionfruit, Oranges and of course Strawberry..! With more flavours in the pipeline, we’d love to hear from you about what dusts you’d like to taste and how you’d use them in your kitchen.

These dynamic dusts are not just for those with a sweet tooth. Almost everywhere you might use a lime or a lemon, you could use lime or lemon dust instead or in addition. Try adding lime dust to a crumb coating for sizzling fresh prawns. Or, for an unforgettably delicious festive feast, you could add citrus dusts to your barbecue marinades. You could partner lime dust with grated ginger to really make your stir-fried rice dishes pop…or satisfy your tastebuds with a fresh take on salad dressings.

Fruit dusts are fast becoming a pantry essential. Recipe books and internet sites are blossoming with brilliant recipes containing fruit dust, making it easier than ever to get stuck into this new wave of flavour.

One of the many wonderful things about Handasyde’s freeze dried fruit dusts are their shelf life. In fact, all of Handasyde’s freeze dried products…from whole fruits to freeze dried ice creams to fruit dusts…can last for several months after purchase. So, even when our fresh strawberries aren’t in season, you’ll find freeze dried fruits and strawberry dusts are packed with the taste of Summer, with full flavour and freshness sealed inside a neat foil pouch.

TIP: For maximum shelf life, keep your freeze dried fruits and dusts away from moisture, sealed in an airtight container away from direct light.

For all generations, fruit dusts are a fun and healthy way to add flavour and nutrients to foods at home. From toddlers to tipplers and from everyday cooking to impressive entertaining…the possibilities are endless.

Here are our top five reasons to dig into fruit dusts…!

1. Delicious!
2. 100% Fruit!
3. Easy!
4. Long Shelf Life!
5. Creative!

Buy Handasyde’s fruit dusts at our cafe on Chester Pass Road, Albany.
Get started with this great recipe from our amazing Head Cook, Lyn Handasyde: