All these talks of eating healthy and staying, does it apply to eating nuts and dry fruits? Many people enjoy eating dry fruits by itself, with their morning breakfast cereals, mix into sweet snacks and trail mixes, over desserts, pies, cakes, and even milkshakes. Although dry fruits are tasty to eat, there are many health benefits that can be availed by consuming them on a regular basis. Depending on which dry fruits you are eating, the health benefits will vary. However, it is true that different dry fruits are filled with minerals, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, antioxidants, and much more. And yes, these nutritional benefits are available even after the fruits are dried. By undergoing the drying process, fruits can partially preserve their nutrients and can be availed when they are eaten. But there are times when you don't necessarily eat dry fruits every single day. In that case, keeping them in the refrigerator could decrease their shelf life drastically. Which is why, it becomes essential that you freeze the dry fruits in the freezer properly. In the following section, we will discuss the procedure in detail. Freeze Dry Fruits at Home For freezing dry fruits, you will require to get some freezer bags, labels, freezer containers, and bowls (counting on how many different dry fruits there are). Now depending on the different dry fruits you want to freeze, get that many bags along with containers, and the appropriate size as well. Try to keep the same dry fruits in one freezer bag and container, as that way, it'll be easier for you use them later on. You don't want too many bags of the same dry fruits, and later forget how many bags you actually have. Hence, once you collect these items, go to the steps mentioned below.

• Purchase whichever dry fruits you wish to freeze. Or, if you already have them at home, make sure they are not too old or have changed in any way in their texture.
• Take the bowls and empty the dry fruits in them. Do not mix dry fruits; keep the similar ones together.
• Variation - If you are going to use the dry fruits frequently, let's say once or twice every month, you can opt to freeze them in individual serving sizes. For that, you need to get appropriate sizes of freezing bag.
• Put the dry fruits into the freezer bag. Try to use up all the room in the bag so there is less chance of air staying or getting in.
• If some space is remaining, flatten the bag and try to squeeze the air out. Now seal the bag properly.
• With a marker, write down the dry fruits' names and date onto the labels and stick them on.
• Now these bags will go inside the freezer containers. These containers are free of vapor and moisture. Hence, the dry fruits remain fresh for a longer time (approximately 1 year).
• To set the freezer temperature, select 0º F. You don't want the temperature to be higher than this.

Important Note - When you wish to eat and use the dry fruits for any recipes, first of all you have to defrost them. But don't defrost the entire bag. Take out a small amount of dry fruits and let them defrost on their own. This way, you will keep the original texture and flavor of the fruits intact. Also, if you find that the dry fruits have mold on them or taste questionable, discard them immediately. Now that you know how dry fruits can be stored properly, you can expect them to stay fresh for a longer time. It wasn't difficult or confusing at all. So... what are you waiting for? Get your dry fruits list ready. Follow the steps mentioned in this article, and you'll be just fine. Use the dry fruits to be eaten by themselves, or add them in foods that you like.