Dried apples are great, and one of my favorite ways to store the fall harvest. I find dried apples useful in so many ways; among my favorites are as a snack or included in an apple pie, or as a treat for the dogs. I’ve never had a dog that didn’t like a dried apple something about the chewy sweetness of them that they seem to appreciate, not to mention it doesn’t hurt of any.
I like dehydrating food for long-term storage so much, I have two food dehydrators with multiple shelves.
Ingredients to dry apples
- fresh apples
- A solution to prevent browning (if desired). A homemade non-browning agent is a mixture of lemon juice and pineapple juice or
Instructions
- Cut apples into thin slices.
- Soak in a non-browning solution.
- Distribute on dehydrator shelves
- Dry until apples are leathery, dry, and almost brittle crisp.
How to Make Dried Apples
Wash apples.
- Wash your apples thoroughly
- and identify any damaged portions for later removal.
Prep the apples for drying.
Coring and slicing the apples.
- Moving the core and slicing the apples can be done in more than one way:
- I just use a knife and quarter the apples, cut the apple core out, remove any damaged bits, and slice the quarters to the thickness desired. Usually, the slices are a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
- However, some folks prefer to use an Apple core to remove the apple core and then to slice the apples.
- Others prefer to use some form of an apple peeler/slicer.
- No need to peel the apples. Leaving on the peel adds a little flavor, nutrition, and character to the dried apples.
Pretreat for drying.
- Dip apples the apple slices in a solution to prevent them from browning.
- There are both commercial and homemade solutions which work perfectly fine to prevent your apple slices from browning.
- Your apple slices need to be thoroughly coated with an acidic solution to stave off the browning process. Some folks like to use bottled lemon or lime juice mixed with water at a ratio of approximately 1-part lemon juice to 4-parts water, which makes it handy for volume work. To make it sweeter, you can add a little pineapple juice or honey.
- A commercial alternative would be the use soda water, which requires no mixing, or
- You can use a solution made from 2 tablespoons of ascorbic acid and 1 cup water.
Arranging your apple slices for drying.
- Place them single layer directly on the dehydrator shelf without overlapping the fruit and without a liner to allow for maximum air circulation.
- Repeat the process for each shelf of your dehydrator keeping in mind the maximum effective height of the dehydrator brand you have.
How long to Dry Apples?
- The drying time will vary depending on which method you use, the moisture content of the apples, and how thick the apple slices are.
- Drying apples in a food dehydrator will take between 12 and 24 hours.
- The number of total shelves you have in the dehydrator may extend this time somewhat.
How to Know When Dried Apples are Done?
- Your apples are sufficiently dried when they feel leathery and dry, almost crisp, but not quite. If you like your dried apples to be crispy, you can dry them longer until you achieve the desired result.
How to Store Your Dried Apples
- once your dried apples have cooled, you can store them in glass jars, plastic containers, or in sealable plastic bags.
- I usually put a small quantity of dry Rice in the containers to soak up any excess moisture that might still be there.
- Then place the dried apples where they are easily accessible but in, a cool ( about 45 degrees Fahrenheit) dry place.
What Is The Shelf-Life Of Home Dried Apples?
- If properly packaged a and stored in a cool ( about 45 degrees Fahrenheit), dry place, dried apples should keep 6 to 8 months. Enough to get you through the To extend their shelf-life, freeze them. Storing them in multiple family size (for the way your family will use them) packages will help to reduce the scale of loss due to spoilage but will also make them easy to use.
How Many Dried Apples Will Fresh Apple Yield?
- Honestly, I never worried much about this, I usually store all the apples I can get in as many forms as possible. With that said, the yield will vary upon how dry you make the apples, how much of the apple you peel and/or remove during preparations, and the apple you choose to dry. With that said, five pounds of fresh, high-quality apples, should yield about two cups.
Which Apples Are best for Drying?
- Nearly all eating and cooking Apples dry well. Personally, I lean toward the Granny Smith cooking apple, but you can use your families’ favorite or whatever variety you happen to have in abundance.
