Apple Schnitz
Apples take on a different flavor and texture when they are preserved by drying. Dehydration removes much of the moisture and concentrates the flavor. They can be kept edible for a year by putting them in an airtight container in a refrigerator, and they can be kept much longer if frozen. Our settler ancestors kept dried apples in a brown paper bag, hung in the attic next to the Mint Teas and other garden herbs.

Dried Apples can be used as healthful snacks, trail food in a back pack, or in many cooking recipes calling for fresh apples. They may be soaked in water to swell up and simulate fresh fruit. When cooked or baked, they may be mistaken for fresh apples.

Select your favorite ripe Apples for drying.  Wash them thoroughly. You may remove the peel or not, as you desire. But as with many fruits and vegetables, the skin contains beneficial nutrients, and surely contributed to the saying;
"An Apple a day, keeps the Doctor away".

Don't discard those apples that are becoming soft. When the skin begins to wrinkle, it is an indication that they are beginning to dehydrate naturally. Some of the drying has already been done for you. Our ancestors would string softening apples on a line in the sun for about a week. That  exposed maximum surface area to the drying sun. But that was before industrial air pollution.


 

Preparation:
 

You can prepare them one of two or more ways:

Method 1 - Quarter the Apples as shown in the left photo above.
Next remove the core with seeds and the concave ends 
by cutting away the thin sliver shown next to the knife.
Then cut 1/4-inch thick wedge-shaped slices from end to end.

Method 2 - Remove a thin slice of peel from both ends.
Then cut the apples in half as on the right.
Next remove a "V"-shaped portion with the core.
Last, cut 1/4-inclh thick slices as shown.
The benefit of this method is that the slice is less tapered
and tends to dry more uniformly.

If you want to avoid the natural brown discoloration of dried Apples, dip them in Lemon juice after slicing. You may also want to sprinkle Cinnamon on the fresh slices to spice up the flavor. You may prefer drying a variety that is not your favorite eating apple, since its character changes in the process of drying.
 

The slices can be dried in a Dehydrator made for that purpose, as shown above. It may have multiple racks, which can be exchanged to give each tray its turn near the heat source. It  may also have an automatic thermostat and built-in timer. Note that the two trays were prepared using the two methods described above.

Dehydration can also take place in a greenhouse, oven, microwave, the dash of your car in the sunshine, a new black garbage bag on your lawn, or any enclosure which can maintain a temperature of about 140 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of three to five hours. Enough ventilation must be provided to allow the moisture to escape fron the enclosure.

Whichever Dryer you choose, expect the finished product to shrink by about one half and to be rubbery or leathery when bent. If dehydrated too long, the slices become hard and brittle. These are not ruined; they just need more chewing or soaking to soften them up.
 
 




 
 

If you enjoyed this page, book-mark it,
tell your gardening friends, and let us know with a friendly...